One Blood Coalition

Steal No More

Steal No More

A Lesson from an Unlikely Source on Doing Good and Helping the Poor

The Trouble with Over-Simplified Scripture

As is often the case in our readings of Scripture, we tend to oversimplify. We reduce profound truths to narrow interpretations. We read a verse and confine it to a single dimension—either/or, black/white. But the Bible rarely speaks in such reductive terms.

Take Ephesians 4:28, for example:

“Let the one who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, working with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with the one who has need.”

Most of us read this and think, “Don’t steal candy bars!” But that’s a comically limited view. They weren’t exactly stocking Snickers in ancient Roman markets. Today, in an age of widening inequality and systemic economic injustice, we must read this passage more deeply—and more courageously.Paul’s Transformative Formula

What Paul offers here is not just prohibition—it’s a transformative formula:

1 Cease stealing

Labor with integrity

Do good

Share generously

He doesn’t just say, “Stop it.” He says, “Replace it.” The thief must move from extraction to contribution, from selfishness to service.

Work is not a curse—it’s part of creation. Just as God infused rest into the cosmos, He embedded purpose in work. Paul emphasizes, “performing with his own hands what is good.” Not just any labor, but good labor—redemptive, healing, dignifying work. As Jesus said, “Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” In the same way, out of the overflow of the heart, the hands either steal or build.

This isn’t a hand problem. It’s a heart problem—a problem only healed by reorienting the purpose of work: to bless othersWhy We Work: A Radical Purpose

Paul gives us the purpose of work plainly:

“So that he may have something to share with the one in need.”

Not so he can hoard wealth. Not to climb a social ladder. But to restore community through generosity.

And if we’re reading carefully, deeper questions begin to emerge. What exactly does Paul mean by steal?

Stealing Reconsidered: From Wallets to Systems

Of course, “lifting a wallet” is theft. But in Scripture, stealing is much broader. In Leviticus 19, after commanding Israel to leave the edges of their fields for the poor and foreigner, God says:

“Do not steal.”Withholding excess when others are in need—that’s theft.

To hoard your blessings, to refuse to share your overflow, to weaponize your privilege—that is theft.

Maybe Paul would say today:

“Don’t just stop robbing people. Stop reinvesting all your surplus back into your own account. Share it. Because to hoard is to steal.”

Theft on a National Scale

Sociologist Matthew Desmond puts it bluntly:

“The United States now stands as one of the most unequal societies in the history of the world. The richest 1% of Americans own 40% of the country’s wealth… while a larger share of working-age people live in poverty than in any other OECD nation.”

Desmond recounts the case of Daraprim, a life-saving drug that was once $13.50 per pill—until a man gained the rights and hiked the price to $750 a pill. His defense?“This is a capitalist system, and capitalist rules.”

Many churchgoers may disagree with his behavior—but agree with his logic. That’s the tragedy.

Would Moses call it theft? Absolutely. Would Paul? No doubt. This isn’t theft that leads to hunger. It leads to death.

“Low-Road Capitalism” and the Theft of Generations

Desmond also describes America’s legacy of “low-road capitalism”—an exploitative system rooted in slavery, segregation, and unregulated profiteering. The financial power of early America was shaped not just by free markets, but by stolen labor, stolen land, and systemic oppression.

“New Orleans once boasted more banking capital than New York City.”

Why? Because it was the epicenter of the slave economy.This isn’t just economic history. It’s moral history—and the church must reckon with it. We cannot continue to sanctify capitalism without critiquing its sins.

A Better Way: Baltimore’s Model of Economic Liberation

But in Baltimore, I saw a radically different economic vision—one rooted not in competition, but in community, healing, and liberation.

As a teacher and mentor at Elev8 Baltimore, I witnessed a miracle in motion. Elev8 creates liberating opportunities for youth oppressed by white supremacist systems. They build partnerships, equip students, and restore dignity through wraparound support.

At Career Academy, Elev8 offers a full after-school program:

• Vocational training

•

• Academic tutoring

•

• Mentorship

•

• Healing-centered experiences

•

The director, Deja Joseph, is a visionary leader. Week after week, she organizes dynamic, hands-on learning for youth who’ve had few chances and even fewer advocates.

Speakers from across industries—plumbing, real estate, podcasting, carpentry, social work—don’t just share careers. They share hope. They help students turn pain into purpose.

One student is launching a barbershop where every barber is a licensed social worker. Another, Shakira, runs “Theez Handz Styling,” a salon that doubles as a summer educational hub for underserved Black youth.

She’s not just styling hair. She’s shaping futures.

A New Business Model: Profits with a Purpose

These entrepreneurs operate on a powerful formula:

Use your God-given gifts

Make money—yes, unapologetically

Help others make money

Address social injustice through business

This is economic discipleship. Not just a “platform to share Jesus,” but a business modeled after Jesus: redemptive, restorative, and radically generous.

One group, Social Seeds, helps Black entrepreneurs turn their skills into scalable, healing enterprises. Students brainstormed business models that addressed the deepest wounds in their communities—addiction, poverty, homelessness, violence. The result? Hope with a business plan.

The Questions We Must Ask

We must begin to interrogate our own economic assumptions. Let’s ask:

• Why did you open your business?

• Growing up, what were your experiences with business owners?

• Can you identify similarities or differences with the models in Baltimore?

• Beyond profit, what is your business for?

• What does it really mean to be “a platform for Jesus”?

• Does your business look like Jesus?

Conclusion: From Hustle to HealingMany of the students and entrepreneurs at Elev8 and Career Academy have come from a life of hustle—born into poverty, boxed in by systemic barriers, and branded by felonies that were unjustly assigned.

And yet—they rise.

They choose to believe that God has given them gifts. That their hands can heal. That their work can bless. That their businesses can liberate.

And in a world stained by economic theft, their model stands as a bold declaration:

Steal no more. Work. Share. Heal. Build a kingdom that looks like Jesus.