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“You shall not murder”
Exodus 20:13
John T. Mabray, Pastor
Covenant Presbyterian Church
Monroe, Louisiana
October 16, 2011
The sixth commandment, “You shall not murder,” takes us back –
all the way back – to the very beginning.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
…Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our
likeness.” …
So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them (Genesis 1:26-27).
In the beginning, God created man (humanity) – male and female –
in his own image with a mind to know him, a heart to love him, a soul to
serve him, and a spirit to worship and commune with him. You were
created “to glorify God and to enjoy him forever!” No other creature
was created with that capacity or for that purpose.
Therefore, human life has intrinsic and unique value. The infinite,
eternal Creator formed your inward parts and knitted you together in
your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13), and therefore he regards your life
as precious in his sight. Even though “all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), even though the stamp of God’s
image upon us has been marred and scarred and defaced by our own
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sins, nevertheless, even now, the Creator of heaven and earth looks upon
every human creature and still sees his own image and likeness
(however dim and faded). Human life is still precious to God because
human life still bears his image and is intended to reflect his glory. The
sixth commandment, “You shall not murder,” was given by God to
safeguard the sanctity and value of human life.
The sixth commandment specifically applies to murder, the unjust
taking of human life, the shedding of innocent blood. The
commandment, “You shall not murder,” is rephrased in Jeremiah 7:6,
“…shed not innocent blood.” Proverbs 6:17 tells us that “the LORD
hates …hands that shed innocent blood.”
Therefore, the sixth commandment does not prohibit justified
warfare and does not prohibit Christians from taking up arms in a just
war, but it does put necessary ethical limits, restrictions, and moral
guidelines on how war ought to be conducted, so that outright murder of
innocent, non-combatant civilians should not take place, inasmuch as
that is possible.
Likewise, although the sixth commandment does not prohibit the
just (right) administration of capital punishment by a governing
authority, it certainly demands that the governing authorities be
especially careful and circumspect in applying capital punishment. The
New Testament (Paul’s Letter to the Romans) teaches us that the
governing authority (the civil ruler)
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… does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of
God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the
wrongdoer (Romans 13:4).
But capital punishment, if applied incorrectly, is the unjust taking
of human life, the shedding of innocent blood. So, while the sixth
commandment does not prohibit capital punishment, it certainly holds
the governing authority accountable to God for its actions.
The same would be true, for example, in cases of self-defense. If
the taking of a life is necessary in self-defense or in defending another
innocent vulnerable person whose life is at risk, then the sixth
commandment is not violated; but the sixth commandment prohibits
vigilante justice, revenge, or excessive and unnecessary use of force.
In each of these cases, and all others, the major point of the sixth
commandment is to protect human life. And yet, the sixth
commandment is so frequently violated in our society, supposedly the
most advanced society on earth, that murder is almost commonplace and
life is cheap. But in addition to the murders that we hear about in the
news, the sixth commandment includes the shedding of innocent blood
in ways other than what would be called “first-degree murder.” It would
include abortion (killing the unborn) and infanticide (deliberately
leaving newborns exposed to die), and euthanasia (so-called “mercy”
killing of the infirm or the aged or the disabled). The Bible speaks to
these issues of our times. The Bible speaks volumes about the protection
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of the weak, the poor, the helpless, and the defenseless. The Bible
clearly teaches that the unborn child is a human life with the right to life
and with God’s mandate for protection. The Bible is abundantly clear
about that. And it matters. In fact, it matters more than the economy. The
shedding of innocent blood pollutes the life of a nation.
This sermon is not the time to address the issue of abortion or
infanticide or euthanasia in specific detail, or to address the issues of
care and protection for the elderly and the disabled, (and also the very
painful and difficult subject of suicide, to which the sixth commandment
also applies); but we certainly cannot ignore these vital issues of our day
in relation to the sixth commandment. The sixth commandment, “You
shall not murder” covers and applies to all of these issues having to do
with the value and dignity of human life created in the image of God.
(Our denomination, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, has adopted
position papers on these issues, affirming the Bible’s teaching on the
value and dignity of human life, and these are available to you upon
request).
We can take it even a step further into the realm of the imagination
and entertainment. Movies and television are filled with graphic, gross,
gratuitous violence. Why do we human beings find that so entertaining?
Why would we invite it into our home? Why would we pay money to
have those images of death emblazoned upon our brains? And even
worse, why do some people find it not only entertaining but exhilarating
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to participate vicariously in murder by “killing” their opponents in those
dark, demonically-inspired video games? And, I would say to our
children, youth, and their parents: those games are not just games; they
engage the imagination in horribly sinful deeds and give a reward to
those who are successful in their evil endeavors.
Where does this kind of lust for murder come from? Well, the bad
news is, whether we ever act upon it or not, this lust for murder resides
within us all. Who was the first-born human? Cain. And what do we
remember about Cain? Cain murdered his own brother. The first
human brotherhood ended in murder. The first human brotherhood
ended in murder. That tells us something about our fallen human nature,
and it is not pretty. The Letter to the Romans (ch.1) gives us the divine
diagnosis of the spiritual corruption of the fallen human race. Romans
1:29-31 says that in our fallen, unredeemed state, humans are
filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness,
malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit,
maliciousness. …They are …haters of God … inventors of
evil … heartless, ruthless (Romans 1:29-31).
This passage is speaking not only about those criminals you read
about in the newspaper. It is speaking about all of us in our fallen,
unredeemed, sinful condition. We are born into this world with murder
in our hearts. And as much as we might not like that thought, it is
exactly what Jesus taught us. Jesus said,
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…from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts,
sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting … . All
these evil things come from within … (Mark 7:21-23).
Murder is a matter of the heart, a spiritual issue. God looks upon
the heart, and the law of God judges the heart and mind of man. And
even if we have never committed literal, physical murder, we are
nevertheless found guilty under the law of God. How can I say that?
Because Jesus said it. Listen again to his words in Matthew 5.
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall
not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’
But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother
will liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be
liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be
liable to the hell of fire” (Matthew 5:21-22).
Well there it is. Jesus said it; do we believe it? Jesus applies the
law of God to our lives internally, spiritually. In other words, it’s not
“enough” merely to obey the commandments externally and physically.
Of course, it’s a good thing, a very good thing, not to murder someone.
But just because you’ve never murdered anyone physically, does not
mean that you have kept the sixth commandment truly and spiritually.
Jesus teaches us the true and full demands of the sixth commandment:
no malicious anger, no murderous thoughts, no hurtful words, no hateful
attitudes. How are we doing?
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This has particular application to us in our relationships with one
another in the church. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to be a
community of reconciliation, forgiveness, and unity. Ephesians 4:31ff
speaks to us when it says,
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander
be put away from you, along with all malice.
That’s a New Testament way of saying to us, “You shall not
murder.” And the Scripture warns us (as we read in the Call to
Confession and Repentance from Galatians 5) that the works of the flesh
are evident, including “enmity, strife …fits of anger,” and that those
who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. That’s a New
Testament warning to us not to murder one another in our hearts.
In addition, First John 3:15 warns us that
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know
that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
And, in the New Testament, the word hate does not necessarily imply
violent, volatile, infuriated emotion. Oh no: hate is simply the absence or
lack of love; what we might call “benign neglect.” But, of course, from
the truly Christian perspective, there is no such thing as the “benign
neglect” of our neighbor in need. What we call “benign neglect” is what
the Bible calls hate and murder.
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So, you see, the only way truly to keep the sixth commandment, is
to fulfill it with love – love in action for the well-being of our neighbor.
Again, in the Bible, the word love does not primarily mean warm, fuzzy,
happy, affectionate, positive feelings toward another person. (Now,
when we have those kinds of good feelings that’s a wonderful thing; but
that’s just icing on the cake). In the Bible, love means taking action for
the well-being of another.
So, the Scripture really teaches us to fulfill the sixth
commandment, “You shall not murder,” by taking action which will
protect and promote the life and well-being of our neighbor. The sixth
commandment means not only “do no harm to your neighbor” but also
and equally importantly, “do good to your neighbor” and especially to
those whose lives are vulnerable: the weak, the poor, the defenseless, the
forgotten.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan is not often thought about in
conjunction with the sixth commandment, but in fact it is a very good
Biblical illustration of the fulfillment of the sixth commandment. The
Samaritan found the poor victim in the ditch, beaten almost to death, left
to die, and without any means of caring for himself. The Samaritan had
no feelings of personal affection for this man. He didn’t know him. And
he wouldn’t have been guilty of a crime if he had passed him by. But the
Samaritan had compassion. He bound up the victim’s wounds, set him
on his donkey, brought him to an inn, took care of him, and left more
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money with the innkeeper to pay for the future expenses of the victim’s
recuperation.
Now, that’s what keeping the sixth commandment, fulfilling the
sixth commandment, looks like from the truly Christian perspective:
positive actions of self-sacrificial, self-giving love for the protection and
preservation and the promotion of the life and well-being of our
neighbor. So, as much as we might oppose the death-dealing evils and
ills of our society (as we ought), we are also called to do as much as we
can positively to provide for the protection and promotion of the life and
well-being of those whose lives are vulnerable and threatened.
Oh, and that gets us back to Cain, doesn’t it? How so? Well, do
you remember the question God asked the first murderer, Cain? “Where
is Abel your brother?” And do you remember Cain’s response? “I do
not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” That’s the reply of the murderer.
“Am I my brother’s keeper?” That is a sarcastic sneer from the
slithering tongue of Satan, who, as Jesus said, “was a murderer from the
beginning” (John 8:44). “Am I my brother’s keeper?” That is a
murderer’s contemptuous, rebellious retort to his Creator. And God’s
answer is, “Yes, you are your brother’s keeper. And you shall do
everything in your power to protect his life and promote his well-being.”
How are we doing? To whatever degree we may have kept the
sixth commandment, we all know by now, I hope, that none of us has
kept it according to Jesus’ standard of true righteousness. So, where does
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that leave us, we who are murderers with our thoughts and words if not
our hands?
Once again, the law of God reveals our sinfulness and points us to
the Savior, Jesus Christ. The law of God proves that we cannot be saved
by works of the law because none of us has kept the law of God
perfectly. We can be saved only by Someone who has kept the law of
God fully, truly, perfectly. And that Someone is Jesus Christ, the
righteous One, the innocent One: The One whose innocent blood was
murderously shed for murderers such as you and I.
The crucifixion of Jesus was the grossest violation of the sixth
commandment that ever took place in human history or ever will. The
crucifixion of Jesus was the grossest violation of the sixth
commandment that ever took place in human history or ever will. But
(but!) in the mystery of the mercy and the sovereignty of God, the
shedding of Jesus’ blood provided redemption, forgiveness, and eternal
salvation for all – for all of us murderers – who turn to him in faith, and
look to God through him for the forgiveness of their sins. From the
earthly, human perspective, the crucifixion of Jesus was murder – the
shedding of innocent blood. He was unjustly executed. But from the
divine perspective, for the divine purpose, the crucifixion of Jesus was
the shedding of the blood of the Lamb, the substitutionary, atoning
sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. And God’s promise to you and me
is that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
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And therefore God calls us to repentance from our sins and to faith in
Jesus Christ. God freely offers us redemption from the curse of the law
through the blood of his Son shed on the cross.
Have you taken seriously your failure to fulfill the Law of God? It
is as serious as murder. Have you taken seriously your need for the
sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, the shedding of his innocent blood, to
cleanse you from the murder in your heart? Will you turn to him today,
turn again, turn anew, or turn for the first time ever in your life, to Jesus
Christ in faith and cast yourself upon him alone, his righteousness and
mercy?
His resurrection from the dead proves that his innocent blood shed
for you has paid the price for all your sins. His resurrection from the
dead proves that he conquered his murderers and his grace and mercy
conquers the murder in your heart and mine! He was raised from the
dead to give you new life: new life renewed in the Image of God – with
a mind to know him, a heart to love him, a soul to serve him, and a spirit
to worship and commune with him – the life for which you were
created: to glorify God and to enjoy him forever! So by his grace and
under his mercy and through the power of the Holy Spirit, let us walk in
his ways and keep his commandments to the glory of his name.
Amen.