To Save America: The Ten CommandmentsSample

If you’ve picked up a book about the Ten Commandments and have made it to chapter six, there’s a very good chance you’re not a serial killer, a mafia hit man, an assassin, or a gang member who spends his or her weekends spraying bullets indiscriminately around neighborhoods filled with children.

In the off chance you are such a person, I have good news for you. You can come to the cross of Jesus Christ, repent of your sins, and have all your guilt and shame washed away by the guiltless blood of the Lamb of God. No person is beyond the reach of God’s mercy. No sinner is so far beyond the reach of His saving grace.

On the other hand, you may not have ever murdered anyone. Nevertheless, the sixth commandment still has much to say to us. Indeed, it has volumes to say to America and to the Church. This is a short commandment, yet it is one of the strongest. The four simple words, “You shall not murder,” pack a powerful punch that can heal a thousand woes.

Most of us grew up with the old King James translation of Exodus 20:13. We still quote it: “Thou shalt not kill.” But “kill” is not the best word for what God is telling us here. There is a difference between killing and murder in the Bible. Killing is not always a crime in the eyes of God or man. Self-defense is not considered murder (see Exodus 22:2). In a similar way, combat soldiers are not considered guilty of murder even though they have killed (see 1 Samuel 18:7).

No, the sixth commandment is not about “killing.” It’s about the merciless taking of another innocent life for gain, convenience, or in anger. And there are many ways we, as a people, are in violation of this sacred precept, such as the murder of the innocent unborn and the murder of our country and its biblical worldview.

To God, life is sacred. It is a gift. And each one of us is made in the image of God. This is why we need to stand up and speak up for righteousness.