Exodus 20:13 KJV “Thou shall not kill.”
In
light of the things that have happened in recent days, perhaps our
society could use a little clarity on this, the sixth commandment.
Firstly, this commandment isn’t the complete ban on ending life. The
Hebrew word that the King James translates “kill” is ratsach.
Its literal meaning is premeditated murder or manslaughter - in other
words, it’s the intentional murder of an innocent person. Actually,
every other english version carries the literal meaning of ratsach and translates it as “murder”.
You
see, we were created in the image of God - the crown of His creation.
We’re the only creatures that have a spirit attached to our soul and body. Every human being is a beautiful thing; and our life is precious.
It is so precious, that God demands justice for every innocent life that
is cut short wrongfully. What is the price that a murderer must pay?
Genesis 9:5-6 tells us: “Surely
for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every
beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of
every man’s brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man.” God was very clear, anyone who purposely cuts an innocent life short will have his own life cut short.
This
isn’t barbaric. This isn’t fighting murder with murder. This isn’t
“cruel and unusual.” This is justice. To end the life of a murderer is to
give value to the life that he took. It’s saying, “we value life so
much, that we’re going to demand in from the hand of anyone who steals
it from another.
I probably should clarify - this kind of justice doesn’t belong to the
individual. We as individuals have no right to take justice into our own
hands! This is what Paul said in Romans 13:4, “For he [the government and authorities] is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.”
When God set up earthly governments, He gave them the responsibility of
carrying out justice for any civil wrongdoing - including murder. He has
entrusted them with the protection of human life under their authority,
and He will demand an account one day!
But, what I want you to see is that
the sixth commandment becomes significant for a believer in another way.
Like all of the commandments, God is just as concerned with the heart as
He is with the action. This command is much deeper than a simple
prohibition on murder. Listen to what 1 John 3:14-16 says, “We
know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the
brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
Did you see that? God holds someone who has hatred for his brother equally as guilty as a murderer! Why? Because hatred is
murder - in the heart. We are called to love each other, to bear with
each other, and to continue in fellowship with each other. When we
continue in love for each other, John says we have passed from death to
life. So there is a very strong connection between love and life. This
same connection exists between the lack of love (hatred) and the lack of
life (death). When we step out of love for anyone, we’ve stepped out of
life. If we do this, if we begin to hate anyone, the penalty of murder
rests on our spirit - death. You see, when we have hatred or bitterness
in our heart toward a believing brother or sister, God sees their blood
on our hands!
If
only more churches realized this! If only this was common knowledge
among believers! We would be much more repentant, I’m sure! But instead,
we have Christians with murder in their hearts coming and waving their
bloody hands in God’s face while they worship! How can we still think
that God takes hatred and unforgiveness lightly? Isn’t it clear to us
that He views it the same as murdering an innocent life?
Believers
step out of love and into hatred for the same reason that most
murderers murder - anger. That person did something wrong, hurt us
somehow, and instead of pulling a gun and shooting them, we harbor
bitterness and unforgiveness in our heart. But in God’s eyes, there’s no
difference! Whether you think you have a right to hate them or not is
irrelevant. Whether you think they should be forgiven or not is
irrelevant! God gave us a very clear command - love them!
Let’s
take it one step further. We all know that God is a merciful and
forgiving God. His mercy covers all our sin, it’s everlasting, and it’s
new every morning! But did you know there is one condition to having
your sins forgiven? You can find it in several verses:
Matthew 6:12 “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”
Matthew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Matthew 18:35 “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”
Colossians 3:12-13 “Therefore,
as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness,
humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and
forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”
Do you realize that God will not
forgive your sin when you hold unforgiveness in your heart? Do you
realize that, as long as you’re holding that person guilty for the hurt
they caused, God holds you accountable for your sin? Don’t you
understand that loving and forgiving others are the conditions for
receiving any forgiveness from God?
James 2:13 “For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” I don’t know about you - but I need mercy! Because I need God’s mercy, I must show mercy to others.
Showing posts with label justice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label justice. Show all posts
Monday, July 23, 2012
Monday, April 30, 2012
Yahweh Tsidkenu
Jeremiah 23:6 “And this will be his name: ‘Yahweh Is Our Righteousness (Yahweh Tsidkenu).’ In that day Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety.”
God is Righteous. He is completely righteous, there could never be the slightest hint of wickedness in Him. That’s why He stands in direct opposition of sin - He hates it. God is so righteous that He sees the wicked thought in the same way He sees the wicked action. He will punish both of them in the same way.
David couldn’t help to declare God’s righteousness. In his mind, that’s who God is! Look at just a few of the things David wrote about God’s righteousness.
Psalm 36:6 “Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths.”
Psalm 11:7 “For Yahweh is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright.”
Psalm 45:6 “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.”
Psalm 97:2 “Clouds and darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.”
There are many, many more verses in David’s psalms about the righteousness of God. As far as David was concerned, God’s righteousness and justice were what gave Him the right to rule.
Now, from our point of view, God’s righteousness can be a fearful thing. Our righteousness and His righteousness won’t ever match or line up. The best mankind can do - the most righteous we could ever be - is described in Isaiah 64:6: “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness is like filthy rags.” We just don’t measure up. We can’t do enough righteous things to become righteous. Why? Because there isn’t enough good deeds in the world to erase a single act of wickedness.
Is it any wonder then that our first reaction to God’s righteousness is fear? Isaiah (Isaiah 6:5), Manoah (Judges 13:22), and David (1 Chronicles 21:16) were all terrified when they saw God. Why? Because their first thoughts were about God’s righteousness and their sinfulness. As Paul preached to Felix (the man who held Paul prisoner) about God’s righteousness, it brought fear to him too. Acts 24:25 says, “As he reasoned with them about righteousness and self-control and the coming day of judgment, Felix became frightened. ‘Go away for now,’ he replied. ‘When it is more convenient, I’ll call for you again.’” The righteousness of God makes sinners a little nervous.
But the separation of our wickedness and God’s righteousness didn’t only affect us. One reason God hates our wickedness so much is because of the separation it brings with it! Listen to what He said in Isaiah 48:18 “Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.”
God hates our wickedness, but He hated our separation even more! This is why He paid such a high cost to eliminate them both. 2 Corinthians 5:21 shows us what He really wanted for the sinner; “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” As much as God hates our sin, He still took it on Himself to destroy the separation between us. This is how it worked; He took our sin and gave us His righteousness.
Romans 3:21-22 agrees - “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law (apart from working to earn it) is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.” God plan was to provide righteousness to those who would put their trust in Him. His desire was to become our righteousness!
Incidentally, this was always His plan. The first time you see the word “righteousness” in the Bible is in Genesis 15:6, “And he [Abram] believed in Yahweh, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.” Righteousness has never come by trying to do, do, do, do....anytime you see it, it has only come by faith.
So then, this should be the response of everyone who has received the free gift of righteousness:
“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
My soul shall be joyful in my God;
For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness”
(Isaiah 61:10)
God is Righteous. He is completely righteous, there could never be the slightest hint of wickedness in Him. That’s why He stands in direct opposition of sin - He hates it. God is so righteous that He sees the wicked thought in the same way He sees the wicked action. He will punish both of them in the same way.
David couldn’t help to declare God’s righteousness. In his mind, that’s who God is! Look at just a few of the things David wrote about God’s righteousness.
Psalm 36:6 “Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths.”
Psalm 11:7 “For Yahweh is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright.”
Psalm 45:6 “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.”
Psalm 97:2 “Clouds and darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.”
There are many, many more verses in David’s psalms about the righteousness of God. As far as David was concerned, God’s righteousness and justice were what gave Him the right to rule.
Now, from our point of view, God’s righteousness can be a fearful thing. Our righteousness and His righteousness won’t ever match or line up. The best mankind can do - the most righteous we could ever be - is described in Isaiah 64:6: “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness is like filthy rags.” We just don’t measure up. We can’t do enough righteous things to become righteous. Why? Because there isn’t enough good deeds in the world to erase a single act of wickedness.
Is it any wonder then that our first reaction to God’s righteousness is fear? Isaiah (Isaiah 6:5), Manoah (Judges 13:22), and David (1 Chronicles 21:16) were all terrified when they saw God. Why? Because their first thoughts were about God’s righteousness and their sinfulness. As Paul preached to Felix (the man who held Paul prisoner) about God’s righteousness, it brought fear to him too. Acts 24:25 says, “As he reasoned with them about righteousness and self-control and the coming day of judgment, Felix became frightened. ‘Go away for now,’ he replied. ‘When it is more convenient, I’ll call for you again.’” The righteousness of God makes sinners a little nervous.
But the separation of our wickedness and God’s righteousness didn’t only affect us. One reason God hates our wickedness so much is because of the separation it brings with it! Listen to what He said in Isaiah 48:18 “Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.”
God hates our wickedness, but He hated our separation even more! This is why He paid such a high cost to eliminate them both. 2 Corinthians 5:21 shows us what He really wanted for the sinner; “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” As much as God hates our sin, He still took it on Himself to destroy the separation between us. This is how it worked; He took our sin and gave us His righteousness.
Romans 3:21-22 agrees - “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law (apart from working to earn it) is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.” God plan was to provide righteousness to those who would put their trust in Him. His desire was to become our righteousness!
Incidentally, this was always His plan. The first time you see the word “righteousness” in the Bible is in Genesis 15:6, “And he [Abram] believed in Yahweh, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.” Righteousness has never come by trying to do, do, do, do....anytime you see it, it has only come by faith.
So then, this should be the response of everyone who has received the free gift of righteousness:
“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
My soul shall be joyful in my God;
For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness”
(Isaiah 61:10)
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Soft But Strong
Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”
People are often confused about the fruits of kindness and goodness in a believer’s life. Maybe it’s because different words are used in different translations. Maybe it’s because they stop paying attention to this list as soon as they read “patience”. Maybe it’s because they think they know what it means already. But I want you to see that kindness and goodness are necessary in a believer’s life! Not only does every Christian need these two characteristics, they need each other to work properly!
You see, the fruit of kindness and the fruit of goodness balance each other out.
Kindness is probably the fruit the world expects from Christians. If you were to describe it in today’s terms, this fruit makes you “nice”. This is beyond a smile and cheerful words - this is an action word!
Like all the fruit of the Spirit, kindness is an attribute of God Himself! Ephesians 2:7 says, “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” The riches of God’s grace are given to us in kindness! According to Titus 3:4-5, it was God’s kindness that saved us!
“But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”
Here we see that kindness is attached to mercy!
In Luke 6:35 Jesus tells us that we are supposed to possess the same kind of kindness that God has. “But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.”
A believer is required to be kind, even to his enemies!
Ephesians 4:32 tells us to be kind to our brothers and sisters - even if they’ve wronged us! “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” If you’re ignoring, avoiding, and being hostile to a brother or sister because of what they did to you - you’re lacking God’s kind of kindness in your life!
Godly kindness is not optional or disposable! It is absolutely necessary to keep the love of God alive in our hearts. Still, kindness cannot be unbalanced in a believer’s life.
Kindness is not tolerance of sin! It was never intended to be an excuse for compromise. It is never right to be kind to the oppressor at the expense of the oppressed. When injustice is allowed - when the wicked go free in society - it’s not God’s kind of kindness.
You see, sometimes speaking the truth isn’t always the world’s idea of being kind. But is it really a kind thing to let a sinner continue in their sin and not confront them? Jesus was always kind, but He was always good also!
Goodness is an internal conviction of right and wrong. It is a strong uprightness of heart. Today we call it “character.” Kindness is about how we treat others, goodness is about right and wrong! Goodness is sometimes direct, and many worldly people view it as mean-spirited. But goodness is not cruel or mean. In fact, a good person will confront a cruel person about their cruelty!
Goodness refuses to back down to evil. Romans 12:21 says “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Luke 23 calls Joseph of Arimathea a “good man” because he openly disagreed with the pharisee’s condemnation of Jesus. Romans 15:14 tells us that a believer’s goodness will admonish, or warn others about sin! So can you see that goodness isn’t always perceived as kind?
Kindness and goodness need each other!
Kindness without goodness to strengthen it is simply tolerance. It brings no change to the sinner. It brings no conviction. It simply leaves people to the consequences of their own sin for fear of confrontation.
Goodness without kindness to soften it is damaging. We are required to speak the truth in love. When a believer to be brash and arrogant when confronting sin, it usually hurts the hearer. We are never called to condemn the sinner with his sin! There’s a baby somewhere in that dirty bath water!
The cross is the best example of God’s kindness and goodness. At the cross, God’s goodness toward sin was poured out on Jesus. He didn’t ignore the penalty of our sin, but He poured it out on Jesus. He did this to show us His kindness!
People are often confused about the fruits of kindness and goodness in a believer’s life. Maybe it’s because different words are used in different translations. Maybe it’s because they stop paying attention to this list as soon as they read “patience”. Maybe it’s because they think they know what it means already. But I want you to see that kindness and goodness are necessary in a believer’s life! Not only does every Christian need these two characteristics, they need each other to work properly!
You see, the fruit of kindness and the fruit of goodness balance each other out.
Kindness is probably the fruit the world expects from Christians. If you were to describe it in today’s terms, this fruit makes you “nice”. This is beyond a smile and cheerful words - this is an action word!
Like all the fruit of the Spirit, kindness is an attribute of God Himself! Ephesians 2:7 says, “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” The riches of God’s grace are given to us in kindness! According to Titus 3:4-5, it was God’s kindness that saved us!
“But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”
Here we see that kindness is attached to mercy!
In Luke 6:35 Jesus tells us that we are supposed to possess the same kind of kindness that God has. “But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.”
A believer is required to be kind, even to his enemies!
Ephesians 4:32 tells us to be kind to our brothers and sisters - even if they’ve wronged us! “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” If you’re ignoring, avoiding, and being hostile to a brother or sister because of what they did to you - you’re lacking God’s kind of kindness in your life!
Godly kindness is not optional or disposable! It is absolutely necessary to keep the love of God alive in our hearts. Still, kindness cannot be unbalanced in a believer’s life.
Kindness is not tolerance of sin! It was never intended to be an excuse for compromise. It is never right to be kind to the oppressor at the expense of the oppressed. When injustice is allowed - when the wicked go free in society - it’s not God’s kind of kindness.
You see, sometimes speaking the truth isn’t always the world’s idea of being kind. But is it really a kind thing to let a sinner continue in their sin and not confront them? Jesus was always kind, but He was always good also!
Goodness is an internal conviction of right and wrong. It is a strong uprightness of heart. Today we call it “character.” Kindness is about how we treat others, goodness is about right and wrong! Goodness is sometimes direct, and many worldly people view it as mean-spirited. But goodness is not cruel or mean. In fact, a good person will confront a cruel person about their cruelty!
Goodness refuses to back down to evil. Romans 12:21 says “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Luke 23 calls Joseph of Arimathea a “good man” because he openly disagreed with the pharisee’s condemnation of Jesus. Romans 15:14 tells us that a believer’s goodness will admonish, or warn others about sin! So can you see that goodness isn’t always perceived as kind?
Kindness and goodness need each other!
Kindness without goodness to strengthen it is simply tolerance. It brings no change to the sinner. It brings no conviction. It simply leaves people to the consequences of their own sin for fear of confrontation.
Goodness without kindness to soften it is damaging. We are required to speak the truth in love. When a believer to be brash and arrogant when confronting sin, it usually hurts the hearer. We are never called to condemn the sinner with his sin! There’s a baby somewhere in that dirty bath water!
The cross is the best example of God’s kindness and goodness. At the cross, God’s goodness toward sin was poured out on Jesus. He didn’t ignore the penalty of our sin, but He poured it out on Jesus. He did this to show us His kindness!
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