Kiss Your Life Good-bye – The Sixth Commandment

Kiss Your Life Good-bye

Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17

“You shall not murder.”

1 John 3:15

Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.

God means for us to love one another.

Loving our neighbor is serious business. More than that, it is proof of our love for God and demonstrates that we have truly come to saving faith and an eternal relationship with God. But what if we don’t? What if we continue getting angry, harboring hatred in our hearts, refusing to show our neighbors – and our enemies – the love we owe them? Such a pattern could indicate a reality in our hearts that needs serious examination. No professing Christian should take his faith for granted, just because he said some prayer, goes to church, and is active in this, that, or the other religious group or program. God calls His people to love, and Jesus said the fruit of love is the proof of true discipleship (Jn. 13.35). John’s warning to the believers in Ephesus wasn’t their first. Paul had also admonished them not to allow ancient walls of racial division to separate them (Eph. 2). Apparently, however, the hostility and hatred had returned, and John was adamant it should be eradicated. His words are strong and unqualified. We need to hear them. If we keep on hating, keep on murdering – even our enemies – we have no grounds to believe that our confession in Christ is valid. Loving our neighbors can be hard work, but there is no excuse for not working hard at it.

Meditate on Psalm 139.23, 24. Listen for the voice of God. If He brings any sin to mind, deal with it quickly and decisively.

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“In the Gates” is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001,2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Editor’s note: The use of a translation other than the Authorised Version in an article does not constitute an endorsement in whole or in part by The Christian Observer.

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