The Bible has much to say about the sin of stealing, God even made it one of the 10 Commandments! The Bible tells us to consider others above ourselves. I recently had some things stolen out of my car, and I vaguely remember reading somewhere in the New Testament that you shouldn't desire to get stolen items back. Most people know stealing is wrong, but there are many kinds of theft. If the police made the thieves steal, or sell their stolen goods, that would be entrapment. If materialism was ever to satisfy anyone, it would have been Solomon, the richest king the world has ever known. What does the Bible say about robbery, burglary, shoplifting, looting, and petty theft? As a Christian, I would trust God to provide what I need. He didn't say exactly he had stolen it. The Bible tells us that a person’s “life is not in the abundance of the things which he possesses” (Luke 12:15) and that we are to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Then let's say, it turns out it was stolen, the guy gets caught, and confesses to the police/victim and tells them my … Are you considering the person it was taken from better than yourself or are you using their loss for your personal gain? When the guilty parties clearly established their guilt, the police could then arrest them. As a Christian, I would trust God to provide what I need. By Betty Miller. Thou Shall Not Steal: What the Bible Says about Stealing. The police sometimes will orchestrate a “sting” operation. In order to catch a ring of burglars they might set up a phony fence operation, buying stolen goods. Are people thieves if they are dishonest in business, cheat on taxes, or refuse to pay debts? Let's say I find something I'd like to buy on Craigslist, being sold on the order of $1000. Let’s look into scripture and see what the Bible says about material things. Let's say I text with the guy, we meet up in public, and I buy the item with cash. It does little good to outlast others during an emergency only to die without knowing Christ. In addition, Christians do not need to stockpile goods in order to be prepared for the tribulation period in the Bible. I recently bought a computer from a guy who told me things that make me think it was stolen. State laws differ on the crime of buying, selling, and/or receiving stolen property, but a common thread persists: The receiver of the stolen property must know that it is stolen. You The answer is yes, but that road, my friends, is a very treacherous and hard road to walk rightly with the Lord. I went to the Bible to see what I could find but I found only Proverbs 29:24, "The accomplice of a thief is his own enemy; he is put under oath and dare not testify," that I can apply to my situation. Can you own lots of material possessions and be without sin? The Bible tells us to consider others above ourselves. Buying stolen goods would not do that. What about plagiarism, copyright or patent violation? Read this collection of Bible verses about stealing to learn more about this sin. Like any library, Christianity Stack Exchange offers great information, but does not offer personalized advice, and does not take the place of seeking such advice from … Well, the Bible does talk about money and material things quite a bit and doesn’t leave anything for debate.