Lord's Day 42

110 Q.  What does God forbid
        in the eighth commandment?

    A.  He forbids not only outright theft and robbery,
          punishable by law.^1

        But in God's sight theft also includes
          cheating and swindling our neighbor
          by schemes made to appear legitimate,^2
          such as:
            inaccurate measurements of weight, size, or volume;
            fraudulent merchandising;
            counterfeit money;
            excessive interest;
            or any other means forbidden by God.^3

        In addition he forbids all greed^4
        and pointless squandering of his gifts.^5

    ^1  Ex. 22:1; 1 Cor. 5:9-10; 6:9-10
    ^2  Mic. 6:9-11; Luke 3:14; James 5:1-6
    ^3  Deut. 25:13-16; Ps. 15:5; Prov. 11:1; 12:22; Ezek. 45:9-12; Luke 6:35
    ^4  Luke 12:15; Eph. 5:5
    ^5  Prov. 21:20; 23:20-21; Luke 16:10-13


111 Q.  What does God require of you
        in this commandment?

    A.  That I do whatever I can
          for my neighbor's good,
        that I treat others
          as I would like them to treat me,
        and that I work faithfully
          so that I may share with those in need.^1

    ^1  Isa. 58:5-10; Matt. 7:12; Gal. 6:9-10; Eph. 4:28