The Ten Commandments:
- You shall have no other gods before me
- You shall not make for yourself an idol
- Do not take the name of the Lord in vain
- Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy
- Honor your father and mother
- You shall not kill/murder
- You shall not commit adultery
- You shall not steal
- You shall not bear false witness
- You shall not covet
The Sixth Commandment simply says: “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13 NKJV).
What does “murder” mean?
According to Brown-Driver-Briggs, the Hebrew word רָצַח (ratsach) means “murder, slay.”
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance defines it as:
Put to death, kill, manslayer, murderer
A primitive root; properly, to dash in pieces, i.e. Kill (a human being), especially to murder — put to death, kill, (man-)slay(-er), murder(-er).
The word רָצַח (ratsach) in Exodus 20:13 has been translated into English as “murder” (NIV, NLT, ESV, NKJV, HCSB, ISV, YLT) or “kill” (KJV, ASV). The implication is that רָצַח (ratsach) involves the deliberate taking of a human life.
Does the Sixth Commandment forbid capital punishment?
On the surface, it might appear that the Sixth Commandment forbids all forms of intentional killing, including capital punishment. However, as with any passage in the Bible, Exodus 20:13 must be understood in light of other Bible passages on the same subject. In the Old Testament, the death penalty was stipulated many offenses, including murder (Genesis 9:5,6; Numbers 35:16-21,30-33; Deuteronomy 17:6), blasphemy (Leviticus 24:11-14,16,23), homosexual acts (Leviticus 18:22;20:13), adultery (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:24), witchcraft (Exodus 22:18), and many other sins. Clearly, in light of these passages – and many others – Exodus 20:13 does not forbid capital punishment. Although many will debate whether capital punishment should continue to be practiced today, using Exodus 20:13 as a proof text against the practice is bad theology.
What about other killing of humans?
There are also other situation where Exodus 20:13 does not apply. The law distinguishes between premeditated murder and manslaughter (Numbers 35:22-25). The verb רָצַח (ratsach) is never applied to Israel at war. Killing in self-defense is permitted (Exodus 22:2, Nehemiah 4:17-18). The Sixth Commandment is limited to the deliberate murder of an innocent victim. To generalize the verb רָצַח (ratsach) to mean any form of killing is to take the Sixth Commandment out of context and to apply it in a manner that the text simply doesn’t support.
What about killing animals?
Some animal rights activists attempt to use this verse as an argument against killing animals. Human life is sacred because man bears God’s image (Genesis 1:27). Murder is wrong because Man was created in God’s image (Genesis 9:6). Again, while this verse might appear on the surface to support the idea that the Bible teaches animals should not be killed, there is a multitude of other passages throughout the Bible that contradict this notion. First, there are extensive passages that describe the Jewish animal sacrificial system, in great detail. Although these practices are no longer observed or necessary, they clearly contradict the belief that the Bible forbids the killing of animals. Second, beginning in Genesis 9:3, people were given permission to eat meat. Again, there are extensive sections of the Old Testament that describe in great detail exactly what animals the Jewish people were permitted to eat, and which were forbidden. In the New Testament, Christians were permitted to eat even these forbidden animals (Acts 10:9-15) as well as animals that had been sacrificed to idols (1 Corinthians 10:25 and following). Again, using Exodus 20:13 as a proof text against the practice of killing animals is bad theology. The law only applies to people.
What did Jesus say about the Sixth Commandment?
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said:
“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 hell fire” (Matthew 5:21-22 NKJV).
First, Jesus confirms Exodus 20:13. He does not say that it no longer applies, but rather affirms its continued relevance. Second, Jesus expands it by equating unjustified anger with murder. If a person is so angry with another person that they wish they were dead, they have broken the Sixth Commandment in their heart. Everyone has gotten angry without just cause. Although few of us have actually taken another person’s life, we have almost all been so angry that we wished someone were dead.
In Jesus’ view, everyone is guilty of murder, at least in their hearts and minds. We have all violated the heart of the matter – we have all hated. The bad news is, we are all subject to judgment by God for our hatred, the same as if we had murdered someone. The good news is, God extends forgiveness to all who believe in Jesus, to all who repent of sin and receive Jesus as Savior. In the Bible, the word repent means “to change one’s mind.” When one repents, it means they change their mind concerning Jesus Christ. It means they change their minds about their own goodness and about their own righteousness before Holy God, and trust Jesus for the forgiveness of sin. All of us have sinned, and all of us fall short of God’s perfect standard – Himself. We all deserve death and eternal damnation for our rebellion against God. God has demonstrated His love for us by sending His Son, Jesus, to die in our place. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
Filed under: Bible Commentary | Tagged: Bible, killing, murder, Ten Commandments | Leave a comment »
You Shall Not Commit Adultery
The Ten Commandments:
The Seventh Commandment simply says: “You shall not commit Adultery” (Exodus 20:14 NKJV).
What is “adultery?”
Strictly speaking, adultery is a sexual relationship between a married person and someone other than his or her spouse.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus expands the definition: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” According to Jesus, any man (married, or not) who looks at a woman (married, or not) and thinks about having sex with her, is just as guilty of adultery as the married man who actually does have sex with a woman other than his wife. Although not specifically stated here, the opposite is presumed true as well: A woman who lusts after a man is guilty of adultery as well.
Using Jesus’ definition, almost every person past the age of puberty is guilty of adultery. It is the very rare individual who has never lusted after someone to whom they are not married.
What about other sexual sins?
In addition to adultery, both the Old and New Testaments describe many examples of sexual sins, including (but not limited to):
Additionally, there are a number of New Testament passages warning against the sin of πορνείᾳ, which is translated in various English versions as fornication, unchastity, or sexual immorality. According to Strong’s Concordance, πορνείᾳ – pronounced (por-ni’-ah) – is “a selling off (surrendering) of sexual purity; promiscuity of any (every) type.” πορνείᾳ is the root word for the English word “pornography.” Essentially, πορνείᾳ includes all sexual acts outside of Biblical marriage.
How does the Bible define Marriage?
The basic definition of marriage is found in Genesis 2:24: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Jesus reiterated this basic definition in Mark 10:6-8:
Both Genesis 2:24 and Jesus define marriage as being between one man and one woman.
What about polygamy? The Old Testament certainly records many instances of polygamous marriages, including Abraham, Jacob, David, and Solomon. However, in each of these cases, polygamous marriages caused serious consequences. Although there are a handful of Old Testament verses that can be interpreted to endorse or even require polygamous marriage, these same verses have also been interpreted to refer to successive marriages, rather than concurrent ones. Regardless of the interpretation of these verses, marrying multiple wives is not in harmony with God’s design for marriage from the beginning.
The same can be said for divorce. There are several Old Testament passages describing procedures for divorce. However, in the same passage from Mark 10, Jesus states that the law allows for divorce because of the hardness of the human heart (verse 5), and that ““Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery” (verses 11-12). Again, divorce is clearly not part of God’s design for marriage.
Homosexual marriage is never mentioned in Scripture. However, since the Bible speaks clearly about the sin of homosexuality, and since Jesus defined marriage in terms on one man and one woman, gay marriage is clearly not part of the Biblical design for marriage.
A Christian Response
The Biblical definition for marriage is one man and one woman for life. Divorce, polygamy, and gay marriage are sin, and not part of God’s design. However, all of these are practiced in our culture, even among professing Christians. How should Christians respond?
First, we must not compromise the truth of God’s Word. We need to acknowledge that all sexual relations outside of monogamous, heterosexual marriage are sin. As Christians, we must never compromise the truth of God’s Word.
Second, we also need to remember that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). By Jesus’ definition, almost every adult is guilty of sexual sin. Christians have no right to judge the sin of others if they do not recognize and repent of their own sin. Just because I haven’t actually had a sexual relationship outside of marriage, I’ve certainly thought about it, so according to Jesus, I’m also guilty. I’ve certainly also committed many other kinds of sin. Christians have no business looking down on the sins of others, just because they haven’t committed those particular sins. We have more than enough sins of our own, without adding hypocrisy to the list.
Christians who are caught in the snare of sexual sin need grace and truth to be able to repent of those sins and be restored to fellowship with Jesus Christ. If married, both the one adulterer and their spouse need compassion and Godly counsel in order to heal the relationship. If in an unbiblical relationship, they need to separate, in accordance to God’s Word, and need to repent of sin.
In the case of non-believers, what they need is the grace of Jesus Christ, not hate from Christians. Christians can, and must, truly hate the sin, but love the sinner. All non-Christians, regardless of whatever sin they may be involved in, need to understand they are sinners, but that Jesus Christ offers salvation and the forgiveness of sin for those who repent and turn to Him.
The following quote has been attributed to both Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson and Pastor Rick Warren (I think Warren is the actual source):
Christians must stand firm on the truth of God’s Word in regards to sexual sin, but at the same time, must demonstrate Christ-like grace and compassion toward sinners. Our goal must be to allow God to work through us to lead sinners to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.
Filed under: Bible Commentary | Tagged: adultery, Bible, culture, Homosexuality, Ten Commandments | Leave a comment »