Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction:

Last week, CNN published an article entitled “72 Hours of Hate in America: Three Hate Filled Crimes.

Three Hate Filled Suspects”

Wednesday, a white man with a history of violence shot and killed two African-Americans, seemingly at random, at a Kentucky Kroger store following a failed attempt to barge into a black church.

After mail bombs were being sent to people who'd been criticized by the President, a suspect was arrested Friday -- a man who had railed against Democrats and minorities with hate-filled messages online.

And Saturday morning, a man shouting anti-Semitic slurs opened fire at a Pittsburgh synagogue, killing 11 people attending Jewish services.

That all happened just last week.

What is so sad is that these stories are often too common that we begin to be desensitized to the killings and murders that happen everyday.

Today we will be looking at the Sixth Commandment: You Shall Not Murder.

The commandment remains just as relevant for us today as it was for Israel nearly 3500 years ago.

Most human societies do not question this commandment and believe in principle.

What they disagree on is why should we we keep this principle because people have different worldviews.

As we will see today, God commands us to not murder because he values human life since man bears God’s image, and the taking of innocent life robs God of his glory and is the ultimate act of hatred for one’s neighbor.

And we’ll ask three questions today.

What are some misunderstandings of the commandment?

What does the commandment actually mean?

How does the commandment apply to us?

Let me read our Scripture in .

Just four words in English.

Two words in Hebrew.

Scripture Reading:

Scripture Reading:

The KJV “Thou Shall Not Kill”.

“Thou Shall Not Slay.”

Only two words in the actual Hebrew which means “Don’t Kill”.

There are eight different words used in Hebrew.

The word used here is not the word for the kind of killing a soldier does or what one does to hunt or make a sacrifice to God.

It refers to the unlawful killing of an innocent person.

The commandment forbids the “unjust taking of a legally innocent life” (Ryken)

I. What Are Some Common Misunderstandings of the Commandment?

The reason why ESV translates “murder” instead of “kill” is because the commandment refers to unlawful killing not lawful killing.

The commandment does not prohibit lawful killing.

And I can think of three examples:

A. Self Defense

For example, a person who kills another person because of self-defense is not guilty of murder.

The issue here of whether a person is innocent or not is whether he killed in regards to self-defense.

At night time, you cannot discern whether the thief was going to take your life, so a person took his life.

But during the daytime, a person would be more aware of the actions and if he was able to let the thief live, then the thief was to pay back what he stole.

But if the life of a person was in danger, he was not held guilty for killing someone who was trying to harm him and his family.

B. Capital Punishment

A second, more controversial example is Capital Punishment.

There are some Christians who believe that it is never permissible to take a life even though a person may be guilty of a serious crime.

The may protest that Capital punishment is a barbaric practice and out of place in the modern world.

They believe that even the guilty should be shown mercy, that vengeance belongs to God, and that even murderers should be shown grace and forgiveness.

The US is one of the few countries that still retains capital punishment while many countries in Europe prohibit it.

In the OT, capital punishment was enforced in regards to murder, kidnapping, adultery, incest, bestiality, sodomy or homosexual relationships, witchcraft, blasphemy, violating the sabbath, and idolatry.

Justice should be served, it acts as a deterrent, it costs less, and it is not cruel and unusual punishment

There are still consequences to sin.

What I believe the Bible to actually teach is that Capital Punishment is the biblical response.

People may be forgiven for their sin, but they still have to deal with the consequences of their sin and sometimes that includes death if they have taken the life of an innocent human being.

The classic proof text for capital punishment is found in Genesis:

“Capital punishment for murder was not considered an assault on the image of God, but a defense of his image.

Human life is so precious that the taking of it was to be punished severely.”

(DeYoung, Ten Commandments, 96).

God allows for capital punishment not so much because he does not value life, but in fact the opposite is true, that he values life so much that to shed the blood of man would be to rob God of his glory since his image is placed upon man.

C. Just War

The third form of lawful killing is what philosophers call Just War.

In other words, lawful killing is allowed when a nation is threatened and that the only last resort is to go to war in order to save more lives.

Just War refers to:

“All previous things having been tried, war becomes the only option that will actually save more lives than it takes.”

Albert Mohler

The Allies believed that going to War with the Nazis was justified because it would save more lives than lose more lives even though many people lost their lives.

Now, I just want to say that it is difficult to wrestle with when does it become to act, like for example in the case of dropping the Bomb on Hiroshima where innocent and civilian lives were lost, but the principle is that God allows for lawful killing in war in order to preserve more life.

For example, when John the Baptist appears on the scene and calls forth for repentance and give specific directions in regards to how to repent:

Luke 3:

Notice, he does not tell the soldier to stop killing or put away his sword.

He just tells the soldiers not to be greedy or use their authority to abuse their power.

I think that the clearest example of when God allows for government to exercise its authority in lawful killing is in Romans 13.

So the commandment does not apply to a police officer who needs to defend himself or a soldier who kills to protect his country.

Summary:

Summary:

But why does God permit some forms of killing?

What makes them lawful?

The answer is that their goal is not the destruction of life but its preservation.

Phil Ryken

Transition: So the commandment does not prohibit lawful forms of killing in order to preserve life in the case of self-defense, or capital punishment, or just war.

What the commandment actually means is the intentional killing of an innocent life...

II.

What Does the Commandment Mean?

So what does the commandment mean?

It means that we are not to kill and take the life of innocent people.

This means that it prohibits premeditated and intentional murder of an innocent life.

Even when murderers are being judged in court, people will ask what was the motive or intent right?

It is sad that right after the Fall of Man, Adam and Eve had children.

And one of their sons killed the other.

And can you only imagine that your child slays your other child because of jealously and envy?

Cain follows the seed of the Serpent because the Devil was a murderer from the very beginning.

Murder was a capital offense and I believe still should be because it assaults the value and dignity of man.

Man bears God’s image and to kill him is to seek to diminish God’s glory and show utmost hatred for your neighbor.

“Our neighbor bears the image of God: to use him, abuse, or misuse him is to do violence to the person of God who images himself in every human soul.”

Calvin

Murder is not only a violation of God’s commandments, but the utmost hatred for neighbor.

Cain slew Abel.

John the Apostle said that no murderer has eternal life abiding in Him.

The sixth commandment prohibits the taking of human life.

It prohibits premeditated and intentional murder.

“Motive”

We should be more than pro-life.

We are pro-image bearers.

“It is tearing God’s picture, and breaking in pieces the King of heaven’s broad seal.”