REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

Today we’re up to the Sixth Commandment, which is the start of a series of super-short, practical commands about relating to others:

“You shall not murder.” (Exodus 20:13)

If there’s one commandment that seems easy to say, “I’m fine,” this is it! Unless you’ve actually murdered someone, that is. And if you have murdered someone, and you have put your trust in Jesus, then I have good news for you: God has completely washed you clean! He has delivered you from the guilt of your murder and devoted you wholly to himself.

Well, that took a dark turn quickly, didn’t it? If you haven’t murdered anyone, did that feel intense? Because according to Jesus, that’s how intense the situation is with your sin and mine as well. Listen to where Jesus takes this commandment:

21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. (Matthew 5:21-22)

Jesus is talking here about human anger against a fellow human being, which is very different to God’s wrath against sin. God’s wrath is his perfect response, as Judge of the world, to evil. Human anger is like a fire, an irrational response that erupts in us – a desire to lash out, to take revenge, an impulse to harm without regard for whether it would glorify God.

For sinners like you and me, anger is murder without the final step.

Now it’s true that there is such a thing as “righteous anger.” However, we need to be very wary of our own anger, even when it’s right. Our motives are almost always a complex mix, and we never have all the facts to judge perfectly – which is why the Bible says we should always leave vengeance in God’s hands (Romans 12:19).

It’s also true that in one sense, murder is far more evil than anger alone, because the consequences for the victim are catastrophic. But in another sense, anger is just as bad, because without Christ, anger and murder will both leave you in exactly the same position on the day of judgment – guilty and condemned forever. Before God’s judgment throne, it’s the thought that counts.

That’s why that earlier paragraph – about how God forgives and sanctifies even murderers – was for you as well. Part of growing in holiness is discovering just how deeply evil our sins are – even those that are “only” in our thoughts and desires. Our sin is a hellish corruption of all that is good, a murder-level offence against God’s holiness.

When we grow in appreciating the evil of our sin, we also grow in thankful wonder at the cross of Jesus. It doesn’t matter how deep you plunge into the madness and evil of sin, when you come up again, you discover: Jesus died for that too.

God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

But the Bible’s negative commandments also open the door to a world of positive possibilities for living in devotion to God. In fact, you can summarise the positive version of all the negative commands in a single word: love. Paul says:

8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:8-10)

We’ll keep thinking about what love looks like next week. For today, think about the things and people that make you angry. Do you struggle to let go of your anger and replace it with love? One of my former Bible teachers once shared his own struggles with anger, and gave us some of the best advice I’ve heard. He said: Whenever I am struggling to let go of my anger against someone, especially when I think I’m in the right, I remember that at the cross of Jesus, God let go of all his righteous anger against me. So how can I hold onto my anger against someone else?

Bring your own anger to God in prayer, and ask him to fill you with his love in Jesus.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our senior minister.