"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." vs21-22

Anger is enough to send us to hell! God judges the heart, not merely the action. Therefore, if I’m a perpetually angry person, then I don’t know God.

I don’t have to physically murder someone. My anger and hatred - all unjustified by the redemption in Christ - are sufficient to damn me forever. I am self righteous, rather than forgiving. I look upon others, and say, “How could they,” rather than praying like Jesus and Stephen for God to show them mercy. This anger is the opposite of love, and, “You shall not murder,” is equivalent to, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 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.""

Let us be warned. This is God’s command, and if we don’t do it, then we sin. Thus, we all need a Mediator for our wicked hearts, and this Mediator is the Man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for sin, so that murdering hate mongers could be justified, given the Spirit, and enabled to love people.

Don’t say that you can’t control your anger: You can! You can be washed by the blood of Jesus, controlled by the Spirit, and you can love. It takes faith, patience, and prayer, but it can be done. It takes confession, but God will give the cleansing.

Secondly, God wants us to love people, rather than worship emptily! Matthew 5:23-24 - "So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."

He doesn’t want the dead religion of hating my neighbor, while I smile at Christ and weep over redemption. He doesn’t want us mistreating our neighbor, while singing praises to God. This is the vainest sort of hypocrisy; it is the religion of people who think that God is foolish, or blind. They do not regard his high character!

Let's admit to our brother that we’ve wronged him. Let’s care how we treat people. Let's correct ourselves in the cleansing pool of Jesus Christ before offering our worship. It is the grossest distortion of Christianity to sing, “Hallelujah,” while mistreating people made in God’s image. 1 John 4:20 — "If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen." We cannot love God whom we’ve never seen, if we don’t love the people around us. If Christ hasn’t made us upright, then Christ hasn’t saved us.

Take religion seriously. People have a right to observe our character, and when we act contrary to the gospel, Come to Christ and admit your wrong, so you can get strength to love your neighbor, then offer praise and thanksgiving. Songs of redemption are sweet, when we've been delivered from the bondage of sin. The flesh must give way to the Spirit. Praise comes from a heart that's cleansed.

Thirdly, if we don’t repent of mistreating our neighbor, then we’ll never obtain mercy. Matthew 5:25-26, "Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny."

There is no way around this, and God will accept no other ransom. He will deliver us unto love and good works, or he won’t deliver us at all. He offers no forgiveness that leaves us the same. He despises mistreating others in the name of religion. Let us be warned about our hatred.

Before I was converted, I thought racism was the number one sin in the world. Then, I saw that it was my sin. Now, I must deal with everyone as a redeemed sinner, rather than as someone justified to harbor anger and hatred towards others. God forbid that we justify ourselves to despise others.