God requires obedience to His sixth commandment, "You shall not murder," as stated in Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17. This commandment, second in a series of six governing responsibilities to neighbors, safeguards a person's most precious physical possession—life—from being unjustly taken by another. The spiritual principle underlying this commandment is that God created mankind in His image, and no one has the authority to end a human life unless He specifically commands it. God pronounced a curse on Cain for murdering Abel, as seen in Genesis 4:8-15, and confirmed the penalty for murder in the Noahic covenant in Genesis 9:5-6, emphasizing the sacredness of human life. Intentional killing is distinguished from accidental killing, with the former forbidden as murder, while the latter, though a grave crime, required the culprit to remain in a city of refuge until the high priest's death, according to Exodus 21:12-14 and Numbers 35:9-32. Under the Old Covenant, a minimum number of witnesses were required to initiate the death penalty, as noted in Numbers 35:30 and Deuteronomy 17:6-7. Murder defiles the land, bringing curses such as famine, drought, disease, and crop failure, as described in Numbers 35:33-34, Psalm 106:38, and Hosea 4:1-3. God, the giver of life, retains the sole right to end life, and no biblical example supports euthanasia or suicide with His approval, per Deuteronomy 32:35, 39 and Leviticus 19:18. Regarding abortion, the unborn are considered living human beings with intelligence, and God cares deeply for them, as evidenced in Genesis 25:21-26, Luke 1:41-44, Job 10:8-12, Psalm 139:13-16, Psalm 127:3, Matthew 18:10, 14, and Jeremiah 1:5; causing a miscarriage carried severe penalties, as in Exodus 21:22-24. Vengeance belongs to God alone, and Christians are called to treat enemies with kindness, not violence or war in His name, according to Romans 12:19-21, Matthew 5:43-44, and John 18:36. Anger without cause toward another breaks the sixth commandment, as it fosters the spirit of murder from the heart, where hate and anger are nurtured, as stated in Matthew 5:21-24. The apostles summarize the commandments as rooted in love, with hatred equating to breaking this commandment, per Romans 13:9 and I John 2:8-11. The attitude of murder originates with satan, who first embodied it and promotes it, and a murderer, bearing such pride, cannot enter God's Kingdom, as noted in Ezekiel 28:14-16, John 8:44, I John 3:11-12, James 4:1-2, Matthew 5:21-22, Galatians 5:21, I John 3:15, and Matthew 15:18-19.

No commandment reveals the immediate effect of sin as starkly as the breaking of the sixth. When this commandment is violated, the loss of life and the severing of relationships make the consequences of this sin painfully clear. Murder, as a direct violation of the sixth commandment, allows for the compilation of statistics that highlight the vast number of such sins committed. In the United States alone, between 2003 and 2006, there were 66,460 murders, with 16,692 occurring in 2005. Globally, the scale of this problem is immeasurable, but it remains a profound issue for mankind. Abortion, another form of murder, takes the lives of the most innocent and helpless—unborn children. According to available data, approximately 1.37 million babies are aborted each year in the United States, and worldwide, about 126,000 abortions occur daily, equating to 46 million lives lost annually. Suicide, or self-murder, also falls under this commandment's scope, with 32,637 successful cases in the United States in 2005, surpassing the number of murders by others in the same year. Additionally, 815,925 attempted suicides were reported, underscoring the depth of this tragic issue. War represents the most devastating means of violating the sixth commandment, with historical records estimating 500 million deaths across the twenty most destructive conflicts. Modern holy wars, marked by bombings and random acts of violence, further exemplify this sin, as do ongoing conflicts driven by religious or ideological justifications. Despite any rationale, the sixth commandment offers no permission for deliberate killing, not even under the guise of national loyalty or love of country. Our Savior, in addressing the root of this sin, teaches that hostility and hatred in the mind are akin to murder in the eyes of God. If such thoughts are never harbored, no act of murder would occur. He advises against retaliation, urging instead the removal of bitterness from the heart by doing good, as a means to prevent murderous intent. Jesus Himself exemplified this by refusing to retaliate, even in the face of severe personal harm, committing His safety and judgment to His Father. His followers are called to emulate this example, living by faith and refraining from vengeance, as God retains the responsibility to judge.

There is no commandment that shows the effect of sin more immediately than the breaking of the Sixth Commandment. Breaking this commandment leads to separation through loss of life, making a division and producing the evident fruit of sin. Death, the ultimate separation, follows as the wages of sin, though the penalty is not always exacted immediately after the act. The Hebrew of this Sixth Commandment is terse, consisting of two words equivalent to "no killing" or, more specifically, "no murder." Scriptures clarify that it prohibits violent and premeditated killing of one perceived as an enemy, distinguishing premeditated murder from accidental killing. Under certain circumstances, a constituted biblical authority is permitted by God to use the death penalty, as the commandment more literally states "no murder," allowing for justified killing in specific cases. No amount of money or property settlement can atone for the destruction of the image of God in a murdered person. If the death was accidental, the person responsible still had to flee to a city of refuge, with no sanctuary, not even the altar of God, available for a murderer under any circumstance. Legal safeguards throughout the law are designed to protect life, and even though the death penalty existed, it was not easily obtained, with carefulness being the order of the day in court.

God thunders, "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13), yet violence permeates our society, both literally and spiritually. The staggering statistics reveal a murder every 22 minutes in America, totaling 23,760 annually, while suicide claims around 28,000 lives each year. Since 1973, the legalization of abortion has resulted in the deaths of more unborn babies than the combined populations of major cities. God knows the depth of our violence, recording His indictment through Ezekiel, warning of a singular disaster for this end-time generation due to the violent abominations in our midst, with pride budding into violence. God has delegated authority to human governments to regulate relationships and punish murder, including through capital punishment, as seen in His instruction to Noah in Genesis 9:5, demanding a reckoning for lifeblood. This responsibility to protect life includes the serious duty of executing judgment on those guilty of murder, as murder defiles and corrupts the land, producing nothing good. Under the New Covenant, this principle remains unchanged, as Jesus Christ did not abolish the Old Testament death penalty guidelines for civil governments but shifted focus to the motive behind the act, seeking to prevent violence by addressing the attitudes that lead to murder. Jesus traces the roots of murder to anger, hatred, and the spirit of competition and aggression, rooted in self-centered carnality. He warns that even anger, with or without cause, endangers one of breaking this commandment. Expressions of scorn, contempt, or character assassination through words like "raca" or "fool" carry the same deadly weight as the act itself, teaching the degree of wickedness in each sin. Hatred is sin, separating us from God, and He will not accept worship from a heart burdened by grudges. We must make peace quickly, for unresolved wrath and enmity hinder our relationship with Him. Christ's teachings in Matthew 5:21-22 emphasize combating ill-feelings with love, blessing those who persecute us, doing good to enemies, and praying for their welfare to foster mutual love. This unconquerable goodwill, motivated by concern for others' good, overcomes offense and retaliation, reflecting God's image. Our battle is spiritual, fought in the mind against attitudes that form the foundation of literal murder. Hatred destroys fellowship with God and man, and no one with the spirit of murder within can enter His Kingdom. God's love, shed in our hearts, is the solution to this problem, enabling us to progress in His way and overcome the spirit of murder.

The central fact remains that God has declared we must not kill. This principle, rooted in the Sixth Commandment, stands as a clear directive for our conduct. We face a choice to either obey this command or disregard it, and our decision hinges on the strength of our faith in the Bible's explicit teachings and examples. If we adhere to God's commandments and trust in His promises, He will step in to fight our battles on our behalf. Thus, we are never compelled to resort to killing, as our allegiance to God's heavenly Kingdom supersedes involvement in the conflicts of earthly nations.