The Sixth Word: Killing Your Neighbor

Exodus 20, verses 1 to 13.

Exodus 20:1–13

If you would stand with me as I read God's word.

And God spoke all these words, saying,

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt,

out of the house of slavery.

You shall have no other gods before me.

You shall not make for yourself a carved image,

or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above,

or that is in the earth beneath,

or that is in the water under the earth.

You shall not bow down to them or serve them,

for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,

visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children

to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,

but showing steadfast love to thousands of those

who love me and keep my commandments.

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain,

for the Lord will not hold him guiltless,

who takes his name in vain.

Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.

Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.

On it you shall not do any work,

you or your son or your daughter,

your male servant or your female servant,

or your livestock,

or the sojourner who is within your gates.

For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth,

the sea and all that is in them,

and rested on the seventh day.

Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day

and made it holy.

Honor your father and your mother

that your days may be long in the land

that the Lord your God is giving you.

You shall not murder.

This is God's holy and authoritative word.

You may be seated.

The sixth word of the Decalogue,

you shall not murder,

is a commandment that most people think

that they have kept.

But as we examine the scope of the command

and the spirit of the command

and the fulfillment of the command,

I think we will be surprised by its relevance

in so many aspects of our lives.

And the main point that I want to drive home

is this,

that we must uphold the sanctity of human life.

And believe in Jesus who laid down his life for us.

So let's first look at the scope of the command.

It says,

You shall not murder.

This command is literally two words

in the original Hebrew,

but it's difficult to translate.

The King James Version famously translates it,

Thou shalt not kill.

The reason why this verse is difficult to translate

is because the word kill is too broad

and the word murder is too narrow

to convey the full range of the meaning of this command.

On the one hand,

the word kill is too broad.

We use the word kill generally

to refer to all kinds of killing.

But the word used here is not one of those words.

There are two other Hebrew words for kill

that occur 360 times.

But this particular word used in verse 13

occurs only 46 times.

Majority of which occurs in the context of instructions

about the cities of refuge in Numbers 35,

Deuteronomy 19,

and Joshua 20 to 21.

We use the word kill

for all kinds of killing,

even the killing of animals.

But this particular Hebrew word

is never used with animals as the object.

It only ever refers to killing another human.

It refers specifically to homicide.

Not only that,

sometimes people understand

thou shalt not kill so broadly

that they think that it forbids killing in every context.

For example,

even the killing in war

and executions by the state.

But this particular Hebrew word

is never used in such contexts.

The Bible uses a different word

for kill in the context of war.

And since there are wars

that are commanded by the Lord himself

in the Old Testament,

clearly not all such killing is unlawful.

We can see the clear distinction

between justified killing in times of war

versus times of peace

in 1 Kings 2, 5 to 6,

where David gives on his deathbed

instructions to his son Samuel,

who has succeeded him as king.

He says,

Moreover,

you also know what Joab,

the son of Zeruiah,

did to me,

how he dealt with the two commanders

of the armies of Israel,

Abner,

the son of Ner,

and Amasa,

the son of Jether,

whom he killed,

avenging in time of peace

for blood that had been shed in war

and putting the blood of war

on the belt around his waist

and on the sandals on his feet.

Act, therefore,

according to your wisdom,

but do not let his gray head

go down to Sheol in peace.

So David wants Solomon

to punish Joab,

the commander of David's army,

not for killing in times of war,

but for avenging in times of peace

for blood that had been shed in war.

So during the Battle of Gibeon

between followers of Saul's son,

Ish-bosheth,

and followers of David,

Abner had killed Joab's brother,

Asahel.

But after David had made peace

with Abner,

Joab avenged his brother

by killing unsuspecting Abner.

Likewise,

during Absalom's rebellion,

Joab was the general of David's army

and he had fought against Amasa,

who was the general of Absalom's army.

But after David quelled rebellion,

he reconciled with Amasa

and actually appointed him

head of his own army

in favor of,

I mean,

bypassing Joab

because Joab had previously defied his order

to spare his son Absalom.

But in that instance also,

Joab killed Amasa

in times of peace.

So both of these times,

Joab killed men

that he had fought against

in times of war,

but he did it in times of peace

and therefore it was out of place

and evil.

So Joab is condemned

for doing that.

But he's never condemned

for the killing he did

in times of war

when you have to fight for your life

and for the lives of your loved ones.

On a related note,

some people argue

that the sixth command

demands the abolition

of the death penalty.

But scripture explicitly prescribes

the capital punishment

in numerous places,

including for murder itself.

The principle from Genesis 9,

5 to 6,

specifically requires

capital punishment for murder.

It says,

and for your lifeblood,

I will require a reckoning.

From every beast,

I will require it

and from man.

From his fellow man,

I will require a reckoning

for the life of man.

Whoever sheds the blood of man,

by man shall his blood be shed.

For God made man

in his own image.

Capital punishment

is required

precisely because

murder is such a heinous crime.

Murder is wicked

for two primary reasons.

First,

and most obvious,

is that it is a violation

of the love of neighbor.

Genesis 9, 5 says,

from his fellow man,

I will require a reckoning

for the life of man.

The word translated fellow here

is the same word for brother.

So it's specifically highlighting

the heinousness of homicide

for a man to kill his fellow man,

his brother in the human race.

In this sense,

homicide,

the killing of man,

is always fratricide,

the killing of one's brother.

The second and most important reason

why murder is such a heinous crime

is given in Genesis 9, 6.

For God made man

in his own image.

Every human being,

man or woman,

rich or poor,

powerful or powerless,

strong or weak,

beautiful or ugly,

old or young,

healthy or sick,

king or peasant,

high IQ or low IQ,

black or white,

is created in God's own image.

And that's what gives human beings

inestimable value.

Why is a baseball

that's signed by

Yankees slugger Aaron Judge

worth thousands of dollars?

It's made the same way

as any other ordinary baseball

that you can buy for a few dollars.

But the difference is that

it has the baseball star's signature on it.

Similarly,

when you find a painting

of Leonardo da Vinci,

it doesn't matter how wrinkled

or faded or ripped it is,

people will pay millions of dollars

for that painting

because it's an original da Vinci.

It has his imprint on it.

It was created by the master artist's own hands.

Every single human being

has God's signature on him.

Every single human being

was created by God

as the pinnacle,

the crowning jewel of his creation.

So to deface or demean a human being,

to murder a human being,

is an affront to God himself.

This is why God commands

capital punishment for murder.

So it is not true

that the sixth commandment

calls for the repeal

of the death penalty.

This is why the translation

thou shalt not kill

is too broad.

The sixth commandment

does not forbid

all types of killing.

While the Bible teaches

the sanctity of life,

it does not teach

the absolute sanctity of life.

Life in and of itself

is not the highest good.

God's justice,

God's righteousness,

for example,

are higher values.

That's why Romans 13.4

teaches us

that the governing authorities

bear the sword

in order to punish bad behavior.

But on the other hand,

if we translate the verse

as murder,

you shall not murder

as the English Standard Version does,

that's too narrow.

Murder in our language

implies intent.

It is the unlawful killing

of a human being

with malice.

First degree murder

is premeditated,

planned killing.

Second degree murder

is intentional

but unplanned killing,

like in the heat of anger,

for example.

When someone kills

another person

with neither plan

nor intention,

we call it manslaughter,

not murder,

at least in most states.

But the Hebrew word

translated murder

in verse 13

includes both murder

and manslaughter.

For example,

Numbers 35

authorizes the avenger of blood

to kill a murderer.

The word avenger

is the same word

that is sometimes translated

redeemer

or kinsman redeemer.

It refers to

the nearest male relative

of the affected person.

In an event

that a person is murdered,

his nearest relative,

his redeemer

or his avenger,

was legally responsible

for avenging

his family member.

But this only applied

to cases of murder,

to intentional killing.

If someone unintentionally,

accidentally killed someone,

he was permitted

to flee into

one of the six

designated cities

of refuge,

where he would have

immunity

and be protected

from the avenger of blood.

Killing a person

created in the image

of God

was such a grave issue

that even if it

happened accidentally,

the avenger of blood

was activated.

And if the manslayer

refused to take shelter

in a city of refuge,

and if he ever left

the city of refuge

prematurely

before his allotted time

was up,

the avenger of blood

could kill him

with impunity.

But the accidental

manslayer

would be protected

from the avenger

within a city of refuge.

In this way,

the Bible clearly

distinguishes

the punishment

for murder

and manslaughter.

But interestingly,

in Numbers 35,

Numbers 35:25

verse 25,

it refers to both

the one who commits

murder

and the one

who commits

manslaughter

as manslayers,

which is the noun form

of the verb

that's used here

in verse 13.

You shall not murder.

This is why

translating it as

murder is too narrow.

The sixth commandment

is not restricted

to intentional killing,

but extends to

unintentional killing

as well.

We should take care

to avoid the taking

of an innocent life,

even accidentally.

Having defined

the command then,

let's look at

its many applications

in our lives.

Obviously,

the command forbids

murder,

but since it also

forbids manslaughter,

we must give

utmost thought

and care

in activities

that can threaten

another person's life.

It means

we should avoid

reckless,

distracted,

or drunk

driving

because it selfishly

endangers

the lives of others.

Vehicular homicide

is the most common

type of

involuntary

manslaughter.

It means

we should not

start

campfires

in the middle

of a drought season

in areas

with risk

of wildfires.

It means

we need to

take extreme

care while

hunting for sport

to not shoot

at the slightest

sign of movement

without confirming

what it actually

is that you're

shooting.

I think

this commandment

is a general

warning against

a gun-loving,

trigger-happy

culture.

It forbids

duels,

Alexander Hamilton

and Aaron Burstile.

And it forbids

starting brawls

and riots

that endangers

the lives of others

like the riot

after the Indonesian

soccer match

that left

174 people

dead

due to a stampede

yesterday.

I think

the sixth

commandment

also forbids

abortion.

I'm not

talking about

dilation

and

curatage,

the DNC

procedure

after a woman's

miscarriage,

of course,

they need that

treatment.

I'm talking about

aborting a baby

that's alive

in the womb.

I want you

to know

that I'm not

trying to

take political

sides.

I would

oppose

abortion

on biblical

grounds,

whether it's

Democrats

or Republicans

promoting it.

In fact,

when it comes

to politics,

I'm cynical

enough to

believe that

most politicians

say and do

whatever it

takes to win

elections,

and that if

the pro-life

advocates were

not as

numerous

and influential,

that most

Republicans

would have

abandoned

opposing

abortion

long

time

ago.

According to

the Center

for Disease

Control,

in 2020,

the leading

cause of

death was

heart disease,

which claimed

696,962

lives.

The second

was cancer,

which claimed

602,350

lives.

According to

the Gutmacher

Institute,

in 2020,

the same

year,

there were

930,160

abortions in

the United

States.

more than

both of

those two

leading causes

of death

in the

country.

There were

more abortions

in 2020

than there

were people

who died

from COVID,

accidents,

and strokes

combined.

people

in the

child.

It

repeatedly

says that

God

forms and

fashions the

baby in the

womb and

relates to

them personally.

And if

God relates

to the

babies in

the womb

as persons,

then we

have no

right to

kill them.

Galatians 5,

19-20 lists

sorcery as

a sin.

That's not

just referring

to witchery or

black magic.

In the

ancient world,

sorcery referred

to the use of

potions and

poisons and

drugs.

And people

frequently turned

to sorcerers to

terminate unwanted

pregnancies.

sonarists of

Ephesus,

2nd century

AD Greek

gynecologists

used this

very term,

sorcery,

to refer to

drugs that

induce abortion.

That's listed

in Galatians 5,

19-20 as a

sin.

Moreover,

it is

theologically

significant that

Jesus'

incarnation did

not begin when

he was born

of the Virgin

Mary,

but when he

was conceived

by the Holy

Spirit.

Even though

Jesus could

have been

incarnated as

a grown man

or even as

a baby and

skipped his

time in the

womb,

God in his

wisdom sent

his son into

Mary's womb.

In this way,

Jesus embraced

the whole of

human existence

from conception

to death,

from womb

to tomb.

Hebrews 2,

14-17 says

that in order

to save us,

Jesus had to

be made like

us in every

respect,

taking on

flesh and

blood.

And becoming

like us

for Jesus,

becoming human

involved

conception,

first trimester,

second trimester,

and third

trimester.

Let me bring

up one more

passage which I

will address in

greater detail

in two months.

Exodus 21,

20-24 specifically

says this,

when men

strive together

and hit a

pregnant woman

so that her

children come

out,

but there is

no harm,

the one who

hit her shall

surely be fined

as the woman's

husband shall

impose on him,

and he shall

pay as the

judges determine.

But if there

is harm,

then you shall

pay life

for life,

eye for eye,

tooth for tooth,

hand for hand,

foot for foot,

burn for burn,

wound for wound,

stripe for stripe.

A pregnant

woman is

specifically

mentioned in

this case law

because it is

concerned with

what happens

to the

prematurely born

baby as well

as to the

woman,

to the mother.

If men

strike a

pregnant woman

so that her

baby comes

up prematurely

and there is

harm,

then they

have to

pay life

for life.

There's a

similar law

even in our

country,

the Unborn

Victims of

Violence Act

of 2004.

It states

that whoever

engages in

violent conduct

and thereby

causes the

death of

or bodily

injury to

a child

who is in

utero at

the time

the conduct

takes place

is guilty

of a separate

offense under

this section.

It says

later on,

the punishment

for that

separate

offense is

the same

as the

punishment

provided under

federal law

for that

conduct had

that injury

or death

occurred to

the unborn

child's

mother.

This

federal

criminal law

does not

apply to

crimes

prosecuted by

the individual

U.S.

states,

but still

38 states,

including

Massachusetts,

have

fetal

homicide

laws.

So even

our laws

acknowledge

the fact

that when

a violent

offender

hurts a

baby in

the womb

that he

should be

punished

as if

the baby

were a

human being

because that

baby is

entitled to

protection

every bit

as much

as the

mother.

Sadly,

however,

the right

of that

baby in

the womb

is entirely

taken away

when it

comes to

abortion.

So then,

when the

woman wants

the baby,

killing the

baby is

criminal.

But when

the mother

does not

want the

baby,

killing the

baby is

totally

legal.

How is

that right?

The baby

is either

a person

or not.

And if

the baby

is a

person,

killing him

or her

is a

violation

of the

sixth

commandment

regardless

of the

woman's

wish.

according to

the

encyclopedia

of the

National

Library of

Medicine,

at

conception,

the

fertilized

egg

already

contains

all of

the

unique

genetic

material

of

that

baby.

And

three to

four weeks

after

conception,

the baby

already

has at

least the

beginnings

of arms

and legs,

eyes and

ears,

brain,

and a

beating

heart.

But even

before all

of this,

the biblical

perspective,

it's not a

person's

capacity for

self-consciousness,

reason,

independence,

speech,

or moral

choice that

makes him

or her

a human.

It's the

fact that

he or she

is created

by God

himself in

his own

image that

makes a

person.

But the

personhood of

the baby is

not even the

crux of the

abortion debate.

The linchpin

argument of

abortion proponents

is not that

the baby in

the womb is

not a

person,

but that

the woman

has the

right to

privacy,

that she

has the

right to

be led

alone.

An

influential

paper

presented by

Judith Jarvis

Thompson in

1971

entitled

A Defense

of Abortion

claims that

abortion is

morally

permissible

even if

the fetus

is a

person

has the

right to

life.

Because the

woman has

the right to

control her

own body.

In a 2008

Salon.com

article,

American

feminist

academic

Camille

Paglia

puts it

even more

bluntly.

Quote,

let's take

the issue

of abortion

rights of

which I'm

a firm

supporter.

As an

atheist and

libertarian,

I believe

that government

must stay

completely out

of the

sphere of

personal

choice.

Every

individual

has an

absolute

right to

control

his or

her

body.

And

later on

in that

same

article she

says this,

hence I

have always

frankly

admitted that

abortion is

murder.

The

extermination

of the

powerless

by the

powerful.

Liberals

for the

most part

have shrunk

from facing

the ethical

consequences

of their

embrace of

abortion.

Which

results in

the

annihilation

of concrete

individuals

and not

just clumps

of insensate

tissue.

The state

in my view

has no

authority

whatever to

intervene in

the biological

processes of

any woman's

body.

I

appreciate

her

honesty

even

though I

think

what she's

saying is

monstrous.

In other

words,

in her

words,

abortion

is

murder

but it's

still

okay

because

the

woman's

right to

control

her own

body

trumps

the

baby's

right to

life.

But we

find such

a right

to bodily

autonomy

nowhere in

scripture.

scripture.

1 Corinthians

6 19-20

says,

Do you

not know

that your

body is a

temple of

the Holy

Spirit within

you whom

you have

from God?

You are

not your

own for

you were

bought with

a price.

So glorify

God in

your body.

Our

bodies

belong to

God.

It's not

ours to do

with whatever

we wish.

it's not

rich.

Sure it

might be

legal to

tattoo racial

slurs all

over your

body since

it's your

body and

you can do

whatever you

want with

it.

But that's

still wicked.

That's still

wrong.

And you

have to

give an

account to

God for

it.

During the

COVID-19

pandemic,

many people

were upset

about

anti-vaxxers

because

decision not

to inject

vaccines into

their own

bodies was

negatively

affecting other

people.

But abortion

even more

directly and

fatally

affects someone

else.

As far as

I'm aware,

every single

church father

condemned

abortion as

morally

reprehensible.

Long before

Roe v.

Wade and

long before

Dobbs v.

Jackson

Women's

Health

Organization,

long before

the United

States Supreme

Court,

long before

our country

even existed,

in every

generation,

churches have

steadfastly

opposed

abortion and

the exposure

of infants

and murder

because of

the sixth

commandment

until the

20th century.

earthen.

I think the

sixth commandment

also forbids

suicide.

The Bible

nowhere gives

us the right

to end our

own lives.

The sixth

commandment

has no

personal object.

It doesn't

say you shall

not murder

your neighbor.

It says you

shall not

murder,

period.

And I think

that includes

killing yourself.

We are man,

not God.

Creatures,

not the

creator.

And it's not

our prerogative

to destroy

the image

bearers of

God,

even when it

comes to

ourselves.

There are

several people

in Scripture

who commit

suicide.

Saul and

his armor

bearer,

Ahithophel,

Israelite king

Zimri,

and Judas

Iscariot,

the betrayer

of our Lord.

While Scripture

makes no

comment on

their suicide,

none of

these men

are exemplary

characters in

Scripture.

In contrast,

godly characters

who are set

forth as

examples for

us to

follow,

do at

times despair

of life.

They do get

depressed,

they do get

discouraged,

and sometimes

they despair

of life,

but they

never take

their own

lives.

Job,

in Job 3,

curses the

day of his

birth and

longs for

death,

and yet he

does not

take his

life into

his own

hands and

expresses his

trust in

God.

In Job 19,

saying,

for I know

that my

redeemer lives,

and at the

last he will

stand upon

the earth,

and after my

skin has been

thus destroyed,

yet in my

flesh I shall

see God.

In 1 Kings 19,

when his hope

of revival in

Israel is

dashed to

pieces,

and when wicked

queen Jezebel

is seeking to

kill him,

prophet Elijah

is so discouraged

that he longs

for death,

but even then

he does not

kill himself,

instead he

asks God

that he might

die,

saying,

it is enough

now,

oh Lord,

take away my

life,

for I am no

better than my

fathers.

In 2 Corinthians

1, 8-9,

Paul writes

that he and

Timothy were

so utterly

burdened beyond

their strength

due to their

affliction that

they experienced

in Asia,

that they

despaired of

life itself.

They felt that

they had received

a sentence of

death,

death,

but their

response was

not to

contemplate

suicide,

instead they

chose to

rely not

on themselves

but on

God who

raises the

dead.

Even when

we are faced

with such

a dire

situation,

that death

seems preferable,

we should not

choose death

because we

have a God

who raises

the dead.

Even in the

most hopeless

situations,

we can't have

hope in a

God who

raises the

dead.

So instead

of taking

our lives

into our

own hands,

we should

say with

the psalmist

of Psalm

31,

15,

my times

are in

your hand,

God.

Not in our

hands,

in God's

hand.

I believe

the same

principle applies

to euthanasia

and physician

assisted suicide.

But before I

say anything

else, I want

to clarify that

there is a

difference between

stopping treatment

and taking

life.

when it's

certain that

treatments offer

no relief or

cure, there is

a place for the

patient and her

family to decide

to stop going

through treatment.

Letting someone

die when you

have no real

recourse is not

the same as

killing someone.

And euthanasia

and physician

assisted suicide

fall in the

latter category.

Shortly after

the Netherlands

became the

first democratic

country in the

world to

legalize euthanasia

and physician

assisted suicide

in 2001,

the Wall Street

Journal published

an article noting

the tragic irony

of that development

in the Netherlands.

It notes that

during World War

II, doctors in

every other Nazi

occupied nation

complied with the

Nazis to perform

euthanasia.

But the Dutch

doctors never

performed a

single act of

euthanasia,

according to the

1949 New England

Journal of Medicine

article.

Dutch doctors

even disobeyed

Nazi orders to

withhold treatment

from the old and

those with little

chance of recovery.

But the essayist

Malcolm Muggeridge

has noted it only

took one generation

to transform a war

crime into an act

of compassion.

Nowadays,

proponents of

euthanasia frame it

as the right to

die with dignity.

They say that it's

about personal choice,

but that's naive.

Imagine that

physician-assisted

suicide was readily

available in our

society and viewed

as a normal option.

And imagine

yourself in the

shoes of the

sick, the

terminally ill,

the disabled,

and the elderly.

when you feel

that you are a

burden on your

loved ones

and a financial

drain on our

society,

when insurance

companies increasingly

prefer to cover

cheap,

death-inducing

drugs over the

more costly

life-saving

treatments,

when society

views you as a

nuisance and you

feel selfish for

insisting to

continue living

despite your

decreasing quality

of life.

Do you really

think that you

will not feel

pressure to choose

death?

In 2019,

a Dutch doctor

was sued for

performing euthanasia

on a patient

against her

will.

The patient

was 74 years

old and she

had previously

asked the doctors

in writing to

end her life

should she be

admitted to the

nursing home in

the future.

A few years

later, by the

time she did

enter the nursing

home, she had

a change of

mind.

But the doctor

at the nursing

home consulted

with the

patient's

family and

decided to

administer lethal

injection to

the patient

anyway,

concluding that

she was

mentally

incapacitated

due to

dementia.

So this

doctor killed

the elderly

woman in

spite of her

active protesting

based on her

written consent

from years ago.

shockingly, the

doctor was

acquitted.

This is not

an isolated

incident.

The paper

entitled First

Do No Harm

written by

Raphael Cohen

Almagor and

published in the

Journal of

Medical Ethics

observes that

in Belgium,

another country

where euthanasia

has been legal

for a long

time, there

are over

1,000 cases

per year

where patients

are euthanized

without their

explicit consent.

Based solely

on the

doctor's

assessment of

that patient's

quality of

life and

whether it

is worth

saving or

not.

It's a

slippery slope.

Soon after

legalizing euthanasia

in 2001,

Netherlands

legalized euthanasia

for children

age 12 and

older.

And soon

thereafter, it

approved it for

infants less than

one year of age.

It was not

enough to let

parents abort

children with

birth defects

while still

inside the

womb.

Now they can

kill the

child after

he's born.

Just because

the child has

a birth defect.

Who are we

to decide

whether that

child's life

is worth

living or not?

child?

How do we

know what

plans God

might have

for that

child?

Ryan Chase

is one of my

friends who's

also a pastor

within our

denomination.

He serves

Emmaus Road

Church in

Sioux Falls,

South Dakota.

He and his

wife, Barbara,

have four

children and

one of their

children is a

nine-year-old

boy named

Caleb who

suffers from

myopathy and

arthrogryposis.

which means he

can't move his

muscles and his

joints are tight

and crooked.

He uses a

ventilator to

breathe and a

feeding tube to

eat from.

He is

wheelchair bound

and he uses a

computer that

helps him to

talk by using

his eyes to

look at the

words and the

pictures that

are on the

screen in

sequence.

When Caleb

professed faith

in Jesus and

his church was

making a

testimony video for

him prior to

his baptism,

him, Ryan

asked Caleb,

Caleb, what

has your life

been like?

And Ryan, when

he asked this

question, was

apprehensive because

he didn't know

what the boy

would say.

He could have

said, my life

has been hard.

He could have

said, my life

has not been

worth living.

But no, Caleb

said, my life

has been great.

Great.

who are we to

decide whether

someone's life is

worth living or

not?

who are we to

say that

suffering has

no purpose?

No human

life may be

taken without

divine approval.

And anyone who

arrogates the

right for himself

is presuming to

play God.

notice how all

of these

different ways of

breaking the

sixth commandment,

abortion, suicide,

euthanasia, are

all about my

choice, my

body, my

life.

But where is

the humility?

Where is the

surrender to the

will of God?

Where is not my

will but yours

be done?

We have a

Lord, we serve

the Lord Jesus

who laid down

his life for us

and we're going

to tell him, my

life, my

choice, my

body.

I have another

pastor friend,

Tim Shorey,

who is languishing

with incurable

cancer right now.

He journals on

his CaringBridge

website every

day and he

wrote in one of

his posts that

his favorite song

this season is

whatever my God

ordains is right.

It goes like

this, whatever my

God ordains is

right.

Though now this

cup in drinking

may bitter seem

to my faint

heart, I take

it all

unshrinking.

My God is

true each

morn anew.

Sweet comfort

yet shall fill

my heart and

pain and sorrow

shall depart.

Whatever my God

ordains is right.

Here shall my

stand be taken.

Though sorrow,

need, or death

be mine, yet am I

not forsaken.

My Father's care

is round me

there.

He holds me that

I shall not

fall and so to

him I leave it

all.

It's beautiful.

Maybe Christians

have a worldly

perspective on all

of these issues

because they've

lost sight of the

eternal weight of

glory beyond all

comparison that

awaits them.

And instead,

they've fixed their

eyes on the light

and momentary

affliction here

on earth.

I wonder how

many people have

chosen euthanasia

or physician

assisted suicide to

be spared what is

comparably a light

and momentary

affliction here,

only to be cast

into damnation

and eternal death.

having addressed the

scope of the

command, let's now

look at the spirit

of the command,

and don't worry,

the last two points

of mine are not as

long as the first

point.

In the Sermon on the

Mount, in Matthew

5, 21 to 24,

Jesus teaches us the

spirit of the sixth

commandment.

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