The Sanction for the Sixth Commandment – A Kingdom Catechism

The Sanction for the Sixth Commandment

A Kingdom Catechism

Ecclesiastical and civil authorities wield the wrath of God.

Q 99: What sanction does the Lord threaten in the sixth commandment?

A 99: The Lord threatens that those who disobey the sixth commandment shall come under His wrath and be liable to judgment from ecclesiastical and civil authorities. (Deut. 19:11-13; Rom. 13:1-4; 1 Cor. 5)

God has invested by civil and ecclesiastical authorities with the power to carry out His judgment against violators of the sixth commandment, at whatever level the infraction occurs. Church discipline can be a powerful resource for helping people learn to check anger before it leads to something worse, or, if anger has already gone too far, to begin the work of changing affections which all believers are charged with pursuing. In the civil realm government may still apply the death penalty in cases of murder; however, in this age of grace, in which the patience of God runs long against offenders of all sorts, civil society should employ means to bring murderers to repentance and restoration, where possible, even if the death penalty is still to be applied.

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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.