So first, Exodus 20 verse 13.

You shall not murder.

And then in Matthew chapter 5, we’re looking at verses 21 through verse 26.

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. 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 hellfire. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge. The judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.

Let’s seek the Lord’s blessing on this, his holy word.

O gracious God in heaven, we do rejoice and give thanks for your holy word. It is our only infallible rule for faith and life. And we ask that as we come to these verses and to particular this commandment of your moral law, that you would give us understanding and insight to see the truth, to be challenged, to be equipped, to be encouraged, to be built up, and to seek to commit ourselves to cherishing the gift that you have given to us and to living for your glory. And so we pray now for your blessing upon your holy word. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

Introduction: The Sixth Commandment in the Sermon on the Mount

Well, here in Matthew chapter five, it’s in the context of the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus has been teaching about the law and here specifically about the sixth commandment.

He emphasizes that the commandment isn’t just a penal code of crimes and punishments for our conduct, but ultimately it is intended to pierce the heart. And it’s a convictor of sin so that we would see our need for the gospel of grace.

With this emphasis, Jesus shows that really the heart issue and the spirit of the law is often overlooked by a focus on the letter of the law. This is precisely what the traditions of the elders and the scribes and the Pharisees missed during Jesus’ day. And it’s even what’s lacking in our own day.

In connection to various evil acts of violence that frequently fill news feeds, we have talking heads and politicians assert that if we only got rid of guns, well then all these mass killings wouldn’t happen.

But here’s the thing. We know that you can remove guns, you can remove knives, you can remove all kinds of weapons, but it’s not going to stop people from murdering one another. It may dissuade some, and yes, it may limit the number of casualties, but we know that a heart filled with anger and hate that’s set on murder is going to find a way to fulfill its desire.

In order to make such tragedies less frequent, really the issue of the heart is what needs to be exposed and addressed. And ultimately, this is a solution that only the gospel can provide.

As we consider the sixth commandment this morning, we’ll take note of its implications for both the letter and the spirit of the law, as a reminder that the sixth commandment is about ultimately preserving and cherishing a glorious gift that the Lord has given.

Why the Sixth Commandment? A Two-Fold Gift from God

Now if we were to ask, why is there a commandment against murder and unjust killing? Is it like what a former, many years ago, a former co-worker of mine said? Well, we just learned that we needed such a thing by trial and error. How long would it take us to figure out that murdering somebody wasn’t a good thing before everyone was removed from the earth? It was just by trial or error. So why is God so concerned about man killing man? But not necessarily about animal killing animal, or animal killing man, or even man killing animal. Why is there a command specifically about man killing man?

Well, the reason is because of this two-fold gift that God has given to mankind.

1. Mankind Is Created in the Image of God

The first part of this gift, and really the bottom line reason that murder is considered a sin before God, is because to take the life of another person is to disregard and destroy the image of God in which that person was created.

What sets mankind apart from all other living creatures and all other living plants in creation is the fact that only mankind was created in the image of God.

And we see this in Genesis 1 verse 26. God said, let us make man in our image according to our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. And so God created man in His own image. In the image of God He created him, male and female, He created them.

It’s important to emphasize, again, that God hasn’t given this honor to any other creature. Not to the animals of the land, not to the fish of the sea, not to the birds of the air, or even to the angels that God created.

And the psalmist confirms this in Psalm 8, saying,

What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you visit him? For you have made him a little lower than the angels, and you have crowned him with glory and honor. And you have made him to have dominion over the works of your hands. You have put all things under his feet.

And so being created in the image of God is an honor that is unique to mankind.

Well, what is that image? The Westminster Shorter Catechism question and answer 10 clarifies what that image of God in man entails. And the answer to that question is

God created man, male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures.

So we know, and we gather from this, that mankind alone has a reasonable soul. Mankind alone has original righteousness and holiness before God. And to man alone was given the honor of having dominion over all the creation.

Now that’s when man was first created, but we know something happened, a little event called the Fall. And that when Adam rebelled and sinned against God, that this image of God in man became greatly marred by the fall into sin. And this marring means that not only was the dominion over the creation lost, but that in our sin nature, mankind is no longer holy and righteous before God. And even our reasonable souls have become bound to sin.

And it’s only in Christ, through the Gospel, that this image can be restored. And the Apostle Paul declares this, that in Christ, in Ephesians 4, he says, in Christ we’re renewed in the spirit of your mind. And that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. And so we become new creations in Christ, as the image of God is now restored through Christ.

Now even though not everyone is going to enjoy this restoration, because we know that not all are going to believe the gospel, not all are going to come to faith in Christ, yet the image of God still remains in all of mankind, though it’s in a greatly marred condition. Except for those who are redeemed in Christ, we have that image restored.

And we see this, for example, in Genesis 9. This is after the flood, and the Lord is making a covenant with Noah. And he asserts the value of all human life, regardless of the spiritual condition. So, kind of a blanket statement that the Lord makes.

Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed. For in the image of God he made man.

And so God is basically saying that the value of human life is so great that its cost can only be the life of the one who has taken that life unjustly.

Now because of this great truth, and again he roots it into the idea that man was created in the image of God. This is after the flood, after the fall. And he makes this note that the image of God is still there in man. So because of this great truth that all mankind is created in the image of God, we then know that all mankind, that is every human being, people from every nation, tribe, and tongue from all across the globe have value and worth.

And we often speak of this value and worth when we talk about treating people with dignity and respect. The reason that we do so is because we’re acknowledging this image of God in man in the fact that all humanity has value and worth because of that image of God that they bear and in which they were created.

2. Human Life Itself Is a Most Precious Gift

Now closely related—and there’s two parts to this gift. The first part is that mankind is created in the image of God. Well, the second part, closely related, is the fact that it’s not just our nature or being that’s valuable, but even life itself, even life itself is a most precious gift.

And again, God created man in a very distinct way from how He created all creatures. We know that one of those ways in which God created man was only man was created in God’s image. But there’s another way in which man is distinct from all creation. God simply spoke and created all the creatures of the sea, the birds of the sky, and all the creatures of the earth, and all, after all, their kinds. He just simply said, let the seas abound and the skies abound, and let the earth bring forth the creatures of the earth.

But when it comes to the creation of mankind, we’re told very specifically how God created, how God formed, how God fashioned man.

In Genesis 2 verse 7, and the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and then breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. And man became a living being.

And so from the dust of the earth to a living being brought about by the breath of life through the Spirit of God.

Again, no other creature is described being created this way but mankind alone. And this demonstrates to us that life, especially human life, is unique, and therefore is most precious in the sight of God. Indeed, it’s a most gracious gift that He’s given to us, as the breath of God is what distinguishes human life from the life of animals and plants.

And since God has given us this life, well then it means that He alone is sovereign over all of our lives. So that before the foundation of the world, God has appointed the number of our days.

And Psalm 139, the psalmist sings, your eyes saw my substance being yet unformed. And in your book, they were all written. The days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.

So even before we lived, God had the days of our lives set out before us.

Now if we, in all humanity, have this wonderful gift, this precious gift, and if the Lord has the days of our lives are appointed according to His good pleasure and purpose, and we know that there’s a limited number of days, well then we would do well to take care how we use and value the days that we have. And we do well to strive to preserve our own lives and the lives of those around us.

But God not only has appointed the beginning of our lives and the duration of our lives, we also know that He appoints the end of our lives. As part of the curse upon mankind because of sin, God’s judgment of death falls upon all.

And Job acknowledges this in Job 30 saying, for I know that you will bring me to death and to the house appointed for all living.

It’s been appointed for man to die once and then the judgment. God appoints beginning when we’re born he appoints when we die he appoints all the days in between it all belongs to him he’s the giver of life and so therefore to kill and take someone’s life unjustly is to destroy this special creation of God. It’s to undo what God has done. And it’s, in effect, really putting oneself in God’s place. So that when you take someone’s life, you’re usurping the authority of God. You’re infringing upon His jurisdiction. You’re destroying what He created. And you’re relegating it to something worthless and without value. And so this is why we have the sixth commandment.

The Command Itself: “You Shall Not Murder”

So now that we have some understanding as to the foundation of this command, and the seriousness of the offense, we come to the command itself. And the commandment is stated as a prohibition. You shall not. And then depending on the translation you have, it’ll either use the term you shall not kill or you shall not murder.

Now, though we know all murdering is killing, not all killing is murdering. And so it’s helpful, though, to note then an important distinction. The Hebrew word used in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, which is where we have the Ten Commandments, appears in both of those places. The word that’s there often means murder. And this murder can be with premeditation, that is, there’s thoughtful planning that’s involved, but not necessarily always. And so in essence, the word simply is to kill an innocent person without cause, what we would term homicide.

And there’s another Hebrew word for kill, and this simply means to kill or to slay. And it’s the word that’s most often used in the Old Testament for judgments, things like capital punishment, and also when someone is killed in battle and in war.

This distinction is important. Because we know that there are times when killing isn’t explicitly condemned in Scripture.

• Capital punishment, when it is carried out lawfully by the civil magistrate, is not condemned.The Apostle Paul reminds us of this in Romans 13, that the civil magistrate is God’s minister to you for good, but if you do evil, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. See, the civil magistrate has a sword. And that sword has a purpose, as Paul continues, for he is God’s minister and avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.
• Killing which comes as a result of a just war is also not explicitly condemned in the Scriptures. God often used war to bring about judgment upon men and upon nations.
• Self-defense, if you’re being unjustly attacked and you happen to kill the person attacking you in order to save your life or save the life of someone else, that again is not condemned by the sixth commandment.

Sins Forbidden by the Sixth Commandment

Well, what sins then are condemned in the sixth commandment?

• Obviously murder, and the unjust taking of human life (premeditated or not)
• Mass murders
• Unjust wars and genocide carried out by wicked rulers and nations
• Suicide, taking one’s own life
• Physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia
• Abortion, and the taking of the lives of the unborn children in the womb
• Inflicting physical harm, even if it doesn’t lead to death (child abuse, domestic violence)
• Failure to adequately provide for and sustain the precious gift of life
• Needlessly endangering your life or the life of others
• Taking unnecessary risks, using illicit drugs, abusing prescription medication, excessive alcohol consumption

The thing that all these have in common is that they all unjustly destroy the image of God in man.

Positively, the commandment requires that we nurture and cherish these gifts the Lord has entrusted to us.

The Apostle Paul declares in 1 Corinthians 6, Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? And you are not your own, for you are bought at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Jesus Recovers the Spirit of the Law (Matthew 5:21-26)

Jesus had made clear that he hadn’t come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. And he looks to recover the spirit of the law, because it’s been covered over by the tradition of the elders.

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.

The accepted tradition restricted the judgment only to the act of committing murder. It only focused on one’s actions and not the sinful thoughts and desires of the heart that inspired those actions.

But Jesus declares:

But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without 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 hellfire.

Unjust anger, hatred, bitterness, and angry words and insults are all sins which come from a corrupt, sinful heart.

Murder begins in the heart of a person, with their sinful thoughts and desires. Jesus says in Matthew 15:

For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnesses, blasphemies.

James asks:

Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?

The Apostle John makes the point crystal clear:

Whoever hates his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. (1 John 3:15)

Hope and Transformation in Christ

Beloved God, when we look around us today, in our nation and our society and the rest of the world around us, there is so much violence. There’s so much of the unjust taking of human life, both from wicked individuals, from various movements and from nations.

This shouldn’t be a surprise to us because at the very same time, we can also look around and we can see a lot of unjust anger and hatred and bitterness. We can see sinful thoughts and desires that are fueling these sinful actions. Causing brother to rise up against brother and neighbor against neighbor, nation against nation, one people group against another people group.

All this bitterness, anger, hatred, violence, and murder is sin. And it’s worthy of God’s just judgment.

And thus these sins ought to be put to death in the lives of those who profess faith in Christ, even we ourselves.

Unless we think otherwise and be discouraged, this is surely possible. It is possible that even a hater, that even a murderer can have hope and forgiveness. But friends, only in Jesus. Only in Jesus.

And the Apostle Paul is an example of this very thing.

For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God… But by the grace of God, I am what I am. And his grace toward me was not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:9-10)

Here we have the Apostle Paul, once a hater, a persecutor, a murderer even of the saints of God. But now by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, Paul is transformed and changed into a new creation. He’s been renewed in the image of God through Christ, and he’s now devoted to preserving and cherishing life as God intends, as he’s there spreading the ministry of the gospel and saving lives instead of destroying them and hating them.

Conclusion and Call

And so friends, the sixth commandment calls us:

• To acknowledge the image of God and to cherish the life of every human being
• To put to death all hatred, bitterness, anger, abusive language and actions
• To put to death the murder in our hearts and the murder by our hands—by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ
• That we may boldly love our neighbors and that we can even love our enemies as a witness to the transforming power of the gospel grace

And all this to the glory of God alone.

Closing Prayer

O gracious God in heaven, we do rejoice and give thanks for your word to us and this call to attention regarding the sixth commandment. Lord, how wonderful it is that you created us after your own image. That you so delighted in mankind, above all other creatures, above all other beings, even the angels, you delighted in mankind, and that we bear your image. And even though that image has been marred by sin, it still remains an awe of humanity.

May we strive to cherish that, to nourish it, to uphold it, as you’ve given us that life as well, breathing into our nostrils, the breath of life. And that we might be diligent to use our lives and the days that have been appointed for us, that we might use them for your glory, for your praise and your honor. That would be witnesses to those around us. As we strive to preserve our own life, to preserve the lives of others, as we stand for truth and justice in love, even doing the difficult task of loving our enemies. And we know we need much, much grace to do such a thing, but it’s what you call us to do.

That we are to love our enemies, to do good to them. Because even our enemies bear your image. And we pray that through the mercy and the kindness we might show to them, that they would come to acknowledge that truth, that they would come to acknowledge you and the glorious gift that you’ve given in Christ Jesus.

Even as we ourselves, who were once your enemies, have come to the fullness of that very same knowledge for which we praise you and thank you. We thank you even as you have given us the example of the Apostle Paul, who was a murderer, and yet you drastically changed his life.

May you change our lives, enabling us to put all bitterness and hatred to death, and to put on love and mercy and compassion for the lost and for those in need. All to the praise of your glorious name.

Father, we pray that you would impress these truths upon each of our hearts, drawing us all closer to yourself. All to the praise of your glorious name we pray. In Jesus’ name, amen.