Thou Shalt Not Kill

Verse: "Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment." Matthew 5:21(KJV)

I once had a man ask me if I was a Christian. When I answered "yes" he then asked me if I believed in military participation. When I again answered in the affirmative he inquired "How can you believe in both when the ten commandments clearly state "Thou shalt not kill"? At the time I had never considered the conflict between these two stances. So I began to dig a little deeper.

When you look at all the times God commanded Israel to kill neighboring nations it is hard to reconcile this with a God who tells His people not to kill. And if someone kills someone else, under Jewish law, the penalty is death. In other words, those that are guilty of killing are killed by others. How can this be if we are commanded not to kill? In actuality the word translated "kill" is better served as "murder". That is,the unlawful killing of another human being without justification or excuse. It is a selfish act. In contrast, when someone kills while defending their family or their nation, it is a selfless act putting the good of others before your own personal safety. God had the nation of Israel destroy some of the neighboring nations not only as protection for his chosen people but as punishment to the nations that were living in disobedience to God. So protection of others and lawful punishment are not what is meant by "thou shalt not kill"- murder is.

Prayer: Dear Lord- Thank you for your protection and guidance. Help us to respect all human life as it is given by you and only you have the right to take it away. Thank you for loving us enough to give us guidelines for our benefit and for those around us. In Jesus name, Amen.  

More Pious Than A Pharisee?

Verse: For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 5:20)

 So wait! Does this mean that we can earn our way to heaven? I thought that salvation is a gift from God and that we can't earn it by our own merits. At first glance, it looks like Jesus is saying that we have to earn our way to heaven, but in actuality he is merely saying that if you wanted to TRY to earn your place on your own you would have to be even MORE pious than the pharisees. Now that's a tall order!

 The pharisees were all about acting pious and had rules and religious traditions for almost every facet of life. If you were looking for an example in piety, you could find no better example than the pharisees. Jesus never condemns them for their religious devotion but for their empty actions. They may have acted pious but in reality their hearts were far from God. God wants our actions to come out of a heart of love and obedience to Him and not purely out of obligation. Even the pharisees in all their piety missed the mark of perfection. If it was up to our own efforts none of us would have a home in heaven. Which is why all of us require the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, the only one to live a perfect life.

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus- Thank you for your example on how to live a life that is pleasing to the Father. Help us to always remember that our motives are just as important as our actions. In Jesus name, amen.