Which commandment says not to kill

Not taking a life is enough for some. When Jesus came, He clarified the law, teaching what God truly desired from His people. The Law did not just dictate what actions people should or should not take, but also what the condition of the heart ought to be.

The Lord wants people to be like Him, holy and righteous, which is an internal condition as much as it is external action. Jesus came and released Christians from the burdens of the law, because He served as the final sacrifice in atonement for the sins of the world. But He also came to uphold and fulfill the law, including the Ten Commandments. People struggle to live upright lives that line up with their values, set by the first ten rules.

Wilmington, H. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers Inc. Bethany Verrett is a freelance writer and editor. She maintains a faith and lifestyle blog graceandgrowing. Shoebox Collection Week is Here! Plus Toggle navigation. These words are the basis for modern capital punishment, which is not the taking of a life by another person but the forfeiting of the right to life in a society by violating the laws of a land.

Exodus 21 mentions a number of offenses for which a person forfeited his right to life; and, remember if you would, that it was God who gave those commandments and injunctions.

Just what is the sixth commandment and how does it apply today? This means that a person presumably could violate this commandment in war, but all war is not forbidden by this commandment. October 2, The disciples once asked him if they could destroy those who were working against Jesus and his mission.

There are many facets within that account to consider. But taking just one point we can see that, as Jesus explained, not destroying — but preserving life — is our purpose. In this one moment, he gives us an understanding that as the children of God, who is the giver of all life, we must appreciate and uphold life.

Prayer that establishes this truth in thought challenges us to reject the idea that any one of us could break that law and commit murder. The corrective rebuke Christ Jesus gave to his disciples purified their thought and changed their actions. Today, that same healing Christ speaks to every individual consciousness to liberate us from even the darkest motives that would tempt a person to murder. This fact about man enables me to pray for my local and global neighbors in a much more clarifying and effective way.

My prayers are that we come to know that the spirit within us is not to destroy lives, but to save them. Already a subscriber? Monitor journalism changes lives because we open that too-small box that most people think they live in.

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Peace eludes us in a world where killing is often an instrument of political strategy or personal gain. World War I was called the war to end all wars. After World War II, many thought horrors such as the Holocaust, in which so many people were exterminated, could never happen again while civilized nations looked on.

Yet in the years since, mass exterminations have taken place in locations from Southeast Asia to Africa to Eastern Europe. The sixth commandment is also violated by serial killers and mass murderers in nations large and small. Death is almost epidemic in gang warfare, punctuated with knifings and shootings and other senseless acts of violence.

This wanton killing brings untold misery to families who lose loved ones, and it brings fear to those whose cities, villages, and neighborhoods suffer the violence. I remember fondly my experiences growing up in a small town in southeastern Idaho; I could return home alone after an evening at the movies or a high school activity with absolutely no fear for my safety. I hope that is still possible in some smaller towns, but I sense that it is an unknown experience in many places today.

We know that the Atonement is effective for all who repent except for those who commit the unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost see Matt. However, in our associations with each other on earth, violation of the sixth commandment represents the most heinous crime that can be committed. Those who murder steal the precious gift of mortal experience from another and set themselves in open opposition to God, the giver of life. Further, murderers place themselves in a position where it is impossible to ask forgiveness of the one sinned against or to make restitution—at least in this life.

The violence that currently characterizes our society tells us much about ourselves and what we need to watch out for in our own lives and those of our children. For example, we need to guard constantly against greed and self-centeredness. These traits are often the root of violence. As the Lord explained in the Sermon on the Mount, demeaning others or expressing anger toward them can escalate to more serious offenses—even murder see Matt.

Selfishness and pride underlie most angry and violent behavior.