The Basis for the Sixth Commandment – A Kingdom Catechism

The Basis for the Sixth Commandment

A Kingdom Catechism

Man is the image-bearer of God.

Q 92: What is the basis for the sixth commandment?

A 92: The basis for the sixth commandment is that men are the image-bearers of God, and God alone is the Lord of life. (Gen. 9:6; Ps. 104:29, 30)

All sin is ultimately against God. He declares the terms of righteousness and justice for all His creatures, and to act against those is to rebel against the Lord Himself. At the human level, this is never more true than when we presume to take the life of one made in the image of God. God Himself declared that human life is sacred, set apart before and for the Lord, by virtue of all people having been made in His image. Not all taking of human life is forbidden, as we shall see. God is the Lord of all life. He has established strict parameters within which it may be necessary to take the life of another image-bearer of God. Beyond these, all unlawful taking of human life is murder.

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