10 Commandments / The Sixth Commandment
And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being. “Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind…”.
(Gen.9:5-6)
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
(John 10:10)
We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
(I John 3:14-15)
In the beginning, God spoke and there was Light. As Christ came into the experience of creation, God’s Word was against the chaos and darkness, the lifelessness of the abyss. Through the Light, and by the Spirit, the Father brings order, structure, beauty… life. All life flows from Him, and is dependent on Him (Gen.1:30; 2:7-9; Acts 3:15; Satan being the archetypal death-giver, Jn.8:44). At Sinai we are witnessing the ordering of a ‘new’ creation. The people of God have been redeemed, and are being taught again what life in the ‘new’ creation of the Promised Land will look like. Again the Father speaks words of life. We call them the 10 Commandments.
The LORD remains sovereign over life and death. As we say in the funeral service: The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away (Job.1:21). At its most basic, the Sixth Commandment prohibits us taking this prerogative to ourselves. God’s people cannot be engaged in unlawful killing (i.e. that which is unauthorised by God). The Hebrew word here is more broad that ‘murder’, but is narrower in scope than simply ‘killing’. Taking life as a result of capital punishment, or lawful and just military action is not covered. Nor seemingly is death resulting (in certain circumstances) from acting in self-defence (Ex.22:2-3). But premeditated murder, homicide, manslaughter, and negligence that leads to death all are.
Jesus famously reminds us that the Law was always meant to be written on our hearts. From its place embedded in the core of our being (Prov.4:23), it is designed to shape all we are and all we do at every level of our behaviour. Hence, in the Sermon on the Mount, He shows us that the application of the Commandment is not exhausted by the question of literal ‘man-slaying’. Rather it indicates a whole way of life that is shaped by our living in relationship with the Lord of Life, and by our repudiation of the ways of sin and death. Under the ministrations of the Holy Spirit, there would be nothing in us that would tend towards the violation of this, or any other, Commandment. If our hearts were framed with the Commandment: you shall not murder, there would be no murderous intent, no emotional or verbal, or psychological violence. There would be no hatred, contempt, bitterness or anger.
God’s anger against us is propitiated at the altar; we could not allow our anger to determine the way we relate to our bothers and sisters in Christ (Matt.5:23-24, see also I Jn.3:11-14). Rather, as His Law is written on a heart, everything that came out of that heart, all feelings, thoughts, speech would be shaped by a valuing and preservation of life, and recognition of its sanctity. The mouth speaks what the heart is full of (Matt.12:34). If the heart is full of love for the God of life (Lk.10:27) then not even our internal rhetoric will be shaped by hatred. The two are fundamentally incompatible (I Jn.4:19-21).
Jesus is not talking here about anger management. Simply keeping our anger under wraps is still to live in violation of the Sixth Commandment. Jesus is pushing us towards overcoming evil with good (see Rom.12:21). We are so immersed in a network of violence and hatred that it can be tempting to dismiss Jesus’ teaching as an impossible ideal. Our world of fallen humanity is characterised by hatred and death (Eph.2:1-5; Titus 3:3). It glorifies violence and vengeance as entertainment. We are desensitised even to murder, let alone the seething mass of emotion and thought that underlies it. This we simply accept as ‘normal’. In England there are an average of 2 murder victims a day, most of which never even make the news. In such a world we are called to a consuming righteousness that reflects the God of life. This might seem an impossible ideal, but that is to forget what might be possible when Jesus liberates us him who holds the power of death (Heb.2:14).
Questions
Why do you think there are no prisons in the penal codes of the Old Testament? Should that impact our thinking about how a society deals with criminal activity?
Read Eph.4:26-27. Paul never teaches that any other specific sin gives the devil a foothold. What is it about anger that makes it so spiritually dangerous?
Is Paul overstating his case in Titus 3:3, when he says that before we became Christians ‘[w]e lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another’?
Read Deut.5:17 & Matt.5:21-26
Do you agree that taking life as a result of capital punishment, lawful (just?) military action, or self-defence is not prohibited by the Sixth Commandment?
What actions could we take to help protect other people’s lives?
How does the Sixth Commandment affect a Christian’s thinking on issues of medical ethics such as abortion, euthanasia, or assisted suicide?
Why is this the first thing Jesus deals with in the Sermon on the Mount? Does it surprise you that the issue of anger and contempt has such priority in Christian discipleship? Why do you think this is?
What do you think is the error in thinking Jesus is addressing as He deals with the Sixth Commandment? How are we susceptible to making the same mistake in our own discipleship?
In what ways is ‘anger’ and ‘contempt’ normalised in human experience? How can we become those who embody Jesus’ teaching about anger and contempt?
How can we take Jesus’ teaching about reconciliation more seriously? Do you think that repairing damaged human relationships really should take priority over worship? Why / why not?
Catechism:
310. What other actions are considered murder?
Genocide, infanticide, abortion, suicide, and euthanasia are all forms of murder. Sins of murderous intent include physical and emotional abuse, abandonment, willful negligence, and wanton recklessness. (Ex.1:15–22; 21:28–30; 2 Kings 17:16–18; Ps. 139:13–16; Amos 1:13–15; Acts 9:1–2)
311. How did Jesus extend the law against murder?
Jesus taught that this commandment also forbids the vice of ungodly anger. A murderous heart can lead to hatred, threatening words, violent acts, and murder itself, and is counter to God’s life-affirming love. (Lev.19:17–18; Matt.5:21–22, 43–45; 15:18–20; 1 Jn.3:15)
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313. Is it always wrong to harm or kill another?
There are circumstances in which justice, the protection of the weak and defenceless, and the preservation of life may require acts of violence. It is the particular task of government to uphold these principles in society. However, our Lord calls us to show mercy and to return evil with good. (Num.35:9–34; Matt.5:43–45; Rom.12:17–21; 13:1–4)
314. How should Christians understand the value of life?
All life belongs to God. Human life is especially sacred because we are created in God’s image, and because Jesus came to give us new and abundant life in him. Christians, therefore, should act with reverence toward all living things, and with special regard for the sanctity of human life. (Gen.1:26–27; 2:5–8; Ps.104:24–30; Matt.6:26; Jn.10:10; Acts 17:24–29; Col.1:15–20)
315. How did Christ cause life to flourish?
Jesus sought the well-being of all who came to him: he healed the sick, fed the hungry, cast out demons, raised the dead, preached good news, forgave his enemies, and offered his life to redeem ours. (Is.53:4–5; Matt.4:13–17; Luke 4:17–21; 7:20–22; 23:32–34; Acts 10:34–42)
316. How else can you obey this commandment?
As a witness to the Gospel and a follower of Christ, I can also keep this commandment by forgiving those who wrong me, patiently refraining from ungodly anger and hateful words; defending the unborn, vulnerable, and oppressed; rescuing those who harm themselves; and seeking the well-being of all. (Ps.37:5–11; Zech.7:8–14; Matt.5:38–48; Eph.4:25–5:2; Jas.1:27)
