What Part of “Thou Shalt Not Kill” Do We Not Understand?

Let me start by making a statement that shouldn’t be controversial (but, sadly, is):

Life is precious and murder is wrong.

It’s both astonishing and depressing that many people today will either outright deny that murder is wrong or they will try to make excuses for it. What’s deeply distressing is that people of faith — including some who profess to be Christian — are among them.

So, let’s get back to basics, shall we?

Let’s go to the very first chapter of the Bible and let’s zero in on this verse:

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
Genesis 1:27, KJV

All human beings are made in the image of God. Thus, all human beings are valuable and important to God. We, therefore, should see ourselves and all other human beings as possessing intrinsic, unassailable, divinely ordained worth.

There are NO exceptions to this.

I don’t care if we’re talking about someone you don’t like or even can’t stand to be around. That person is made in God’s image. That person has worth. Period. I don’t care if we’re talking about someone who has views or beliefs that you find appalling and reprehensible. That person is made in the image of God. That person has intrinsic value and worth. Period.

Please note that I’m not saying all beliefs and practices are valid. Not at all! Some beliefs are wrong. Some practices or deeds are wrong. But people… PEOPLE… have intrinsic worth!

That means the following people are made in the image of God and are valuable in God’s eyes (and should be valuable in yours):

Men
Women
Children
Babies
Christians
Atheists
Agnostics
Jews
Muslims
Buddhists
Republicans
Democrats
Liberals
Conservatives
Racists
Criminals
Poor people
Rich people
Americans (North, South, and Central)
Europeans
Africans
Asians
Arabs
Israelis
Palestinians
Law enforcement personnel
Military personnel
Veterans
Protesters
Socialists
Communists
Capitalists
Adulterers
Gays
Lesbians
Transgender people
Oppressors
Oppressed
Privileged
Underprivileged
and on and on and on

Doesn’t matter what a person’s color is or where that person is from. Doesn’t matter what language that person speaks or how that person votes. None of that matters when it comes to that person’s intrinsic, God-given value.

Got it?

Good! Let’s then look at the Sixth Commandment:

“Thou shalt not kill”
Exodus 20:13, KJV

The classic King James rendering of the Sixth Commandment is what I (and many others, at least those of us over 50 and in the English-speaking world) grew up on. And the classic KJV remains my favorite English translation. (I also trust the manuscripts it was based on and its translation process — but that’s for another article).

Much discussion has turned on whether “kill” is the best rendering of the Hebrew word “רָצַח” (ratsach). The mainstream scholarship view today is that the Sixth Commandment has “murder” in mind. This is why most modern English translations of the Bible render this commandment as “Do not murder.”

However, before we set aside the classic KJV, let’s keep in mind that the Geneva Bible (1560) and the Bishop’s Bible (1568) both translate Exodus 20:13 the same as the KJV: “Thou shalt not kill.” Same with the Douay-Rheims Bible (1582). The Wycliffe Bible (1382) translates it as “Thou schalt not sle” — “sle” being an old form of “slay.”

It’s understandable that “Do not murder” is more straightforward and perhaps more understandable for modern English readers.

Nevertheless…

When we discard the classic translation of “Thou shalt not kill,” we lose something. And that is the focus on the first word of that commandment, which is…

“Thou” or (modern English) “You”

This is extremely important. It means that YOU do not have the right to decide when another human being lives or dies. YOU don’t have the right to decide unilaterally that taking another person’s life is justifiable.

Yes, there are indications in Scripture that killing in self-defense is permissible. See Exodus 22:2-3, Nehemiah 4:13-14, and Luke 22:36. There is also Proverbs 24:11-12 which encourages action to save those in danger. But…

When you balance these verses against the two we just looked at (not to mention the rest of the Bible – including the fact that Jesus loved us so much He laid His life down for us), you can’t help but come away with the idea that taking a life is always tragic and should never be done if it can be avoided.

When I read the Bible, I see only two entities given the authority of life and death over people. The first is God. And the second is government. The first entity has the absolute power of life and death over His creation. God made us. God gave us life. God can take it away. That is absolute.

Yet even so, in spite of the divine judgment we often see in the Bible, God is far from the merciless killer that Bible critics make him out to be. Consider these words from the Lord through His prophet Ezekiel:

Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?
Ezekiel 18:23, KJV

God is a God of judgment. He has to be or His other attributes would make no sense. But God loves the world (see John 3:16). He would rather people turn from their sin — and towards Him (see II Chronicles 7:14, John 3:16-21, II Peter 3:9).

And, in spite of all the judgment we see from God in the Bible, I remain convinced that God is far more gracious and merciful than people.

The second entity with the authority to kill is the institution of government (see Romans 13:1-7), but this authority is limited. Civil rulers bear the “sword” to “execute wrath upon him that doeth evil” (see Romans 13:4, KJV). Governments are not ethically permitted to take life for any other reason than that.

Of course, in the course of human history, civil rulers have oppressed and terrorized many people — including quite often their own people. 🙁 This is evidence of human depravity and our need for God. But make no mistake… When governments kill for reasons outside of Romans 13:4, it is murder in God’s eyes. And there will be a reckoning. God will judge all sins and right all wrongs in the end.

Good and decent Christians may disagree on when or how the government should use force. I’m grateful that I live in a society that allows for such debate. And I hope my fellow Christians living in the United States won’t take that for granted or throw that away.

Nevertheless…

Even when the government is justified in using “the sword” (an instrument of force) and thus takes life (either through its military or criminal justice system), it’s not a cause for celebration and happiness.

When a life is taken, a tragedy has taken place.

If I can put it in a pithy saying…

When blood is shed, tears should be shed.

When we reach a point where we react to killing with glee and/or welcome opportunities to take more lives, a moral cancer has taken root in our souls.

This is why Christians who love the Lord and who strive to love their neighbor should never celebrate war even though it may tragically be forced upon them.

It’s also why Christians should never defend terrorism or atrocities, including acts of revenge. As James tells us…

For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
James 1:20, KJV

We are, after all, told to seek peace (Psalm 34:14), not violence.

Christians should also stand for life in the womb. A Christian should never be pro-abortion. I can understand some people being concerned with the reach of an overly intrusive government. I get it. But if we can’t agree that the life of a baby — both outside and inside the womb — has intrinsic value before God, then God help us!

All Christians should be pro-life.

All Christians should be against murder.

All Christians should seek peace and pursue it.

If you don’t agree with those statements, then I have to wonder how seriously you take the love of God or respect His authority. When the simple, explicit command “Thou shalt not kill” is something God’s people can’t fully get behind, then do we deserve to be called His people?

If we can’t agree that life is sacred, then all I can do is hope for Jesus to come quickly, because there’s no hope for His church any longer down here.

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