Honor the Property of Others – A Kingdom Catechism

Honor the Property of Others

A Kingdom Catechism

Do no harm to the property of others.

Q 113: How do the redeemed of the Lord honor all men’s persons and property?

A 113: The redeemed of the Lord honor the persons and property of men by taking care not to harm or otherwise act unjustly toward them or their possessions. (Lev. 19:14; Deut. 22:1-4; Exod. 21:35, 36; Exod. 21:18, 19; Exod. 21:16)

Much is involved in fulfilling our obligations toward the property of others, besides the obvious requirement of not stealing from our neighbors. Part of this has to do with how we maintain and use our own property. For example, does the way we keep our home and yard lift or drag down the property values of our neighbors? And how about the way we operate our vehicles on the road? Do we endanger others and their property, or do we drive so as to maximize the safety of all? Honoring others and their property is as much a matter of the heart as of actual deeds. Unless we hold our neighbors in high regard—neighbor-love—we are not likely to care much about their property or possessions. The harder we work at keeping the fifth commandment, the easier it will be to keep the eighth.

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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.