WSC Q&A #69

Q: What is forbidden in the sixth commandment?
A: The sixth commandment forbids the taking away of our own life, or the life of our neighbor unjustly, or whatever tends thereunto. 
Matthew 5:22 "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults is brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the fire of hell."

We discussed this a little bit already, and many times throughout this blog on the 10 commandments, about how the commandments are not just about the external actions, but also about matters of the heart. The verse for this week highlights this very well. Here we see Christ expanding upon the sixth commandment, addressing not simply the external action of killing another person, but expanding that external action to include verbal attacks on others, and addressing the heart issues that lead to such outward expressions of hatred.  

Remember, this set of six commandments (5 through 10) are addressing the second part of the "Greatest Commandment", to love others as yourself. God is concerned here with not only the taking of a life, but also with our attitudes toward our neighbors, including our "enemies", and not only our attitudes, but also our words toward them. Whether we are killing someone with a sword, or piercing them with our words, as Proverbs 12:18 says, we are guilty of breaking this commandment. 

This is what the Heidelberg Catechism is getting at when it says,

When God condemns envy, hatred, and anger, he commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves, to show patience, peace, gentleness, mercy, and friendliness toward him, to protect him from harm as much as we can, and to do good even to our enemies.

This is what Jesus is talking about in Matthew 5:22, as well. We are to love (not simply tolerate, not put up with, but love) everyone who is around us. No doubt this is incredibly difficult. In fact, it's impossible for us! Thank God for providing a perfect Redeemer who kept this command perfectly for us! Thank God for the Holy Spirit, who works in and through us, making us more like Christ every day so that, for God's glory, we can strive to truly love all of our neighbors as ourselves. 

WSC Q&A #68

Q: What is required in the sixth commandment?
A: The sixth commandment requires all lawful endeavors to preserve our own life, and the life of others.
Genesis 9:6 Whoever sheds the blood of a man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. 

This commandment very much concerns itself with how we view human life. It shows us that God values human life. Why? Why does God value human life? Because of what Moses wrote in the first few chapters of Genesis. When God created man, he created him male and female after his own image. Human beings are special acts of God's creation. We are image bearers of God himself. This week's Scripture passage from Genesis 9 reemphasizes this idea. The shedding of blood is hated by God, "for God made man in his own image". When we do things that harm or destroy ourselves or our fellow men, we are harming or destroying the image of God in that person. 

Again, think  beyond the surface wording of this commandment to the heart issue underneath. Not only are we to not intentionally do things that would damage our lives or the lives of others, but we are to actively preserve life, in accordance with the laws of our land and of course, the law of God. This means a lot of things. It should effect how we think about our own bodies. Are we good stewards of ourselves? Do we eat right, exercise, take general care of our health? Do we concern ourselves with the wellbeing of our neighbors? How does this commandment effect how we live in community with our fellow man? How does it effect our political views? Our views on life, our views on social justice, our views on foreign policy? How does it effect our views on the church itself, both locally and globally? Are we actively endeavoring to preserve all life whenever possible? These are big questions. Many of them are matters of conscience, and as the Westminster Confession states, God alone is Lord of the conscience. But I hope to at least get us to think through these issues. It's my hope that we would actively seek to apply God's law to all aspects of our lives, because God's law does indeed speak to all aspects of life!

WSC Q&A #67

Q: Which is the sixth commandment?
A: The sixth commandment is, You shall not murder.
Romans 13:9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

This is one of those commandments where many of us think, "this is an easy one to keep!" But remember, the commandments are summaries of God's law. There's much more to keeping any one of the commandments than simply obeying the outward sign. So it is with this commandment. There is much more to keeping this commandment than simply not taking another person's life. There's a heart issue at play. This is why Jesus says on the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5, "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."

The Heidelberg Catechism has a wonderful section on the 6th commandment, showing us how it is not only the outward acts that matter, but also the inward heart reality:

106. Q. But does this commandment speak only of killing?
A. By forbidding murder God teaches us that he hates the root of murder, such as envy, hatred, anger, and desire of revenge, and that he regards all these as murder.

107. Q. Is it enough, then that we do not kill our neighbor in any such way?
A. No. When God condemns envy, hatred, and anger, he commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves, to show patience, peace, gentleness, mercy, and friendliness toward him, to protect him from harm as much as we can, and to do good even to our enemies.

Worth Reading

Ruth 1:6-22

Do you come to our gathered worship service expecting God to speak to you through his Word? We encourage you to prayerfully read through the passage that will be preached prior to the service to help you prepare.

Jesus is Real, Living, Precious, and Present

Christ is a real, true, living friend. He is the Christian’s closest friend. But like any friendship, it is a friendship that must be maintained by mutual knowing. So how do we come to know Christ and learn to trust him more and more over time? In other words, how does Christ become a more and more real friend in our lives? …

If you want to know Jesus, be much in his Word

A Sky Unsullied by Clouds: William Wilberforce gives hope to a 14 year old girl in pain

And yours my dear Girl is a Sun which will never go down, but will get brighter & brighter with a Warmth & brilliance, of which now you can have no conception. I dare say you know & like Cowper. He, you know, speaks of "a Vault unsullied with a Cloud." Now therefore accustom yourself to think "the Scene around me is gloomy and darksome, but a friendly and, that a divine, Hand of a kind and loving Saviour, is leading me on the Way He sees best for me, & in His own good time He will bring me into the Light.

I Will Bear Witness | Heath Lambert’s Testimony

This one is worth listening to / watching. Perhaps Sunday evening when you would have been at church before, or play it while you work around the house. Whatever you have to do, I urge you to listen to it.

This plenary session took place at the 2014 Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation National Conference. For more information about CCEF and their resources, visit ccef.org

WSC Q&A #66

Q: What is the reason annexed in the fifth commandment?
A: The reason annexed in the fifth commandment is a promise of long life and prosperity (as far as it shall serve for God's glory and their own good) to all such as keep this commandment.
Deuteronomy 5:16 Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you. 

When God gave this command and promise, he gave it to God's people as they were expressed in the nation of Israel, about to go into and live in a land given specifically to them, the Promise Land. The promise of a long and prosperous life in the Promise Land was contingent upon the Israelites keeping God's law, here in particular, to obey and honor parents (and all authority figures). Now, of course, God's people are not limited to one nation and one geographic location, but that does not mean the promise is null and void. 

It is important that we understand this is not a magic formula to a long and healthy life. As the catechism points out, these promises are not only contingent on our obedience, but also upon what God deems will bring him the most glory and do us the most good. These two things, God's glory and God's good works towards his people, always take precedence over everything else. And yet, the promises that come with keeping the fifth commandment are good, "common sense" promises. Peace, prosperity, and even longer life are more likely if we listen to the sage advice of our parents and elders, if we submit to the governing authority as far as we can without disobeying God, and if we love one another and serve one another well.