What makes anger just like murder?

As we continue to learn more about Dylann Roof, we become even more disturbed. This young man was driven by a deeply-entrenched racial hatred. He was able to sit in a prayer meeting for almost an hour and look into the faces of those he would soon kill. He claims that he had a fleeting thought, while spending time with them in that prayer meeting, of not going through with his deed. Yet, as he stole their lives from them minutes later, the words he said made it clear that his heart was utterly wicked. The forgiveness offered by the family of his victims only makes his unrepentant hatred all the more wicked.

While we may console ourselves and say we would NEVER, EVER do such a heinous act as Dylann, Jesus tells us something very striking that nails each one of us in the heart. In Matthew 5, He essentially equates murder (what Dylann did) with anger and insults (what we do). 

Matthew 5:21-22

"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire."


While we may feel justified in venting our anger at Dylann, Jesus would have us realize that when we are angry with others or feel compelled to throw insults (at least internally) at someone, we are demonstrating the same, exact heart attitude of Dylann. All we lack is follow-through on those heart attitudes.


So, you don't think you have an anger/insult problem?
Is there someone that you are so upset at that every time you see them your heart races and your blood pressure goes up? Or, you give them the silent treatment? Or you slander them in the presence of others? 


While we are justified in being repulsed at Dylann's actions and while we should pray that he will receive justice to the full extent of the law (and while Christians should also pray that Dylann cries out for God's forgiveness before it's too late), we should realize that we, too, have a heart problem. We should take our feelings of hatred/insults as seriously as Jesus did, fall at the foot of the cross and cry out for forgiveness and release from that heart attitude.

A command to kill

While Christians are told not to murder (Exodus 20:13) or even harbor thoughts of anger (Matthew 5:21-22), there is a place in Scripture where we are commanded to kill. Death is the only desirable result. Yet, the object of our hatred will be hard to kill so we are to give every effort to put it in its coffin. What are we commanded to kill?


Colossians 3:5-6 (NLT)

"So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming."

Was Abraham a murderer or not? (Genesis 22)

I recently read about a man who claimed to be a follower of God. He also claimed that God had told him to kill his child. This unfathomable story continued with the father taking the child to a place where no one would see his murderous deed. Only moments before he plunged the shiny blade of his knife into his child’s helpless body, an authority figure arrived and the child’s life was spared. But, the authority figure allowed the child to go home with his dad, no questions asked.

I didn’t read that story on a news website. I read it this morning in Genesis 22.

And therein lies the problem for non-believers. Some non-Christians are quick to call Christians inconsistent by saying things like this: "There are behaviors and mindsets that you would abhor and seek to stop if you heard of them in contemporary life. Yet, when you see those same behaviors and mindsets in the Bible, you drop your guard and are perfectly fine with them."

We can understand where they are coming from, can’t we? If we had read that first paragraph on a news website this morning, we’d want the child taken into protective custody and the father treated for psychiatric problems. Further, we would want him to get into the habit of viewing the world through prison bars.
Yet, when Christians read Genesis 22, we think no such things.

How are we to reconcile our tame approach to handling the incident in Genesis 22?

First, this was the only time in recorded history that God called upon a man to take the life of his son. We are convinced that God would never ever again call upon someone to do such a thing.

Besides, it is easy to discern that it was never God’s intention for Abraham to follow through with this action. It seems that this action was for the purpose of doing surgery on Abraham’s heart (Abraham's son had become his ‘god.’ He treasured Isaac more than he treasured God). It also seems that it was done to illustrate what would take place in this very location many years later. On that occasion, God would not stop the process but would actually sacrifice His own Son. (Click here to read my thoughts on this point.)

Second, there is a variable in the story of Genesis 22 that changes the whole thing. It is Genesis 22:1-2 where it says:
"Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith.
‘Abraham!’ God called.
‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘Here I am.’
‘Take your son, your only son – yes, Isaac, whom you love so much – and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.’"

This principle is easy to understand. For instance, if you filled a needle with poison and then injected someone with that toxin so that they died, you would be brought up on charges of murder. Yet, if you were the doctor who the state selected to inject toxins into the veins of someone on death row, you would NOT be guilty of murder. You were operating under the authority of and in compliance with the one who had the right to take the life.

It is in this way that we are to understand the incident in Genesis 22. If Abraham, of his own will, determined to kill his son, he would have been guilty of murder and forfeited his life in the process. Yet, he was operating under the authority of and in compliance with the one who had the right to give life and take it away. So, in this one instance in all of the world’s history, Abraham’s actions were not murderous.

It is in this way that Christians are justified in abhorring the actions of the murderous parent whose actions were broadcasted on the news while at the same time excusing Abraham for being willing to do the same thing.

Capital punishment and the value of human life

Why do so many Christians believe in capital punishment? Is it because of a disregard for human life?

Nope. It is quite to the contrary. It is precisely because we value human life that we hold to the death penalty.

When we as Christians view others, we acknowledge that not everyone is a child of God on their way to Heaven. Yet, at the same time, we look at others and see God's fingerprints all... over them. Thus, we should place immense value upon everyone we meet. They are God's handiwork!

Because we believe that each person has unimaginable value (regardless of gender, skin color, nationality, religious or non-religious preference, sinful propensities, or any other way that we could segment people), we believe murder is so serious an offense that in doing so the murderer forfeits their own life. Their life is taken not by an individual but by a society that places a high value upon each human life.

God: “And I will require the blood of anyone who takes another person’s life. If a wild animal kills a person, it must die. And anyone who murders a fellow human must die. If anyone takes a human life, that person’s life will also be taken by human hands. For God made human beings in his own image." (Genesis 9:5-6)

This is not cruel and unusual punishment. It is an equal punishment for the offense. In so doing, society makes it clear that life is valued and murder will not be tolerated. It will have dire, lasting consequences.

Can it truly be said that a society values life if murderers are given only a few years in jail before they are released often to kill again?

Abortion and the value of a human life

A few days ago, a cargo plane in Afghanistan carrying 7 pilots and crewmen accelerated down the runway and took off. However, after reaching an altitude of about 1,200 feet, it stalled. The pilot veered to the right in an apparent attempt to regain speed but it was too late. It crashed into the ground and burst into flames killing everyone on board. A video taken from a vehicle dash cam showed the surreal, horrifying scene.
 
As I watched the clip on the news, I knew ahead of time that the crash was coming. Yet, as I observed the plane take off knowing that they had about 15-20 seconds left to live, I realized that the crewmen inside the plane were clueless as to what was about to happen. They were moments from their own demise and didn't even know it!
 
As I also watch American culture and it's rapid moral decline, I cannot help but realize that unless God's people wake up and push back the darkness through 1) prayer, 2) changing hearts by leading folks to a saving faith in Jesus, and 3) by legislation, we are headed for our own demise ... and probably much sooner than we think.
 
It's seems to me that one of the clearest signs of our coming doom is the issue of abortion. Masked behind the veil of "women's rights," it has become a major catalyst in helping us to become a culture of death.
 

To view a few undercover videos of what abortionists

approve and advise their patients behind the closed

doors of their clinics, simply click on the following links:

 

Undercover in America's Late-Term Abortion Industry - Arizona

Undercover in America's Late-Term Abortion Industry - New York

Undercover in America's Late-Term Abortion Industry - Washington, D.C.

 
 
As abortion becomes more accepted and normalized and as our nation's conscience becomes further desensitized, we should not be surprised if, very soon, other human life is no longer valued (e.g. the elderly, the handicapped, etc.).
 
A Christian worldview is diametrically opposed to our nation's growing acceptance of abortion.
 
Let me ask you some questions: Have you ever thought about what gives people value? Are you worth anything? And if so, why?
 
That answer is clear in the Bible. Your worth is based upon one primary thing: you are made in God's image! God's fingerprints are all over you!
 
Genesis 1:26-27 "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness' ... So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."
 
Did you get that? Your worth isn't based upon how much money you have. It's not based upon how successful you are or how much influence you have. Your worth isn't based upon how much you contribute to society. It's not based upon what others say about you. It's not based upon who you know. It's not based upon your age or the fact that you are still growing in your mother's womb.
 
Pure and simple, your worth comes from the fact that you have God's fingerprints all over you! You are His creation! No matter what you do or who you become, you are a person of value.
 
That cannot be taken away from you. You are God's creation made in his image and therefore, you have worth!
 
Without making this post too long, I'd like to take you to one more passage of Scripture - Psalm 139. In this Psalm, King David exalted God for his greatness. Specifically, he elaborated on the three "omni's" of God:
 
- Psalm 139:1-6 - God is omniscient (God knows all things)
- Psalm 139:7-12 - God is omnipresent (God is completely everywhere at all times)
- Psalm 139:13-18 - God is omnipotent (God can do anything God desires to do)
 
In regard to the last attribute (God's omnipotence), how would you have illustrated God's power if you wrote this psalm? If I wrote it, I probably would have described his action in the creation of the world. I would have talked about how He formed the massive galaxies with only a word. Talk about power!!!
 
Yet, that's not what the Psalmist used to illustrate God's omnipotence. Instead, as the Holy Spirit directed him, he illustrated God's infinite power by describing His work in forming a child in the womb. Just think about that!!!
 
Psalm 139:13-18 "For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you."

In a Christian worldview, every single person is viewed as someone of value because they are created by God in His image (even though we are tarnished by sin). The baby in the womb is to be protected just as should an elderly person who no longer is able to contribute to society. Why? Because they are a human life created in God's image! God's fingerprints are all over them and therefore, they have value!

Unfortunately for all of us, Christianity is losing its influence in American culture. As this continues to happen, we shouldn't be surprised if human value nosedives at some point and death is not simply the plight of the unborn ... but of the elderly who are unproductive, the handicapped or whoever is deemed by society a "burden." (If you scoff at my conclusions, wait for about 10-20 years and then let's see if you're still laughing.)

As Christians stand against abortion, we're not standing against women's rights. We're fighting for the life of the unborn who has value. We're also fighting against a mindset that may soon move to claim other "burdens" on society.

It blows my mind that Christianity is seen as a threat to our society (Christian soldiers may now be court martialed for sharing their faith) when we are virtually alone in standing up for human value!