I’ve been reflecting for a while now on what it really means to steal. When we think of a thief, we often picture someone breaking into a house, robbing a bank, or holding someone at gunpoint. Truthfully, I don’t know anyone personally who fits that description—no armed robbers, no internet scammers, no shoplifters or pickpockets in my close circle. (Maybe a few loose cannons here and there, but nothing too wild.)

And yet, the more I think about it, the more I realize—I’ve stolen before. Not (always) in the headline-making kind of way, but in the quiet, socially acceptable ways we often overlook. The truth is, theft wears many masks. Some are violent. Others are quiet, respectable, even rewarded. But in the end, the heart behind them might not be so different. I’ll speak in general terms, not (just) to protect myself legally, but to point out something bigger: many of us have stolen time, energy, or trust.

We may not rob our bosses at gunpoint, but we steal in subtler ways—arriving late to work, leaving early, stretching lunch breaks, scrolling on our phones while on the clock, or finding ways to avoid responsibility while still drawing a paycheck. It’s easier to justify because no one gets physically hurt and there’s no dramatic confrontation. But is it any less dishonest?

Most people—hopefully—would never dream of scamming innocent victims online. They’d never run a “Yahoo Yahoo” scheme or defraud someone out of their life savings. But many of those same people, without a second thought, will log into a friend’s Netflix account to binge a show, even though it’s against the provider’s terms. We don’t see it as stealing—but morally, is it really that different from breaking into Netflix HQ and walking out with ₦8,500 each month?

The same goes for pirated movies—downloading from cracked sites, or streaming from sketchy corners of the internet. It might not look like theft, but it’s the same as sneaking into a filmmaker’s home, raiding their pantry, and walking out with their groceries—over and over again. Copying pages from a copyrighted book without permission? That’s theft in a single dose. Selling that material for profit? That’s theft on steroids.

And then there’s borrowing money and never paying it back—not because you can’t, but because the lender hasn’t followed up, or you assume it doesn’t matter to them. Even if it won’t land you in jail, you’re not off the moral hook. How about with time? If something is fixed for a certain time and people leave jobs that could have paid by the hour to be present, and you start late, isn’t that same as robbing them of the money they could have made if they had not showed up for you.

So many other examples.

Please, don’t be mad at me. I am just trying to establish that we are thieves in need of repentance, while I tell you the major reason I am writing this.

The Tale of Two Thieves

Given that lengthy introduction, I bring you this true story from the Bible in the Gospel Book of Luke 23.

³² And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. ³³ And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left……³⁹ And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. ⁴⁰ But the other answering rebuked him, saying Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? ⁴¹ And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. ⁴² And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. ⁴³ And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To Day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

In Matthew 27:44, these malefactors are described as ‘thieves’. Both were thieves. Both were receiving just punishment for their crimes. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death…”. Both were inches away from the Savior. One thief refused to believe and put his hope by faith in Christ alone and died to eternally receive the full wage for his sin. The other with his dying breathes put his confidence in Christ alone, and went on to the experience the rest of Romans 6:23 “…but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Now that we have established that you are probably a thief, somehow (no offense), I wonder which kind of thief you will be.