Trusting the Ten #6: No Murder

“You shall not murder”—Exodus 20:13

Almost every society on earth agrees with the sixth of the Ten Commandments: you shall not murder. Life is inherently valuable. Why? Because we are made in the image of God, and each life upon this earth reflects that truth, however it may be marred or distorted. As it says in Genesis 9:6,  

“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.” 

This means all people: men and women, children and adults, developmentally disabled and intellectually important, along with the born and the unborn, are made in the image of God. God values all people, no matter what their intellectual ability, background, or ethnicity; whether they are significant or insignificant in the world’s eyes, God values each and every person. And He desires that we shall not murder because to do so is to take the life of one of God’s image bearers. The world’s adage about “survival of the fittest” seems to fall short when considering the intrinsic value of human life.

In the New Testament, Jesus raises the bar of this commandment further. He says,

"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 be 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

Jesus addresses the attitude that gives rise to murder—anger. It’s not that anger is wrong in and of itself; it’s the harboring of it. As Paul wrote:  

“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil”—Ephesians 4:26. 

The anger that Jesus is referring to is the anger that results in hate and murder. We must make sure that we don’t murder, yes, but we must also make sure not to harbor the anger that leads to murder.

How do we keep from harboring such anger? We realize where anger leads. It leads to self-justification for hate, which leads to violence, which leads to death. One need only look at the events leading up to the cross to see the same trail and where it will lead. We must confess our anger and hate, and then ask God to forgive us, realizing that it was those sins, just as many others, for which He gave His life.

Perhaps you have hated. Perhaps you even have committed murder. Maybe you have had an abortion and you killed a baby created in God’s image. It’s a heinous sin, but one, thank God, that can be and will be forgiven. God can forgive and will forgive even murder. How? And why? Why would God forgive such a sin? He will forgive such a sin because of what Jesus did on the cross. Jesus’ death demonstrated the heinousness of sin. God’s greatness and love were displayed on the cross. Sin required the death of God’s Son, and Jesus gave His life willingly on our behalf. He knew the evil and sins that we would do, and He still chose to die. What great love!

Christ will forgive the sin of murder for all who ask. We need to come to Him in godly sorrow, in deep repentance, and in faith, asking that He forgive us. And He will. He will cleanse your soul and remove the guilt you have been holding on to. That’s the greatness of our God—He can do more than we ask or imagine. Amen.