Thou shalt not murder.
The last five commandments are all directly related to how we should treat each other. Our social culture is held together by God’s moral laws and these are all fulfilled through one commandment – love your neighbor as yourself. Romans 13:9-10 explains:
9 For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Just as loving God is the fulfillment of our worship and Christian service, loving others is how we fulfill our duty to keep God’s moral law that shores up the culture around us. In the last days God warned that self-love would rule men’s hearts and lawlessness will abound. Consider 2 Timothy 3:1-5
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
Notice the one key problem that sets off this chain of ungodly behavior – men will be lovers of themselves. When loving myself is the guiding force in my life, everything in my life will be lived from a ‘me-centered’ perspective. Not one time in scripture are we told to love ourselves. Why? This is basic human nature and a self-centered love can be very destructive. What irony it is that those who set their love upon themselves fall into sin and spend their lives grasping at the wind as they desperately try to gratify their own desires. The true irony is that those who love God and love others as themselves will be the only ones fulfilled. When we die to ourselves, we are putting our faith in the Lord to fulfill us, meet our needs, and reveal His love within us. Consider this amazing promise found in Psalm 36:7-9
7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. 8 They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. 9 For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.
If you believe this promise, you will put your trust under the shadow of God’s wings knowing that He will satisfy you, fulfill you and enrich your life with true pleasure. Unfortunately very few Christians believe God and are willing to shift their love from self to God and others. Keep in mind that God has told us that His Holy Spirit has poured out the love of God in our hearts. We now must choose to abide in that love by loving others or walk in the flesh by living for ourselves. Many well respected teachers and authors are writing books teaching people to set their love upon self and are placing those who follow this advice right in the middle of the many warnings of scripture.
The fact is that you cannot truly love yourself apart from loving God and loving your neighbor. Self-confidence is not found in self love. All we have to do is observe the culture around us. Why are there so many self-help books, seminars and many ‘experts’ making fortunes off of telling us how to love ourselves but with so little success. Every time there is a study published, the suicide rate is going up, depression abounds, emotional problems are on the increase, yet there are thousands of books available that promise to resolve these problems. Even Christian authors are latching on to the secular philosophy of self-love. It does not work and cannot work.
God’s word has the only solution to man’s dilemma but no one is willing to put God to the test. The word of God has never failed; the problem is that it has not been tried. Instead of looking to the One who created us, people look for help through the people who promise the secret of happiness but they too are struggling with the same problems. You can only find self-confidence through God’s word and His will as you walk in the Spirit like you were created to do. I never found true confidence until I found the will of God. There is an amazing power of confidence God gives to us when we know that we are walking in His will. If I am doing what God has planned and empowered me to do, I cannot help but be confident.
The true fulfillment of all of the law is through love. The Bible tells us that God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3) and that the love of God is poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5); therefore, we have been given the power to love our neighbor and thus fulfill all of God’s commands. Since God has empowered the Christian to love, He will also hold us accountable when we violate that love. If we truly know God, the evidence will come out in our lives. Consider 1 John 2:4-6
4 He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
Once again the Bible has strongly affirmed that the Christian life is founded upon God’s word. If we are grounded in the word and keep the word, the love of God is perfected in us. As we learn how to walk in the Spirit and bring the flesh under subjection, the love of God will be revealed through us as God perfects us. The first evidence of the fruit of the Spirit is love (Galatians 5:22); therefore, if we are keeping God’s word we are yielding ourselves to the Spirit; if we are yielding ourselves to the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit will begin to emerge and God’s love will show from my life to others. If you have the love of God being perfected in your heart, it will show through your life as you love your neighbor – and especially your brothers and sisters in the faith. If the works of the flesh are showing in our lives, this reveals that we are living for the flesh. Selfishness and hatred are works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21) and anyone who lives in these things cannot claim to walk with God. Consider this passage from 1 John 3:15-18
15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
The Bible continues this explanation in 1 John 4:20-21
20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
The Bible uses very strong language to communicate a very critical principle of the Christian life. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer and whoever claims to love God but hates his brother is a liar. When we think of murder, we think of killing someone, but the Bible takes the issue directly to the heart – where sin is born. Most of us think of sin as something we commit through our actions. It is true that our actions can indeed be acts of sin, but we must also realize that the sins we commit are outward signs of what has been brooding in our heart. Consider this passage from Mark 7:20-23
20 And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. 21 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 "thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 "All these evil things come from within and defile a man."
Sin comes from out of the heart and therefore must be dealt with in the heart. Hatred and love cannot abide in the same heart. If hatred is brewing because of something we view as a violation against us, this is the evidence that we are living in the flesh. If the Spirit of God is reigning in our hearts, the love of God will also rule our hearts. The Bible warns us not to let the sun go down on our anger. If we allow anger to fester, our hearts become a fertile ground for bitterness and hatred. The works of the flesh that are allowed to grow in our hearts will defile us; therefore we must deal with our sin according to God’s word and not allow it to be cultivated in our hearts. If we allow sin to be produced in our heart, it will defile us as it comes out in our lives. Look at what Jesus taught in Matthew 5:21-24
21 " You have heard that it was said to those of old, ’You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 "But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ’Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ’You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 "leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
It is significant that Jesus compared the anger in our hearts against others with the act of murder. When people allow themselves to become bitter, the warning of Jesus emerges in their life as a reflection of what is in their heart. This is exactly what is being described in 1 John. Sin always proceeds from the heart and our outward actions reflects what is already established in our hearts. Murder is an act of the heart and even if we do not commit the physical act of killing someone, if we allow anger, bitterness and hatred to rule our heart we are just as guilty. Look now at this passage from Hebrews 12:14-15
14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;
The Bible is very consistent on this topic. Bitterness will defile you and as we spread anger through our actions, many will become defiled. It is important to pursue peace so that we do not allow the sun to set on our anger. We just read Jesus’ commandment that if we come before Him (even with a gift) and remember that we have something against our brother, we must leave the altar and first make it right. Otherwise God will not receive us or our gift. The responsibility for making peace always falls on us. I am responsible – regardless of whether I am in the right or wrong, I am still commanded to pursue peace and make that relationship right. Some people will not receive peace, but we still must clear the slate each day and live with peace in our heart toward those who have made themselves into our enemies. Look at Jesus’ instruction to us in Matthew 5:43-45
43 " You have heard that it was said, ’You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven;
Notice the flow of this passage – even if our enemies hate us, curse us, spitefully use us, and persecute us, the command given by Christ does not change – love, pray for, bless, and do good. This is not possible without forgiveness. Even if someone pursues strife, our command is to pursue peace. We must keep in mind that we are not doing good to those who hate us because they are worthy, but because God is worthy. Our actions are based on our faith in the Lord. I am serving God by turning the other cheek and seeking the good of another. I am not serving my enemy; I am obeying and serving the Lord. We stand upon this promise from Luke 6:35-36
35 "But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 "Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
If we truly believe our reward will be great, we will be willing to look beyond the difficult circumstances and to the command and promise of God. And yes, this command is very, very difficult for it goes against our very human nature. If this was an easy command, God would not have given the promise, “Your reward will be great”. So we can see that God has put before us a blessing or a curse. If we harbor anger and hatred, we have broken the commandment not to murder and will be held accountable; however, if we forgive, pray for, bless, and do good to our enemies, the blessing rests upon us. The mercies of the Lord are great for even though He has the right to require anything He chooses without any promise, He has given us a promise to motivate and reward those who seek to do His will.
Murder vs. Killing
There are two areas of confusion that we probably should address before moving on. The Bible says that you shall not murder – it does not say, ‘you shall not kill’. There is a difference between murder and killing. Look at Romans 13:1-6
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing.
This passage is very important in the Christian life. God does not put justice in the hands of any individual for the Bible does not teach nor support anarchy or personal vigilantes. You have no right to execute judgment or take vengeance, but the government does. God has appointed ALL authority by His own hand and has designed governing authorities for the purpose of maintaining civil order and executing judgment on evil doers. God has warned that if we break the law, the government God has ordained will become a terror and does not bear the sword in vain.
All authority has been appointed by God to execute judgment against evil. But what if the government is ungodly? The same rule applies. Keep in mind that the apostles were under the Roman government when this scripture was written and the government executed every apostle except John and he was banished to a penal colony. Look at civil disobedience in scripture. When the government opposed the gospel, the apostles made it clear that they were subject to the laws, but were first subject to God. When they were forbidden to preach in Jesus’ name, they answered in Acts 4:19-20
19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. 20 "For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard."
This is not an act of rebellion, but submission. The apostles explained why they could not obey the commands of these wicked rulers but without lashing out or rebelling. When the apostle Paul was commanded to be hit in the mouth by the high priest, he lashed out at first, but when he was informed that the man he was reviling a governing authority, he recanted. Look at Acts 23:4-5
4 And those who stood by said, "Do you revile God’s high priest?" 5 Then Paul said, "I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, ’You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’ "
Civil disobedience does not require rebellion. When being arrested, the apostles never had to be dragged away, but went without violence. Look at Acts 5:25-26
25 So one came and told them, saying, "Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!" 26 Then the captain went with the officers and brought them without violence, for they feared the people, lest they should be stoned.
This passage gives us an important clue about submission. The officers that arrested the apostles were afraid of the people for the works that God did through Peter and John. If they resisted, the crowd was already on their side and would have been easily drawn into a rebellion, but they did not resist, but went without a hint of violence. Not one of the apostles led any kind of uprising or revolution. The Bible says that the weapons of our warfare are not physical, but are the might of God (2 Corinthians 10:4). Eventually the Roman government fell without any uprising or civil war. The Roman government declared war on Christianity, but in the end, Christianity stood strong and the mighty Roman government fell. It is God’s responsibility to raise up or cast down leaders as He sees fit.
The government’s role is to execute God’s judgment and we have to remember that sometimes that judgment can be against God’s own people who have departed from the faith. The Bible says that when God judges a nation, He begins at God’s own house (1 Peter 4:17). In this passage from 1 Peter we are warned that the righteous are scarcely being saved; therefore, we can clearly understand that the wicked government rises out of a wicked nation that has lost its moral conscience because God’s people are no longer following the Lord. The solution to this problem is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14, not in leading a revolution. If judgment is from God, no rebellion can overthrow it.
It should also be noted that the sword of government is used to judge those who commit crimes. Executing murderers is not murder. The reason is because the government is given this sword by God for this purpose. War is not murder for this is another purpose of the sword of God given to government. A government has the God given authority to defend its citizens from enemies. This is not murder. The word for murder and the word for kill are different in both the Old Testament Hebrew and the New Testament Greek. Murder is an act of malice, vengeance, or becoming a man slayer.
Some argue in error that wars and capitol punishment are violations of the Ten Commandments. Anyone who has read the scriptures should know that this argument cannot be supported by scripture. After giving the Ten Commandments, God also gave instructions for putting to death those who violated the Law. After the Ten Commandments were given by God, the Lord sent Israel into war. We can clearly see that the Bible makes a clear distinction between murder and the government’s role in bearing the sword. The Bible makes a clear distinction in the sword of God’s authority and any killing done by an individual.
Self Defense vs. Murder.
The Bible makes a clear distinction between murder and self-defense. Look at Exodus 21:12-14
12 " He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. 13 "However, if he did not lie in wait, but God delivered him into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee. 14 " But if a man acts with premeditation against his neighbor, to kill him by treachery, you shall take him from My altar, that he may die.
Anyone who killed a man was to be put to death for murder. The local government would appoint an avenger of blood that would execute judgment against a murderer; however, God also appointed cities of sanctuary where the man slayer could flee to in order to have his case heard by a priest. The avenger of blood would present his case and the killer would present his case and the priest would judge. If the person was an enemy in times past or if he used a weapon or laid in wait for the man who was killed, the priest would deliver the murder to the avenger of blood and he would be executed (Numbers 35). However, if it was an accident or if it was self-defense, the man would be considered innocent of murder. In the passage above, the Bible makes a clear exception for self defense by acknowledging that God may deliver the attacker into your hands. Anyone who premeditates the killing is a murderer – even if we feel like the person is deserving of death.
Accidents and self-defense are the only exceptions given by the Bible. Retaliation is not self-defense. Executing judgment for a wrong is not self-defense. After a crime has passed, we no longer have control over the judicial process. Even if we know someone is guilty, the execution of judgment belongs to the authority God has appointed in government or God will judge the individual Himself. Consider Romans 12:19-21
19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. 20 Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Not only are we instructed that we cannot take vengeance ourselves, but we are again instructed to do good to our enemies. A good example of this can be seen in the life of King David. When Saul departed from the Lord, God said that he had been removed from being King (1 Samuel 15:23) and that David had been anointed as king (1 Samuel 16:12-13). For the next several years, Saul hunted David continuously in an attempt to murder him. On two different occasions David had the opportunity to kill Saul and all those around him advised him to do so. They told David that God had delivered his enemy Saul into his hands. Each time David restrained his men and spared Saul’s life. In anyone’s eyes this would have been justified, but David had the wisdom to know that murdering Saul would not be in accordance with God’s word.
Even though Saul was present because his intention was to kill David, it was not self-defense because David had a means to escape. David wisely left it into God’s hands to take vengeance and in the end, David received God’s mercy while Saul received the judgment of God. David’s mercy was an act of faith for He recognized that God had the power to preserve David and only God had the right to remove this wicked king from authority.
I believe the Bible affirms this for the Christian’s life. God never gives the individual the power to execute judgment but instead commands us to show mercy and put our trust in Him to avenge us in His own time and in His own way. No one will escape the consequences of sin. Look at how many wicked leaders went to the grave without judgment in this life. Those who escape judgment in this life have not avoided the consequences but has a greater judgment awaiting for them in the life to come.
Conclusion
Let’s conclude this study by looking again at Romans 13:9-10
9 For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
It is clear that love is the fulfillment of the law and that the power to love (agape) comes from God as He pours His love within our hearts by the Holy Spirit. God equips us and then we must respond to the work of the Holy Spirit in our heart and make the willful choice to express God’s love out to the people within our circle of influence. To hate is to cast aside the love of God given to us, reject the work of the Spirit and live according to the flesh. This is why the Bible warns that those who are in the flesh cannot please God (Romans 8:8).
It is also important that we understand what it means to love. In 1 Corinthians 13, the Bible describes the love of God that was instilled within us. The love that comes from God is described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Notice that the love of God is not motivated by our desire for acceptance nor does it call us to avoid confrontations. The love of God rejoices in truth while refusing to think on evil. In the church’s quest for love, truth is often cast aside as members seek to make feeling accepted and making others feel accepted the highest priority. Love does indeed receive others and welcome them into the truth and love of God; however, love also does not seek its own. As a parent, I want my children to feel accepted, nurtured and I want them to feel affection toward me; however, I also recognize that their well being takes priority over their feelings. If my children are doing something that is harmful or something that I recognize will have consequences down the road, I am required to correct them. To not do so is not love. Can I truly say that I love my children if I do not try to protect them from harm? Proverbs 13:24 says that if I do not correct my children I hate them.
When a parent intervenes, it usually is not pleasant. In fact, many times children will accuse parents of not loving them because a parent will not allow them to do what they want to do. As a youth, the things I thought my parents were wrong to enforce I now enforce on my own children. I can now see the harm that I could not see as a child. If I seek my own by setting a higher priority on being liked by my children than seeking their good, I am not in love. So sometimes what is perceived as being unloving is actually a higher love and what is perceived as love is actually neglect. The same is true in the church. When you alert someone that they are following unbiblical teaching, people will call you unloving and judgmental when in fact this is a strong love. It takes great love to take a position that you know will draw anger but seeks the good of another.
To protect yourself from wrath by encouraging someone to do what will harm their relationship with God and have eternal consequences is not love at all. Loving yourself and protecting yourself from criticism in order to feel accepted is a self seeking act and if I am willing to see another harmed so I can benefit is an act of hate just as Proverbs states. If someone uses us for their own pleasure and our harm, we recognize this as wrong and unloving, yet we seem to turn this logic off in the church. If I am willing to encourage someone to do what is against God and will rob them of their eternal inheritance so that I can feel accepted, I am truly unloving, self-seeking and care nothing about that person.
The love of God rejoices in truth and is founded upon truth according to John 14:14, 14:23, 15:10 and 1 John 5:3. Since the love of God centers upon the truth of God’s word, if we truly love the brethren, we will draw others into the truth of the word and alert them when we see that they are being influenced by what is contrary to the truth. Love seeks the good of another – not just to protect their ego or seek only their comfort.
Hopefully we can see that the commandment not to murder goes far beyond the physical act of killing, but has a New Testament application that teaches us how to love, forgive and seek the good of each other. Like all of our commandments, this is founded upon the love of God and is established in the word of God. To hate someone is murder in our hearts, but to sacrifice ourselves or our comfort is an act of love.
