Ephesians

Steal No More

The next practical issue Paul addresses in Ephesians 4 is the issue of stealing. “He who has been stealing,” he says in verse 28, “must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.” At first glance, we are tempted to respond, “Well, that’s a strange command to issue to the church! There are no professional thieves in my church!” But Paul is not only addressing the professional thief. He is talking to amateurs as well.

Who is an amateur thief? Well, it’s the shoplifter. It’s the tax dodger. It’s the person who fudges the bookkeeping just a bit. It’s the person who borrows without returning, or who says nothing when the clerk at the grocery store gives back too much change. It is the small businessman who embellishes his advertising with “over-enthusiastic” (that is, false) claims. It is the individual who hides the defects in the home or car he is selling, then rationalizes his deception with the phrase caveat emptor—let the buyer beware.

Paul says, “He who has been stealing must steal no longer.” Why? Because all theft, whether it is a billion-dollar break-in at Fort Knox or making unauthorized copies on the copy machine at work—is an expression of the old life that has been crucified on the cross. It is the old self that craves unearned gain, and looks for any shortcut to riches. That is a deceitful urge, an urge that lies to you.

When Jesus hung on the cross, He was hung between two thieves. At that moment, when He was made sin on our behalf (see 2 Corinthians 5:21), He became a thief. He also became a liar, a drunkard, a murderer—He was made sin, so that all our sins could be crucified in Him. When He became what we are, God put Him to death, because that is what this old self deserves. There is nothing good in it and nothing good can come from it. That is what stealing always manifests—a total self-absorption and an utter lack of concern for someone else, for their feelings, needs, and wants.

What does the rest of the verse say? “He who has been stealing must steal no longer,” writes Paul, “but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need” (Ephesians 4:28). That is putting on Christ. We are not merely to put off stealing; we are to put on Christ. Putting off is a necessary but negative step; that is, it is stated in the negative: “steal no longer.” But simply not stealing is not enough. We must take a further step, a positive step. We must put on Christ, and the way we put on Christ is by demonstrating generosity, by actively demonstrating a positive concern and compassion for the less fortunate.

When we put on Christ, our motive for giving is transformed. Out of a Christ-like heart, we want to give joyously, generously, hilariously. That is why Paul writes to the Corinthians, “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). There is no joy like the joy of giving, for it manifests a heart of love and concern for the interests of others. And that is positive, practical Christianity—not merely putting off the old but also putting on the new, putting on Christ.