Ephesians 4:28 “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.”
Last Sunday, Pastor Herk continued in his sermon series through the Pauline Epistle of Ephesians. He opened by stating that the Christian work ethic is different than the humanistic world work ethic. Since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, sin entered the world and corrupted the flesh and soul of every human being with desires of their sinful nature, the results are very clear and listed in the bible in multiple text with severe consequences. Sovereign God, who gives us the standards to live at peace in a civil and just society in the Moral Law, statutes and commandments, is holy and just, so must punish sin. Exodus 34:7 says, He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. Secular moral relativism stands in contrast to God’s knowable absolute standards in ethics, honesty, truth, virtuous social manners, values and morality found in the Bible. God is the measure of all things; the foundation of life and community on earth.
When people become Followers of Jesus Christ, they find it difficult to break away from the worldly ethical norms of the day. The word “worldly is defined as: (1) Secular; temporal; pertaining to this world or life, in contradistinction to the life to come; as worldly pleasures; worldly affairs; worldly estate; worldly honor; worldly lusts. (2) Devoted to this life and its enjoyments; bent on gain; as a worldly man; a worldly mind. (3) Human; common; belonging to the world; as worldly actions; worldly maxims. An existential existence mindfully void of God’s Word, Will or Way. The Apostle Paul makes it clear that born-again Believers in God and His plan of salvation through Jesus Christ have to take off our old way of life and put on the new life, transformed and dressed in who we are in Christ. The Christian puts off falsehood, puts off tolerance for sin in righteous indignation, and puts off stealing turning to a good, godly work ethic.
Leviticus 6:2-5 “If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the Lord by deceiving a neighbor
about something entrusted to them or left in their care or about something stolen, or if they cheat their neighbor, or if they find lost property and lie about it, or if they swear falsely about any such sin that people may commit — when they sin in any of these ways and realize their guilt, they must return what they have stolen or taken by extortion, or what was entrusted to them, or the lost property they found, or whatever it was they swore falsely about. They must make restitution in full, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the owner on the day they present their guilt offering.”
The eighth of the Ten Commandments given by God directed in Exodus 20:15 is “You shall not steal”, and confirmed by the Apostle Paul in Romans 13:9 stating, For this, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Both, the Greek word “kleptō” for “steal” in Ephesians 4:28 and the Hebrew word “gānaḇ” in Exodus 20:15 mean to commit a theft, or to take away by theft; take away by stealth. The Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines the word “steal” as ill-gotten gains: (1) To take and carry away feloniously, as the personal goods of another. To constitute stealing or theft, the taking must be felonious, that is, with an intent to take what belongs to another, and without his consent. Let him that stole, steal no more. Ephesians 4:28. (note: our text verse is in the dictionary). (2) To withdraw or convey without notice or clandestinely. They could insinuate and steal themselves under the same by submission. (3) To gain or win by address or gradual and imperceptible means. A variety of objects have a tendency to steal away the mind from its steady pursuit of any subject. (4) To withdraw or pass privily; to slip along or away unperceived. (5) To practice theft; to take feloniously. They steal for a livelihood. By definition it is unethical.
Let's continue Pastor Herk's message on Christian Ethics in the next post.
In C christ, Brian
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