Fulfilling the Eighth Commandment – A Kingdom Catechism

Fulfilling the Eighth Commandment

A Kingdom Catechism

Honor the persons and property of others.

Q 112: How do they who have been redeemed fulfill the eighth commandment?

A 112: The redeemed of the Lord fulfill the eighth commandment by honoring all men’s persons and property as their stewardship from the Lord, providing generously for those in need, and waging just war against enemies. (Exod. 22:5, 6; Deut. 22:1-4; Num. 27:8-11; Exod. 21:18, 19; Deut. 24:14, 15; Exod. 21:6; Deut. 15:11; Deut. 20:1-9)

Property is not ours merely to consume on ourselves. We are stewards of the property God entrusts to us, and we must therefore use it as He would. Property is to be employed for good purposes in advancing love for God and neighbor, and this includes using at least some of our property to provide for those who are unable, if only temporarily, to meet their material needs. It might surprise us to see the mention of “just war” in the context of the eighth commandment, but in a very real sense, war is often about property rights. In a just war a nation fights to preserve the right to life and property of its citizens against those who seek to take these away.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.