By Brian Tubbs
If you cheer or endorse the cold-blooded murder of another human being, you better do some serious soul-searching. And yet, based on what I’m seeing on social media, it seems America needs a reminder of the following:
All life is sacred. Accordingly, we should condemn (without equivocation) premeditated murder. If you can’t bring yourself to do that, even when we’re talking about a politician you don’t like or a corporate CEO associated with a controversial industry, then you need a refresher on the Sixth Commandment: “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13, KJV). I remember learning the Ten Commandments as a kid at Trinity Baptist Church — a long time ago. (Yes, I learned it in the good ole King James Version).
I remember thinking, when we got to the Sixth Commandment, “Well, that’s pretty obvious.” As the Apostle Paul says in I Corinthians 13, “When I was a child…”
Today, however, this is not as obvious as it should be. In fact, the more I observe the moral rot in our society—amplified now by social media—the more I see that this principle (once widely respected) is increasingly ignored or outright rejected.
Now, to be clear, the King James translators’ use of the word “kill” has confused some. This isn’t because the KJV is in error. It’s that we’ve become lazy in hermeneutics (especially when it comes to ancient writing). The word for “kill” in Exodus 20:13 (the Sixth Commandment) is “רָצַח” (ratsach), and it means to murder, slay, or kill with premeditation. More contemporary English translations say “murder,” and that’s helped modern readers understand better – since we need things spelled out more and more clearly these days, but that’s for another article. I still like the KJV because the second most important word after “kill” in Exodus 20:13 (KJV) is “thou” (which, of course, means YOU). So, the KJV is saying: YOU shall not kill. In other words — YOU don’t have the right to unilaterally decide that another human being should die.
There are only two entities in Scripture who have the right to take life. One is God. That should be obvious. The other is government, and that is only delegated by God to civil government within conditional parameters. If you are in doubt, read Romans 13:1-7 (and pay close attention to verse 4).
The assassin who murdered Brian Thompson, the CEO of United Healthcare, was not carrying out lawful instructions as an agent of any civil government. He made the decision to take life. And that’s precisely what the Sixth Commandment forbids!
And yet…
Many people today — it seems like hundreds of thousands (when one looks at social media), perhaps millions — are applauding or at least expressing tacit approval for that young man’s actions. Brian Thompson’s life, of course, carries no more or less value than the life of anyone else. Those who die as a result of our flawed healthcare and insurance system are equally as valuable.
All human beings are valuable in the eyes of God.
Therefore, I mourn the loss of any life. And, like most people, I am emotionally more affected by the loss of people I know. This week, the church I am honored to serve is mourning the passing of a longtime member, a dear lady who was a light in this world. Her passing certainly affects me more than that of Brian Thompson.
Nevertheless…
What concerns me enough to write this post is that so many Americans are cheering the murder of a corporate CEO based on grievances they have over healthcare and health insurance.
We now live in a society where more and more people believe murder is justified. When we’re talking about those who are part of or complicit with some industry, system, or movement that they perceive (rightly or wrongly) causes them grief or harm.
No society can survive that!
There’s a reason that the Ten Commandments have long been respected as not just treasured Scripture but as foundational pillars of human civilization itself!
Personally, I think we need all ten! But my focus in this article is on the sixth. That so many people would shamefully suggest approval for murder is deeply chilling.
I’m not writing this as a Republican or Democrat, as a conservative or as a liberal. I’m not writing this as anything but a Christian and an ordinary human being who (to steal a phrase from the Apostle Paul) wants to live a quiet and peaceful life.
If we can’t agree that the Sixth Commandment should be held as sacred and undeniable, then we are doomed as a society.
We need to pray for our country. And we need to get back to loving each other before it’s too late.
Brian Tubbs is the lead pastor of Olney Baptist Church.
Feature photo: Image by Brian Tubbs (via Leondaro AI)