Websters Dictionary defines Murder and Kill as
the crime of unlawfully killing a person especially with malice aforethought
2a : something very difficult or dangerous <the traffic was murder>
b : something outrageous or blameworthy <getting away with murder> and
Kill is defined by (transitive verb)1a : to deprive of life : cause the death of
b (1) : to slaughter (as a hog) for food (2) : to convert a food animal into (a kind of meat) by slaughtering
2a : to put an end to <kill competition>
Wikipedia defines ...You shall not murder sometimes translated as You shall not kill, KJV Thou shalt not kill (LXX οὐ φονεύσεις, translating Hebrew לֹא תִּרְצָח lo tirṣaḥ), is a moral imperative included as one of the Ten Commandments in the Torah,[1] specifically Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17.
The imperative is against unlawful killing resulting in bloodguilt. The Hebrew Bible contains numerous prohibitions against unlawful killing, but also allows for justified killing in the context of warfare, capital punishment, and self-defense.
Ok so everyone has this one covered right? Never killed or murdered anyone so Im good? We all think this one is a done deal ...but is it as simply put as we understand it??
Taking a look back in the Bible The 1st death is seen in the very first book of the bible. It was the slaughter of a lamb used for clothing Adam and Eve, after their disobedience and banishment from Eden. The first murder however, which is a very different event, was the fight between Cain and Abel. Cain let his jealousy get the better of him and he slay(murdered) his brother.
"In The Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin viewed the purport of this commandment as the safety of all being entrusted to each person. All violence and injustice, and every kind of harm from which our neighbor’s body suffers is thereby prohibited. Christians are therefore required to faithfully perform that which is within their power to defend the life of their neighbor, be vigilant in warding off harm, and assist in removing danger when it comes. Calvin asserts that the same rule must also be applied in regulating the mind against anger, arguing that since God sees the heart and mind, the commandment against shedding innocent blood also prohibits murder of the heart and requires a sincere desire to preserve our brother’s life. The hand does not commit the murder unless it is conceived by the mind under the influence of wrath and hatred. According to Calvin, where wrath and hatred dwell, there is an inclination to do mischief, quoting the Bible, “whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer”(1 John 3:15) and “whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgement” (Gospel of Matthew 5:22).[79]"
Not only is it made very clear it is to be adhered to as it is one of the 10 commandments but it is also spoken of in Leviticus 24:17-18. It simply states in very clear terms that If someone kills a man he should be put to death. If he kills a beast, it is a beast for a beast. It is repeated again in Leviticus 24:21 lines later almost exactly.
Sidenote: This helps one to understand the hierarchy of animals in the chain of Gods order as well.
Matthew 5:21-22 Talks of those who have anger in their heart( murder in their heart)are in danger of the judgement.
If you are angry with someone you are in danger of judgement. You cannot control another's actions but you can control your reaction.
But is there significance in the original bible saying Thou shall not Kill and newer versions substituting the word Murder? Murder is defined as taking a life either in anger, or accidental with malice in your heart while killing someone or something is pretty restrictive to taking a life at all in any circumstance. So what is the answer?
Some Christian denominations think it is acceptable that we defend ourselves come the time of the tribulation specifically when referring to the End times, while others think what Jesus meant when he said that we are to turn the other cheek means not to ensue in any violence at all.Did he include self defense in the "no violence"? He didn't defend himself and He healed the guard who Peter injured while arresting Jesus..Is that because Jesus fully knows that God is in control of everything at all times? Make no mistake, He is in full control at all times but what is the answer? What do you think?
Now what about on a more day to day basis?
If the true meaning once translated meant Kill rather than Murder then does this commandment also include what we do to ourselves on a daily basis as well? Would He include what we drink (alcohol, soda pop, energy drinks), smoke(cigarettes) and what we consume as food(fast food and junk) as us killing ourselves a little at a time? The Bible does mention that our body is a temple and that we should not desecrate it, that life is a gift from God and not to be taken advantage of and that we are to eat a proper diet which is listed in Leviticus. Contrary to popular Christian opinion, it is meant for True Believers in Jesus and the Bible again, not just the Jewish. It is in no way a punishment. It all makes sense when you understand how unhealthy we all eat now that we don't follow Gods advice and instruction.
In the terms of abortion and euthanasia, well....never meaning any disrespect, but its part of what we have all been doing so wrong for so long... it really seems pretty self explanatory. Life is a gift from God that we all take for granted. I think when we start trying to decide the fate of the very gifts that He gave us ,we show what little faith we have in our Lord. It is a slippery slope we need to be careful of.
So what do you think? Did the original text and Jesus teach us that we are to never kill anyone under any circumstances or is it permissible to take a life in the case of self defense, warding off danger and in defending the life of a neighbour as the Christian Institute understands it??
CHALLENGE: Start living healthy today. Start eating properly, work toward quitting smoking/drinking/overeating, cut your favourite junk food out of your diet. Start realizing your body is the temple that God gave you. Look after that temple to the best of your ability. Keep it clean like you would the engine of a vehicle to avoid disease and illness. Increase your mental health. Clean your life of any negative and distracting items that keep you from being healthy both mentally and physically. I'm not saying do everything all at once but do try and keep trying until you get it ;) You will get it. We all will if we try and we just follow the path God laid out for us. Read Leviticus again to see what our diet is to consist of :) It was not done away with only the sacrifices were ;) Let's start living the way God wanted.
God Bless
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