THE BIG IDEA

The sixth commandment by God, “do not murder,” is rooted in His original design that all human beings are made in His image, and equal in value. Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount asks us to look deeper, to see the ways in which we might be adopting an attitude made of the substance of murder wherein we create relational harm/death in the world by having hateful intent.

THE FIRST MURDER

The Bible presents murder as an unholy, despicable infraction from the very beginning. The first story after the exile of Adam and Eve from the garden is, in fact, the story of the first murder. God intervenes before the murder takes place, after noticing the signs of envy and anger in Cain. God poetically describes what’s happening within Cain, saying, “sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” (Genesis 4:7) 

Sin, however, rules over Cain, and he commits the first murder. As readers, we are jarred at just how horrifying an inversion this is from the garden harmony. A commentary describes it this way: “We are led to feel a certain revulsion against the act. An aura of the sanctity of life hovers over the entire story. No other act carries such a strong sense of wrongness as does murder. Cain’s descendant Lamech is as hardened as his progenitor, boasting of his murder in revenge for a wounding (Genesis 4:23–24).” (Leland Ryken et al., Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, 576.) 

As the commentary explains, the Bible introduces the idea early on that violence begets violence—that when it gains a foothold, it has a habit of escalating and promoting vengeful reciprocity. Lamech’s boastful song near the end of Genesis 4 leaves the reader gut-wrenched over how far from the Eden ideal humanity has fallen in so short a time. 

In Genesis 1, all of humanity was created in the Image of God (Genesis 1:27). For one of these Image-bearers to commit murderous violence upon another is anathema to the Creator. In the sixth commandment of the Law, God makes it clear that murder can have no place among His people, who are called to regard one another—and all people—as equally valuable. 

THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW

Just as God intervened in Cain’s story before he killed Abel, God continues to intervene with us by inviting us to look at our own hearts to see what seeds of murder may be sown there. 

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus elaborates on a few of the Ten Commandments. His subversive teaching shows us that the commandments against actions like murder and adultery are extremes; they are matured expressions of more subtle seeds within us. Jesus quotes the letter of the law, and then sinks deeper to explore the spirit of the law:  

“You have heard that it was said, ‘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…” (Matthew 5:21-22) 

Jesus teaches that the external act of murder begins with an internal disposition of hatred, resentment, and unchecked anger. He expands the law’s application from simply prohibiting an act, to addressing the heart from which such acts emerge. The commandment is not merely a legal constraint but a revelation of God’s moral order. All human life is sacred, and we are called to foster relationships of peace rather than violence. 

The Heidelberg Catechism has a bit about this in Question and Answer 105: 

Q: What is God’s will for you in the sixth commandment?

A: I am not to belittle, hate, insult, 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; rather, I am to put away all desire for revenge. I am not to harm or recklessly endanger myself either.

Tim Mackie, in a podcast discussing Jesus’ interpretation of the law, explains, “He’s modeling a relationship to the Commandments in the Torah that he wants his followers to emulate, to see in them the wisdom of God.”

Murder is not just a crime; it is a rejection of the divine wisdom that calls us to love, reconcile, and honor the image of God in each person. 

DO NOT FEED THE BEAST THAT CROUCHES AT YOUR DOOR

Scripture does acknowledge that anger is a natural emotion. Paul writes, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger” (Ephesians 4:26). This suggests that anger itself is not always sinful; it can, at times, be a catalyst for justice. But it must never be indulged as an excuse for harm. Even when Jesus overturned tables in the temple, His anger was directed toward corruption and injustice, not personal vengeance. Perhaps the distinction lies in whether anger is wielded in love for righteousness or whether it becomes a consuming force that devalues others. 

Some theologians argue that only God can exercise truly righteous anger because only He is perfectly just. For us, anger is often tainted by pride, self-interest, and partial understanding. If we are to follow Jesus, we must be exceedingly careful in how we handle anger—always measuring it against the call to love and reconciliation.

I’m honestly not sure where I land on whether there is righteous anger for us or not, and I’d be glad to hear your thoughts in the comments. What I do know, is that Jesus instructs us clearly to not hold anger towards one another. 

Jesus’ words are like God’s intercession to Cain before the murder takes place. God examines the heart and leads us into healing and release of our anger and bitterness because God knows that violence against others does harm to us as well. Cain was warned that sin was crouching at his door, and he failed to master it.

How often do we allow bitterness to take root in our hearts, justifying our anger, feeding it until it spills into harmful words or actions? It may be that even if we have every right according to every ethical and moral standard to be angry, the right thing is still to release that anger. The “ethical” thing might be to hold on to the anger until there is some reparations made for the wrongdoing. But, maybe God sometimes calls us beyond those sorts of ethics into the holy. Even if reparations and apologies are made for wrongdoing, it rarely leads to a restored wholeness for us.

The only thing that brings wholeness is Jesus. Releasing our grasp on our anger may give us more room in our hands and arms to embrace Jesus.  

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

• Do you think there are times when we can have “righteous anger”? If so, how should it be expressed? 
• How can Christians better exemplify the wisdom behind this commandment in today’s world? 

RESOURCES

• Dennert, Brian. “6th Commandment – Preserving and Protecting Life | Faith Church,” October 5, 2021. https://wearefaith.org/blog/the-sixth-commandment-preserving-and-protecting-life/. 

• Dodge, Betty. “Righteous and Unrighteous Anger (Ephesians 4:26).” Fighter Verses, May 15, 2021. https://www.fighterverses.com/post/righteous-and-unrighteous-anger-ephesians-4-26. 

• Elwell, Walter A. Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible. Baker Book House, 1988. 

• “Heidelberg Catechism | Christian Reformed Church.” Accessed January 30, 2025. https://www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/confessions/heidelberg-catechism. 

• How Is Anger the Same as Murder?, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHj_06mXiBw 

• Middleton, J. Richard. The Liberating Image: The Imago Dei in Genesis 1. Brazos Press, 2005. 

• “Murder, Adultery, and Divorce | A Free Guide to Jesus’ Teaching.” Accessed January 30, 2025. https://bibleproject.com/guides/murder-adultery-and-divorce/. 

• Ryken, Leland, James C. Wilhoit, and Tremper Longman III. Dictionary of Biblical Imagery. InterVarsity Press, 2010.