Sermon text:

Even among unbelievers there are certain sins that stand out. Certain evil acts that are so shocking that they offend even those who are otherwise insensitive to moral expectations. Today, as we continue our series on the 10 commandments, we come to one of these. The sixth commandment given in Exodus 20:13 says,

13 “You shall not murder.  

Murder is an act that nearly everyone recognizes as evil. Even in our immoral age murder is clear in its sinfulness. Sometimes when looking to share the gospel I will ask people if they think they are a good person. Often, the response is “Well, I’ve never killed anybody or anything like that.” People with little sensitivity to sin still understand murder is evil. Even among liars and thieves, murderers stand out.

In Hebrew the command is just two words. The first word is “lo” which is a negation meaning “not” or “no” and the second word is "ratsach” meaning to murder, and includes the idea of breaking or dashing something into pieces. So this is better than the older translation that said “thou shalt not kill”. 

Ratsach is not the common Hebrew word meaning to kill (qatal). The Bible makes a distinction between killing, which may or may not be justified, and murder which is never justified. The word here is always for unjustified killing. 

We don’t have time to go into detail this morning but killing is sometimes justified. The Bible teaches governing authorities have the right to execute those who commit serious crimes. If someone takes the life of another in legitimate self-defense, that is not murder. Likewise, legitimate acts of war may involve killing but not be murder. 

This command is prohibiting the illegitimate taking of life. That includes several things. We tend to think of premeditated murder but it similarly prohibits intentional but unplanned murder. The kind of thing our law calls manslaughter. Things like killing someone in a fight or flight of passion. It forbids killing as the result of carelessness, what we might call reckless homicide, such as a death resulting from drunk driving.

While the Jewish law distinguished between intentional and unintentional murder, both were considered murder. So this Command covers more than just cold-blooded murder. It prohibits us from being responsible for any human death by our direct action, inaction, or carelessness. I think most people in the west would agree that all this makes sense. There are, however, other forms of murder that have become socially acceptable in our culture that are also prohibited by this law.

Abortion is a violation of the sixth commandment. That is not a political statement. That is simply a clear and true statement about what the Bible teaches. My role as pastor is not to lobby for particular political policies or positions. My job is to proclaim the Word of God. So, it would be just as political for me to avoid questions the Bible addresses out of concern for political sensibilities as it would be for me to preach with political objectives.

God’s word teaches the full dignity and personhood of every human being not based on their viability or usefulness but because they are made by him, for him, in his image. As soon as there is a distinct human life, there is personhood.  Psalm 139:13 says,

13  For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.  

The Bible says that the prophet Jeremiah and the apostle Paul were both called to their ministry from their mother’s womb. John the Baptizer leapt in his mothers womb when he heard the voice of the Lord. The Jewish law included protections for the unborn.

Abortion and the killing of newborn children were common practices in the ancient world and both have historically been opposed by Christians. One of the earliest Christian documents we have after the New Testament is the didache or teaching, likely written before the year 100 AD. In the context of explaining the law it says “do not murder a child by abortion or kill a newborn infant” 

In his defense of Christianity, written around 197 AD, the church father Tertullian says,

“…we are not permitted, since murder has been prohibited to us once and for all, even to destroy the fetus in the womb… It makes no difference whether one destroys a life that has already been born or one that is in the process of birth.” (Tertullian, Apology 9.8)

Over 1,300 years later when John Calvin wrote his commentary on Exodus in 1554 the position of the church had not changed. He writes,

“the fetus, though enclosed in the womb of its mother, is already a human being, and it is almost a monstrous crime to rob it of the life which it has not yet begun to enjoy.” (Calvin, Commentary on Exodus 21:22)

The debate over such things in Christian settings is a modern development. The testimony of the scripture and history is clear, Christians consider abortion a form of murder.

Before moving on from Abortion I want to address a question that comes up a lot. I have been asked on a few occasions if there are any exceptions to this. Again, I am answering this not as a policy question, but as a Bible question. Some Christians argue there are no exceptions under any circumstances but I think a strong case can be made that in the rare cases where a pregnancy would need to be terminated to protect the life of the mother, doing so would be self-defense. 

I want to briefly mention two other forms of murder that are growing in social acceptability. This commandment also forbids euthanasia which is the killing of someone to end suffering or debilitation. 

There is a difference between choosing not to pursue medical treatments that would extend a life and pursuing medical assistance to end one. There is nothing in the Bible that restricts us from turning off machines that are keeping the body functioning so the process of dying can proceed naturally but we are not to initiate death. We are called to comfort and care for those who are suffering and especially for those who are older.

When Job was suffering immensely, his wife suggested he relinquish his trust in God and die, but Job said, “Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” Our lives came from God and we should entrust them to him.

This command also prohibits suicide. We have an epidemic of suicide among young people these days. First, if you are struggling and considering harming yourself, I want you to know that there are people who care about you and will be there for you. I care about you. 

We live in a fallen world and it is ok to not feel ok and it is ok to ask for help. Things can get overwhelming for all of us. You are not alone, there are others who have come through similar struggles and there is help available. You were created by God with a purpose and you are valuable and your life is precious. Please reach out to someone. If you don’t know who to go to or need to talk to someone now you can dial 988.

There are multiple examples of godly people in the Bible, such as Elijah, Jonah, and Job, who were so overwhelmed and distraught they asked God to take their lives but God never responds to that favorably. There are a handful of suicides recorded in the Bible and all of them are depicted negatively. Self-murder is still murder and it is a grave sin.

Every human life is inherently valuable because every human is created in the image of God. To destroy the image bearer is an assault on the one whose image is reflected. This is why God established the death penalty for those who murder. Genesis 9:6 says,

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

Imagine looking through a photo album or yearbook and seeing that someone had X’d out some of the faces or poked out the eyes of certain people. That would be disturbing, right? To deface the image of someone expresses something about your feelings toward them. Murder is not only an attack on the victim, it is an assault on God whose image the victim bears.

Maybe there are some here who are thinking that at least with regard to this command, they are innocent. Well, before we get too comfortable we should remember that Jesus teaches that we are called not only to keep the letter of God’s commands, but to keep them in spirit. That means even if we have never committed an act of murder, we are condemned if we have a murderous heart. In Matthew 5:21–22 Jesus says,

21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 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. 

Our Lord connects the impulse that is behind unrighteous anger and its expression through berating and belittling others with murder. The same sinful impulses whose mature fruit is murder are those that lead us to demean others or wish them harm. It is arrogance and pride that lead us to diminish the value of others and when our pride is offended, it expresses itself in unrighteous anger and rage. 

Is there anyone here who has never wished harm on another? Anyone here who's words or thoughts have not communicated a desire for the destruction of another person? Like the others, this command is a net that catches us all. This command stands opposed to us because our own hearts show themselves to be of the same condition as those who followed these sinful impulses to their logical conclusion.

The spirit of the sixth command condemns not only the act of murder but the seeds of murder. A few weeks ago a man in the Czech republic was found dead in his home, having been killed by his pet lion. As a cub the lion was cute and playful. The familiarity gave the owner the illusion that he was in control of the beast but when he got in the way of what the mature lion wanted, it killed him. That is the way sin works. When it is young it gives the illusion it is under control but if we keep feeding it, it will destroy us.

Unrighteous anger, envy, jealousy, greed, and revenge are all cubs of murder. They are smaller versions of the same species. They have claws and teeth of their own and if they are allowed to grow to maturity they will destroy us. Each of these comes from a heart that is unsatisfied with God and failing to trust in his goodness and sovereignty.

Every one of us was born with that kind of sinful heart and so there are none of us who stand innocent before this law on the basis of our own compliance to it. Apart from grace, we are all murderers. The roots of this sin are so deep in us they go down to the soil of Eden. If you think any fallen human is innocent or exempt from this wretched selfishness that would destroy others in order to have our own way, all that is needed is to carefully observe a small child who is not getting their way.

God is gracious in making two year olds smaller than the rest of us or there would be a path of destruction through every town wouldn’t there? As we mature, those outbursts get subdued and polished by manners and rules. It is not that our hearts become any less sinful, not at all. What happens is that we become more sophisticated in pursuing our selfish desires. We recognize that manipulation is more effective than tantrums at getting us what we want with less resistance.

The difference between the men and women filling our prisons and us is not that we are better or more moral than them. The difference is the grace of God in our lives. Put in the right situation you and I would have done the same things they did. The difference between those who end up in heaven and those who end up in hell is not the goodness of the person or the quality of the heart they were born with. The difference is the grace of God.

We are all guilty before God of violating this command. Jesus says righteousness requires not only that we do not murder in our actual deeds, but that we are not to hate, insult, or belittle others. This includes our thoughts, words, facial expressions, gestures, and so on. Neither are we to go along with others who engage in this kind of thing.

Therefore, we have two major problems. Two massive problems that we are incapable of solving. First, we have a track record of murderous thoughts and deeds. We have a trail of sins, each of which has earned a penalty. One would have been enough to damn us, but they are uncountable. The evidence of our guilt is overwhelming. If we are to be judged based upon our works we are condemned already.

But in an act of immeasurable grace and love, God sent his son Jesus as a savior. Jesus came as a human and lived perfectly under the law so he had no sin of his own. Then he offered himself as a sacrifice to fulfill the penalty of the law for the sins of all who would believe in him. For all who would ever trust in his work as their substitute.

He paid for every sin. He paid for every angry thought, every jealous impulse, every demeaning word. He satisfied the wrath of God against every assault upon his holy character committed or going to be committed by every believer.

Our second problem is that not only did we commit sins, but we had sinful hearts. If the death of Christ only paid for sin, it still leaves us without any righteousness. We would have no bad works to condemn us, but no righteous works to commend us. But Jesus did much more than simply pay for our sins. He purchased us for himself. By faith we are united to Christ. This union allows his payment for sin to be applied to us and it also allows his righteousness to be credited to us. 

Through faith in Jesus we obtain not a righteousness that comes from the law, but a righteousness provided by God’s grace. Part of the ongoing work of that grace in us is that we receive a new heart and a new spirit that replaces fear, anger, and hate with love, mercy, and peace. Before there was only spiritual deadness, but now we are made alive to pursue godliness without condemnation.

So then, how do we who are united to Jesus relate to this law? We have no condemnation and know we will be justified before God and yet we also recognize that we are still far from perfect. God is still holy and we still sin, so how does that work?

First, I want to address two common errors that appear on the surface to be opposites, but are actually two different forms of the same misunderstanding. Both of these are extremely common in churches today and both of them will ultimately result in severe problems in our walk. The first error is legalism.

Legalism is the idea that we can gain acceptability or earn anything from God by keeping the law. Legalists recognize that the moral law still applies to believers but they make the mistake of thinking that obedience to it obtains favor from God. This misunderstanding is the basis of most religion. Sadly, if you visit many churches what you will get is a legalistic sermon telling you what you must do or not do with Jesus tacked on to the end. 

There are two problems with this view. First, the purpose of the law was never for anyone to be justified through keeping it. The purpose of the law was to show fallen people that they were not righteous and needed a savior. The law was never designed to save, it was designed to point to the savior. Galatians 3:21–22 says,

21 … if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.  

The second problem is that if we pursue justification before God through the law then we will be judged on the basis of the law. That means we would need to keep it perfectly. If our appeal is to the law then we cannot also appeal to mercy for the law is a law of righteousness. John Bunyan gives us a memorable illustration of this in his book The Pilgrim’s Progress. 

Each character in the book is a symbol for something in the Christian experience. The main character is named Christian and represents believers in their journey through this life to be with God in heaven. Through most of the book Christian is the only believer but at one point he travels along with another believer named Faithful who tells him of a terrifying experience he had with an old man along the way. Faithful said,

"I was climbing up the hill and had reached halfway when I looked back and saw someone coming after me. He was as fast as the wind and caught up with me near the bench. But listen to me, brother. As soon as he caught up with me, he attacked me without any warning and knocked me down, leaving me for dead. When I came to my senses, I asked him why he did that to me.

He said it was because I had a secret affection towards Adam the First. And with that, he struck me with another deadly blow to my chest and knocked me down again. I lay there as if dead. When I regained consciousness, I begged for mercy, but he said he did not know how to show mercy and hit me again. He would have killed me if someone hadn't come by and told him to stop.

CHRISTIAN: Who was it that told him to stop?

FAITHFUL: At first, I didn't recognize him, but as he passed by, I saw the holes in his hands and side, and I realized it was our Lord. So I continued up the hill.

CHRISTIAN: The man who attacked you was Moses. He shows no mercy to those who violate his law."

Although the law is righteous and good it leads to death because we are not. We cannot outrun it and we cannot withstand its blows upon us. If we continue in our attempts to stand before it, we will be destroyed. The only rescue for its judgment is to run to Christ, who alone can order it to cease its assault on us.

The second error is antinomianism. The prefix anti means not or against and the Greek word for law is nomos. So an antinomian is one who denies that the moral law has any relevance for Christians. They incorrectly teach that law is the opposite of grace and that not only is the law of the Old Covenant removed, but that the moral law is not included in the new covenant.

As a result, antinomians misunderstand and misapply the promises of justification by grace with the process of sanctification by grace. They therefore teach believers they have no need to grieve for their sin and deny repentance for sin is connected to pardon.

Legalistic preachers proclaim we need to try harder to overcome sin. Antinomian preachers claim we just don’t need to worry about sin at all. They say being under grace means we no longer need to strive against sin or pursue holiness. Both are wrong.

You might think that antinomianism and legalism are opposites, but they aren’t. They are actually two forms of the same theological error of misunderstanding the law as a potential means of obtaining righteousness. It is the same error the legalist makes except unlike the legalist they understand obedience to the law is hopeless. They recognize righteousness comes by grace, but since they misunderstand the law as a means to righteousness, they incorrectly conclude that grace has made the law obsolete.

Both the legalist and the antinomian have the same incorrect understanding of the law the Pharisees had and it distorts their understanding of grace. It is true the New Covenant makes the Old Covenant obsolete but law and grace are to be found in both. Indeed, grace frees us and empowers us to pursue the proper use of the law. Not as a means of earning God’s approval, but as a means of demonstrating it.

This is what Paul teaches: Romans 6:1–2

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?  

It is what John teaches: 1 John 2:3–4

3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him

It is what James teaches: James 2:17–18

17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.  

It is what Peter teaches: 1 Peter 1:14–16 

14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”  

They teach this because it is what Jesus teaches: Matthew 5:17–18

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

The moral law shows us what it is to love. It shows us what it is to be godly and holy. It shows us what Jesus is like. It is a mirror and a guide especially for those who have been freed from its penalty because those same partakers of grace have been adopted by God and have received the spirit of Christ.

How then do we apply this law against murder in our lives as Christians? The answer is that we must do so not in the flesh but in the Spirit. The gospel itself is the answer. The crucifixion of Jesus shows us two things clearly. It shows God’s wrath against sin and it shows God’s love to his people. As we look into the mirror of this law we are called to walk by the spirit in applying these Gospel truths to our own hearts.

Unrighteous anger comes from the lie that God has not been just. The cross shows us that it is not justice we want and that the goodness of God has overflowed in grace to us. What is left to offend one shown such mercy?

Envy comes from the lie that God has not adequately provided or that we deserve more than we have. The cross shows us that we have received far more and better than we deserve and what we have received is far superior to anything the world has. How can we be jealous of others when the very Son of God gave his life to save our soul? Do we doubt we will be satisfied in the end from a God who has given his son and promised us glory?

Hatred comes from the lie that somehow we are victims or that someone else is preventing us from the status we deserve. The cross shows us that even our best works are worthless and that we find our satisfaction in the sacrificial love of God. How can we pursue hatred when we have been shown so much love?

Vengeance comes from the lie that God cannot be trusted to address injustice. The cross shows us that God will judge sin and that he alone is worthy to execute justice. It seems whenever there is a tragedy and people are angry the question is asked, “where is God during all of this?” The answer is that God is in heaven, storing up wrath to be poured out on the wicked. How can we think that we are in a better position to deal with wrongs than God?

Friends, the gospel frees us to pursue holiness in the power of God, without fear or condemnation and like the apostle Paul, I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ. We are called to this work in confidence that it will be completed in his power rather than ours.

That is why in Ephesians, the apostle Paul urges believers to put off the old self that was characterized by living according to old desires and to put on the new self. That means we are to live in accordance with the new desires and impulses consistent with the truth we now have. Then in Ephesians 4:29–32 he says,

29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.  

If by grace we pursue this, we will fulfill the spirit of this law.