Grace and Peace Episode 51
Presbyterian Church of Easton
September 19, 2021
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2
Heidelberg Catechism
105Q. What is God’s will for you in the sixth commandment?
A. I am not to belittle, hate, insult, or kill my neighbor— not by my thoughts, my words, my look or gesture, and certainly not by actual deeds—and I am not to be party to this in others; rather, I am to put away all desire for revenge. I am not to harm or recklessly endanger myself either. Prevention of murder is also why government is armed with the sword.
Deuteronomy 5:17 “You shall not murder.”
In the sixth commandment, we have an absolute prohibition on killing another human being. As we read in the Book of Leviticus, the punishment for killing someone is death. Leviticus 24:17 “Anyone who takes the life of a human being is to be put to death”.
Why does the Bible put such a high value on human life? What is it about human life that requires the forfeit of life if you take another? As we read in the Book of Genesis, the reason for this is that human life was created by God and created in the image of God. Genesis 9:6 “Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind”.
The only exceptions in scripture are when it is God’s will that someone dies and we are commanded to carry it out. This would happen in self-defense when we protect ourselves and families from death. This would also happen in war when a nation defends itself.
The rule for self-defense is that you may protect yourself and family from an intruder in your home by killing him. But you may only use lethal force at night when the burglar is trying to hide himself and your cries for help may go unheard. So the principle is that you may defend yourself and family but only if this is your sole option. Now, let’s look at killing in war.
The Bible is very clear that sometimes war is necessary. Killing in war is justified but only if God says so. We must first discern what God’s will is. The principle here is that we must always prayerfully ask God if war is necessary. Only if God responds positively are we justified in killing in warfare. Let’s pray.
Father in heaven, we thank you for creating us in your image. We thank you for the blessing of life. We will follow Jesus and find practical ways of controlling our anger. Bless our nation with fewer violent deaths. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment