When is okay to steal?

In many discussions of morality, the following question arises, "Is a thief justified if they steal in order to feed their hungry family, or to pay for medical expenses that will save members of their family?" The answer I hear so often is that it is justified in those extreme cases because it's a matter of life and death.

However, if you look at Exodus 20:15, you'll see very clearly that God says, "You shall not steal." He doesn't give any exceptions for extreme situations. Stealing is always sinful because it violates God's commandment. We should not look at situations and ask whether the good that might be done by stealing might outweigh the sinfulness of doing it, because it cannot. If we think that a sinful response is our only option, we need to keep looking for different options that are within the will of God.

Stealing is not the only commandment that people try to justify breaking. Lying, murder, adultery, and coveting probably all seem appealing at different times, but they're still wrong. We should avoid trying to justify them and should challenge others to do the same.