Ephesians: Do Not Steal!
Ephesians 4:28; Deuteronomy 5:19 - Our modern society is teeming with theft and fraud and the sin of envy.
“He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.”
Ephesians 4:28 NASB1995
Paul admonishes the saints at Ephesus that anyone who steals must give this sin up and labor instead to produce things that are good that can be shared with someone who has need. The AI image that was suggested by ChatGPT at the top shows the same man stealing a loaf of bread looking over at himself at a later time laboring to harvest wheat to share with others.
Stealing is right next to lying in its claim on human sinful behavior and the two are usually intertwined. Thieves require lies and stealth for their ill-gotten gains. According to scholars, back in the day of the epistle to Ephesus, many of the Gentiles who converted to Christianity came from social backgrounds that didn’t even blink at stealing something and that behavior can become inherent and passed down to future generations.
Let’s first do a word study from the Blue Letter Bible lexicon:
Steal comes from the Greek verb κλέπτω or kléptō (Strong’s G2813), with the following Biblical usages:
to steal
to commit a theft
take away by theft i.e take away by stealth
A prohibition against stealing is, of course, one of the Ten Commandments in the number 8 position, just above that pesky commandment against bearing false witness.
“‘You shall not steal.”
Deuteronomy 5:19 NASB1995
It doesn’t say that you shall not steal unless you and your family are starving to death (Jean Valjean was wrong, even if his prison sentence was extreme) or that you shall not steal unless you are desperate to have some money to tide you over until payday since you blew all of your income. YOU SHALL NOT STEAL period, end of commandment. This commandment, along with number 9 about not bearing false witness and number 10 about not coveting someone else’s family or possessions, is intended to establish the idea of private property and autonomy in your personal life, hopefully free from threats from others. I have to admit that I have never been anywhere close to starvation in my life, so it’s easy to be righteous when you have plenty to eat. I pray I never have to face that test, unlike the hero in “Les Miserables”.
Here’s an interesting commentary from Enduring Word on the verse in Deuteronomy pointing forward to Ephesians 4:28:
a. You shall not steal: This command is another important foundation for human society, establishing the right to personal property. God has clearly entrusted certain possessions to certain individuals, and other people or states are not permitted to take that property without due process of law.
i. “Both here and elsewhere all thievery is condemned in the OT as well as in the NT. The right to personal property is basic to the whole Mosaic economy. The word ganaḇ (‘to steal’) reoccurs in Deuteronomy only in 24:7 in relation to kidnapping – a particularly serious violation of the eighth commandment, because it resulted in slavery.” (Kalland)
b. You shall not steal: We can also steal from God. Of course, this demands we honor God with our financial resources, so we are not guilty of robbing Him (Malachi 3:8-10). But we can also rob God by refusing to give Him ourselves for obedience and His service, because He bought us and owns us: knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold…but with the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19).
c. You shall not steal: Ephesians 4:28 gives the solution to stealing. 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.
It’s important to note that we can steal from God by not obeying Him and serving Him!
So after thousands of years with this commandment ringing in our ears, how are we doing as a society? I thought I would share some recent headlines:
A record $15.9 Billion lost to consumer scams in 2025
The Great Grift: How billions in COVID relief aid was stolen or wasted
New York Times reporter condones shoplifting
Software CEO convicted for $1Billion Medicare fraud scheme
New report identifies emotional toll of identity theft on consumers
Identity theft losses reach $27.3 Billion in 2025
Authorities announce arrests in series of burglaries across LA
Million-dollar food stamp SNAP fraud ring in Minnesota
Flash mob shoplifting responsible for $8 million in thefts
16 indicted in auto-parts theft ring in the Bronx
Is that enough? We are definitely not doing well as a society. Many states have removed criminal penalties for shoplifting under a certain dollar value for “compassion” reasons, resulting in stores locking away cosmetics and OTC medicines among other commodities or even just closing stores in certain neighborhoods. The NY Times reporter cited in the link above (the link goes to a critical NY Post article) smugly wrote about her theft of food items at a Whole Foods grocery store and urged others to steal from “corporate thieves” (she was a bit confused about who the real thief is, apparently; this person also makes a very decent salary, even for a New Yorker).
This is a little bit political so bear with me: There are millions of people in this country who resent people that have more money than them like billionaires (most of whom made their money creating products and services that consumers want and also creating jobs) and these people with resentment want the government to rob from those billionaires and give to those seething in envy. None of my money has ever been taken from me by force by a billionaire but I certainly pay a substantial sum in mandatory federal and state taxes every year only to see a lot of that money going to fraudulent activities (to real theft, in other words). Envy is the deadly sin that drives sinful humans into the act of stealing from others.
In this climate of rampant theft, most of us have some prudent systems in place like credit report monitoring and services like Lifelock just because there is such a lack of trust and such a large underground society that thrives on stealing. We are very glad we have Lifelock. A few years ago my hubby got a phone call from a Verizon store about an overdue payment on cell phone equipment. He had never been to that store or bought any of their equipment. It turns out that his name and address and phone number, likely written on a card and put into a drawing for a “free trip” at a travel show, was enough information to be used to create a fraudulent account at the Verizon store in his name. Fortunately, Lifelock worked with us to clear this up. This is the time we live in, where people are constantly monitoring their bank accounts and are genuinely concerned about sophisticated methods of fraud and theft.
Precept Austin quotes from another great Steven Cole sermon about this verse; Cole’s sermon was done more than 20 years ago, so the information is outdated and is certainly much worse now:
Steven Cole on stealing - While few of us would be tempted to pull off an armed robbery, if the situation is just right, it can be very tempting to take what does not belong to us. A 20-year Pinkerton study found that 30 percent of the population will steal, not only if the opportunity arises, but also will create the opportunity whenever possible. Forty percent will steal if there’s little danger of getting caught. Only 30 percent won’t steal at all (L. M. Boyd column, 9/6/1999). But I would venture to say that even the 30 percent would be tempted,
If there’s no chance of getting caught;
If it’s something you really need and can use;
If it’s a small item that won’t be missed;
If you figure that the company or government agency can afford it; or,
If you rationalize that everyone else takes little things.
People don’t need much encouragement to steal. According to a 2002 National Retail Security Survey, inventory shrinkage (a combination of employee theft, shoplifting, vendor fraud and administrative error) cost U.S. retailers over $31 billion, which was 1.7 percent of their total annual sales. Inventory shrinkage remains the single largest category of larceny in the United States, more than motor vehicle theft, bank robbery and household burglary combined. Ultimately consumers are hurt the most in the form of higher prices. An average family of four will spend more than $440 per year in higher prices because of inventory theft (http://retailindustry.about.com/od/statistics_loss_prevention/1/ aa021126a.htm). And, that number probably does not include the amount that retailers spend on security and theft prevention!
The Internet has opened up a whole new avenue for thieves, namely, identity theft. Back in 2003, one in four American households were victims of identity theft in the previous five years (USA Today, 9/04/2003). In 2003 alone, identity theft cost individual victims $5 billion in out-of-pocket expenses and nearly $48 billion in losses to businesses and financial institutions (http://www.whitecanyon.com/identity-theft-statistics-ut-09-2003.php).
So, stealing is a widespread human problem. As such, it is a huge temptation for us as Christians living in this evil world. In the context of our text, Paul is spelling out in detail a number of changes that Christians must make as a result of the new birth. In general terms, we must put off the old way of life, be renewed in the spirit of our minds, and put on the new way of life (4:22-24). Specifically, this includes putting away falsehood and speaking the truth (4:25); putting aside sinful anger and being careful with righteous anger (4:26-27); and, not stealing, but instead, working and giving (4:28). Stealing goes hand in hand with falsehood, because thieves must lie and deceive in order not to get caught. (To Cure a Thief - Eph 4:28)
There are some additional nuggets of wisdom in Precept Austin on thievery and the Christian precept that we should work hard for our income, so hard that we can definitely share with others:
John MacArthur - Theft is a common problem in our world. Shoplifting has become such a problem that a significant percentage of the price of commercial items covers the amount lost from stolen goods. Whether grand theft or petty theft, robbing from the store, or stealing money from a rich man or a family member, it is all stealing. Christians are to “labor,” which refers to hard, manual work. Hard work is honorable. As Christians we should work hard so that we will have enough to give to those in need, not so that we will have more of what we don’t need. The worldly approach to wealth is to hoard what we acquire. But the New Testament principle is to work hard so we might do good and give to those who have needs. (see Truth for Today: A Daily Touch of God's Grace)
ILLUSTRATION: A few years ago, a Church of England priest made the news when he suggested that it is not a sin to shoplift, as long as the victim is a big store. He said that it is wrong to steal from individuals or from small merchants. But, he rationalized, with giant retail corporations it’s different. He said that he wasn’t encouraging shoplifting, although he said, “if people wander in and wander out without paying for the stuff, I think it is a perfectly comprehensible action” (Arizona Daily Sun, 3/6/97)! If by “comprehensible” he means, “understandable,” I’d say, “Yes, I understand why people steal.” But if he means that it is justifiable to steal, he is denying God’s Word! Believers must stop stealing and instead work hard so that they can give to those in need. When the former thief becomes a worker and a giver, he has cured the problem!
ILLUSTRATION: J. C. Penney, who was a devoted Christian and a shrewd business leader, told of an incident that occurred when he was seventeen years old. He had already developed an entrepreneurial flare, and his summer crop of watermelons came ripe just as the county fair opened. Young Jim knew he was doing all right selling his watermelons up and down the main street of his town, but he thought he could make more money outside the gates of the fair. He drove his wagon as close to the main entrance as possible, and people were eager for a slice of his watermelon. Suddenly he felt a firm hand on his shoulder. It was his dad, who said, “Better go home, son. Now.”
Jim was bewildered and embarrassed but he went home. When his dad arrived home, he asked the young man, “Do you know why I told you to go home?”“No, sir,” replied Jim.
“Did it mean anything to you that the fair was supported by concessions?”
“No,” Jim answered.
His father explained that everyone inside the fair had paid a concession fee, and those vendors were dependent on fair-attendees purchasing their products. Jim protested that he had not gone inside the gates.
“That’s just it,” replied his father. “Without paying anything toward the support of the fair, you were taking advantage of those who did. Everyone is entitled to earn a living, you and everyone else, but never by taking advantage of others.”
It was lessons like that which built bedrock honesty inside the heart of J. C. Penney.
The anecdote about J.C. Penney is a great lesson.
In case readers feel a bit self-righteous because they think they have never stolen anything, think about if you ever took an extra pen or a small notepad from the supply cabinet at work for your own usage. Steve shared a story with me about how those supply cabinets at his company were emptied out at the beginning of school terms. Think about how much of the fruits of your labor are used to actually help others (and I’m not talking about programs that come from your taxes). Think about how much time you devote to obeying and serving God, who bought you with a price beyond measure (the blood of Christ). Guilty as charged.
My next devotional examines Ephesians 4:29 - Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Please forgive me for the petty theft I’ve committed in my life. We are commanded to not steal and I probably still have some pens at home that actually belonged to my company. Forgive me for not being more generous with the fruits of my labor and for not being in perfect obedience to Your will. Help me pray for the wretched state of our society that admires and promotes thievery and punishes hard work. Amen.
Citations and Credits:
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org.
“G2813 - kleptō - Strong’s Greek Lexicon (NASB95).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 16 May, 2026. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2813/nasb95/mgnt/0-1/>.
Precept Austin was accessed on 05/16/2026 to review commentary for Ephesians 4:28. Links to the source documents are provided where appropriate. The Steven Cole sermon excerpt can be found at this address: https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-34-cure-thief-ephesians-428. Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2008, All Rights Reserved.Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation
Commentary from Enduring Word is used with written permission and without any alteration. ©1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com. Within the Enduring Word commentary are the following references for Deuteronomy:
Kalland, Earl S. “Deuteronomy” The Expositor’s Bible Commentary Volume 3 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1990)