Question 118:
What is the sixth Commandment?
Answer:
Thou shalt do no Murder.
Question 119:
What is God's will for you in the sixth commandment?
Answer:
I am not to belittle, insult, hate, 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; (a)
rather, I am to put away all desire for revenge. (b) I am not to
harm or recklessly endanger myself either. (c) Prevention of
murder is also why government is armed with the sword. (d)
(a) Gen. 9:6; Lev. 19:17-18; Matt. 5:21-22; 26:52
(b) Prov. 25:21-22; Matt. 18:35; Rom. 12:19; Eph. 4:26
(c) Matt. 4:7; 26:52; Rom. 13:11-14
(d) Gen. 9:6; Ex. 21:14; Rom. 13:4 Question 120:
Does this commandment refer only to killing?
Answer:
By forbidding murder God teaches us that he hates the root of
murder: envy, hatred, anger, vindictiveness. (a) In God's sight
all such are murder. (b)
(a) Prov. 14:30; Rom. 1:29; 12:19; Gal. 5:19-21;
1 John 2:9-11
(b) 1 John 3:15
Question 121:
Is it enough then that we do not kill our neighbor in any such
way?
Answer:
No. By condemning envy, hatred, and anger God tells us to love
our neighbors as ourselves, (a) to be patient, peace-loving,
gentle, merciful, and friendly to them, (b) to protect them from
harm as much as we can, and to do good even to our enemies.(c)
(a) Matt. 7:12; 22:39; Rom. 12:10
(b) Matt. 5:3-12; Luke 6:36; Rom. 12:10, 18; Gal. 6:1-2;
Eph. 4:2; Col. 3:12; 1 Pet. 3:8
(c) Ex. 23:4-5; Matt. 5:44-45; Rom. 12:20-21
(Prov. 25:21-22) |
