All men and women have been created in the image of God therefore “if anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.”

You shall not murder. Exodus 20:13

The Sixth Commandment is very clear what is forbidden which is murder; the premeditation and intentional ending of human life. Most of us would agree that we have never committed murder, but have you ever had an abortion, participated in euthanasia or been an accessory to murder? God despises vengeance and vigilantism. “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’” (Romans 12:19). Many people would consider themselves innocent of violating the Sixth Commandment, but God is more concerned with our hearts. Jesus opened up the demands of the Sixth Commandment by saying, “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). Now let’s take a look inside our hearts: how many of us are guilty of acts of hatred, envy, enmity, strife, rivalries, dissension, sinful anger, slander and desires of revenge? God is not only concerned with the outside of the cup, but also the inside of the cup as well. “Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart” (Psalm 51:6). It elevates the disclosure of our sin to God when we know that He is omniscience and omnipresence. It should sober us to know that the Judge of the universe will judge every thought, word, deed and attitude. Just think, you can be prosecuted and sentenced for planning to kill the President. That’s just the earth’s judicial system. Imagine God’s standard in His heavenly courtroom.

Let’s examine two aspects of this Commandment. The first aspect is: what is forbidden in the Sixth Commandment? The things forbidden are the causing of harm to others by anger, envy, hatred and murder by hands, mouth or mind. “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea” (Mark 9:42). Also we are to avoid the causing of harm to ourselves of body and soul by envy and the laying violent hands on himself. 

The second aspect is: what is required in the Sixth Commandment? The things required are to preserve the lives and souls of others by comforting them in their sorrows, relieving them in their wants, healing their wounds and rescuing them from the flames of God’s Wrath by preaching the Gospel to them. Also we are to preserve the life and soul of ourselves by the means of proper diet, exercise and lawful recreation. Even more, though you lose all else, remember to save your soul. “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:20,21).

As Christians, we are even held to a higher standard. John, the Apostle of Love wrote, “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (1 John 3:15) This verse pokes us in the eye who backbite and clamor with Brothers and Sisters in Christ. We are deceived if we think that we can love God while hating or extremely disliking other Christians.

So when faced with the truth of ourselves in light of the Sixth Commandment, in the darkness of our heart we are evil and depraved. We are left desperate, lacking righteousness. We can feel abandoned, standing guilty before a perfect and holy God. Remember, as Jesus exchanged places with a murderer named Barabbas; the righteous in place of the condemned, He offers to stand in exchange with spiritual murderers so that they may be acquitted. We stand at a crossroad to whether we will be honest with God and seek His forgiveness through His Son, whom at the cross exchanged places with the likes of murderers so that we might have a righteousness not of our own, but on the account of someone who righteous.