Christ counsels us to love our enemies in order that we may be children of God, demonstrating not only His mercy but also our sonship by being peacemakers.

The sixth commandment, forbidding murder, is rare among the Ten Commandments in that a clear line can be drawn between its commission and its consequences.

Jesus magnifies the Law in Matthew 5, moving beyond the behavior into the motivating thought behind the deed, warning that we do not retaliate in kind.

Our society is becoming increasingly violent. The sixth of the Ten Commandments covers crime, capital punishment, murder, hatred, revenge and war.

It seems that some sins should be worse than others in God's eyes. Though all sin merits the death penalty, some sins carry greater consequences and penalties.

The Sermon on the Mount contains a explanation of what it takes to be a Christian. Matthew 5:38-42 provides the principles behind the 'above and beyond' attitude.

Jesus, using hyperbole to shock His disciples into a change of behavior or attitude, emphasizing that they should resist the impulse to retaliate.

Jesus, showing the spirit of the law, warns against rash divorces, taking oaths, invoking God's name frivolously, realizing that a covenant is binding.

God requires a higher standard of righteous behavior from those who have consciously made a covenant with Him and are acquainted with His Law.

Ancient Israel regarded Bethel, Gilgal, and Beersheba as a sacred shrines, but were not becoming spiritually transformed as a result of pilgrimages.

Are we ready, at this stage in our spiritual growth, to apply chapter and verse all the biblical principles that apply to a case?

Though the Old and New Testament are complementary to one another, the emphasis of justice in the New Testament switches from national to personal in scope.

Saul tried to placate God by massacring Gibeonites. Later, David yielded to the Gibeonites' by hanging Saul's descendants to avenge the slaughter. God was not pleased.

The latter half of the prophecy of Obadiah provides clues to the timing and extent of Edom's prophesied demise for its hatred of the people of Israel.

Ancient Israel had at the core of its religion an obsession to please the self at the expense of justice and the best interests of the disadvantaged.

The book of Amos is an astounding prophecy, closely paralleling the conditions in the Western world today. Amos reveals how unrighteousness undermines society.

The prophet Obadiah sorrowfully dramatizes God's judgment upon Edom (Esau) for his hatred, haughtiness, and pride, and how and why Edom will be annihilated.

What is the biblical penalty for pedophilia? It is not found in the Bible, but the instructions concerning fornication and homosexuality give us guidance.