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Chapter 30: The Seventh Commandment

1/21/2019

Questions 137-139 cover the seventh commandment: Thou shalt not commit adultery.

#138: What are the duties required in the seventh commandment?
The duties required in the seventh commandment are, chastity in body, mind, affections, words, and behaviour; and the preservation of it in ourselves and others; watchfulness over the eyes and all the senses; temperance, keeping of chaste company, modesty in apparel; marriage by those that have not the gift of continency, conjugal love, and cohabitation; diligent labour in our callings; shunning all occasions of uncleanness, and resisting temptations thereunto.

#139: What are the sins forbidden in the seventh commandment?
The sins forbidden in the seventh commandment, besides the neglect of the duties
required, are, adultery, fornication, rape, incest, sodomy, and all unnatural lusts; all unclean imaginations, thoughts, purposes, and affections; all corrupt or filthy communications, or listening thereunto; wanton looks, impudent or light behaviour, immodest apparel; prohibiting of lawful, and dispensing with unlawful marriages;
allowing, tolerating, keeping of stews, and resorting to them; entangling vows of single life, undue delay of marriage; having more wives and husbands than one at the same time; unjust divorce, or desertion; idleness, gluttony, drunkenness, unchaste company; lascivious songs, books, pictures, dancings, stage plays; and all other provocations to, or acts of uncleanness, either in ourselves or others.

He begins by briefly discussing the wording of the commandment:

The Hebrew word translated “to commit adultery” indicates that a person, married or unmarried, has sexual intercourse with a married person, thereby destroying the faithfulness and the marriage of his/her neighbor. This is such a heinous sin and violent assault on the family that God calls it a capital crime...This also applies to engaged people as well... (704)

Furthermore, rape is also considered a capital crime in the Bible... (705)

However, although fornication, i.e., sexual intercourse between two unmarried people, if consented to by both parties, is immoral and sinful, it is not a capital crime... (705)

What is the difference between adultery and fornication? The status of the woman or man involved: Was he/she married or engaged? Did he/she belong to another person by marriage covenant? Adultery, then, is not a crime against property. It is a crime against the marriage covenant and against the family. An adulterer destroys two marriages: his own and that of his neighbor. Above all, it is a crime against our faithful God who never breaks His covenant. (705)

The Seventh Commandment, as other commandments, mentions only one sin, but one that includes a wide range of other sins of the same species; in this case, because all sexual relationships in some way or another are related to the marriage covenant and the family. (706)

What are the presuppositions of the seventh commandment?

Two fundamental truths are presupposed by the Seventh Commandment. First, it presupposes that God is faithful to the covenant bond He establishes with His people in Christ. Second, marriage is an institution of God. (707)

[1] God is Our Faithful Covenant God:
The story of God’s relationship to His covenant people has romance about it. In the Old Testament that relationship is described as a bond of eternal intimacy and solidarity in which the Lord is the Husband and Israel is His wife. The love He has for her is completely undeserved. When she rebelled against Him, she is described as having committed spiritual and moral adultery. In the New Testament that relationship is pictured as a marriage bond in which Jesus Christ is the loving and self-sacrificing Bridegroom and the Church is the submissive Bride. God is always faithful to His Bride even when she is unfaithful to Him. (707)

[2] Marriage is an Institution of God:
Marriage originated with God (Gen. 1:28; 2:18–25) and therefore has a sanctity that must be respected by everyone: “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral” (Heb. 13:4, NIV). (709)

Adam says, “She is bone of my bones,—(the structure of my being is the structure of her being.” “Flesh of my flesh”—(‘the very life of me is the life of her; I find myself, I realize myself in terms of her.’) We are one-flesh. (709)

Furthermore, each partner has a divinely assigned role toward the other according to Eph. 5:22–33. The husband is to be the loving, faithful and self-sacrificing head of the woman and the wife is to be the loving, faithful and submissive helpmeet to the man.
Sexual unfaithfulness in marriage causes those roles to break down, breaks apart the bones and cuts the flesh of the one-flesh union...Unchastity in any form is an act of treason against the covenant God and against the marriage partner. (709-710)

According to the Bible, marriage has a fivefold purpose. First, marriage is a means to the end of global dominion under God (Gen. 1:28). ....
Second, marriage was instituted by God for intimate companionship (Gen. 2:18; Ps. 68:6). ....
Third, in marriage is the completion of the Divine image. Man and woman in marriage, two persons sharing one life in God’s image, complete the picture intended by the image of God. ...
Fourth, marriage was instituted by God for procreation and replenishing the earth with godly generations. ....
Fifth, marriage is intended to be a living illustration of the intimate and loving relationship between Jesus Christ and His Church, as husbands relate to their wives the way Christ relates to His Church, and as wives relate to their husbands the way the Church is to relate to Christ. (710-712)

Marital love and marital sexuality are not the impoverishing of life. Rather, they are well-springs of joy and health to a married person’s life (Prov. 5:15–20). This joy is seen in the fulfilling of the purpose of marital love and marital sexuality.
First, marital love and marital sexuality are creative. ...
Second, they are recreative. They are used by God, not only to establish this “one flesh union,” but also to assist in sustaining and nourishing it, thus making marital sexuality a renewing power in marriage. ...
Third, they are procreative. (712-713)

A self-contained, self-sufficient male or female does not exist. The life of woman is ordered, related to and directed to that of the man and of man to the woman: “Man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake.… However, in the Lord, neither is woman independent of man, nor is man independent of woman” (1 Cor. 11:9, 11). (713-714)

"Marriage is the consummation of a growing relationship of love and personal commitment; it is the consummation of two people’s commitment to a life together. Similarly, sexual intercourse is the consummation of a growing physical intimacy.
In God’s design, these twin consummations are meant to converge at the point of marriage. The commitment of love is matched by the commitment of sexual intimacy." 14. Dwight H. Small, Christian, Celebrate Your Sexuality, 177. (714)

While marriage is the God-ordained sexual relationship between man and woman, it cannot be understood simply in terms of sex. Sex is but one aspect of marriage. Therefore, we must avoid two errors many today have in their attitude toward sexuality. (1) It is a necessary and embarrassing evil that must be suppressed and covered up as much as possible....(2) It is the essence of marriage with God-like powers. This is to overspiritualize, over-glamorize and to mysticize sexuality. (714)

Proverbs 5:16–17 pictures the evil of wasting one’s sexuality on another person outside of marriage: “Should your springs be dispersed abroad, streams of water in the streets? Let them be yours alone, and not for strangers with you.” These verses also forbid becoming emotionally entangled with and marrying “strangers,” i.e., non-Christians, including people who profess to be Christians, but who are “strangers” to a Christian way of life: “by their fruits you shall know them.” (715)

The person who gives himself/herself to immorality will: (1) Be enslaved by his own
sinful appetites; (2) Be held down by the chains of his sinful lusts; (3) Die in guilty ignorance; and (4) As a fool, go astray from God. (715)

So then, how can someone avoid immorality and marital unfaithfulness:
• Develop a great dread and detestation of immorality.
• Be diligent in avoiding everything that may be an occasion of unchastity or a step toward it.
• Keep watch on your own heart and mind; and do not be confident of your own strength and determination.
• Trust in the power of the indwelling Spirit of Christ to enable you to resist sexual temptations and to keep you pure.
• Whatever has become a snare to you or an occasion to sin, be willing to “pluck it out” and part with it, even if it is most dear to you, rather than hazard your own soul (Matt. 5:28–30).
• Stay in a close and abiding relationship to Jesus Christ and His Church.
• Keep saturating yourself in the Word of God.
• If you are married, be diligent in loving your wife/husband. (715-716)

An important benefit of faithful marital love and sexuality is physical, mental, emotional and spiritual pleasure...
Marital sexuality is parabolic (Eph. 5:23–24).....
• Marital sexuality is symbolic. ....
• Marital sexuality is communicative. ...
• Marital sexuality is a gift from God and must be received with thanksgiving and used responsibly as a stewardship.
• Marital sexuality is an offering to God. ... (716-717)

God takes great delight in observing Christian married partners “making love” with each other, therefore, we must love each other as marrieds before the eye of God, diligently and to His glory, remembering that it is “more blessed to give than to receive.” If we cannot smile on marital sexuality, our perspective is not that of God’s. (717)

Therefore, we must consider the desires of our married partner above our own desires or lack thereof. (717)

What are the duties required by the seventh commandment?

Chastity in Body, Mind, Affections, Words, and Behavior:
Chastity in body, mind, affections, words and behavior begins with chastity in the heart—“For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders” (Matt. 15:19). If our minds, affections and desires are to be morally pure, our hearts must be purified by the sanctifying work of the
Holy Spirit, our fervent love for Christ, and our disciplined obedience to the truth of God: “Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart” (1 Pet. 1:22). (718-719)

The original meaning of the Greek word for chastity was “what awakens awe.” It came to mean “moral purity” (2 Cor. 6:6; 1 John 3:3; 1 Tim. 4:12; 5:2, 22; James 3:17); “innocence” (2 Cor. 7:11); and “chastity” (2 Cor. 11:2). (719)

A “chaste” person, then, is someone who is morally pure, decent, modest, virtuous, abstaining from unlawful sexual thoughts and behavior. (719)

We are to abstain from sexual immorality physically, mentally and emotionally....In this way, Christians are distinguished from non-Christians “whose god is their appetite” (Phil. 3:19). “Immorality,” pornea in Greek, is a noun that covers all forms of illicit sexual activity and involvement. (720)

Paul is teaching the church that the whole question of sexual relationships must be viewed in the light of the fact that the physical body of the Christian belongs to Christ, not to the Christian (1 Cor. 6:13–15, 19–20). (721)

“Possess” denotes mastery over one’s body and its God-given appetites and desires. We are to keep our bodies pure, with a modest countenance and chaste behavior in all our relationships: “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7:1). (721)

The reasons sexual immorality must be shunned and rejected are set forth in 1 Thess. 4:6–8:
(1) [v. 6a] It “transgresses,” i.e., goes beyond and overreaches the boundaries God has placed on life; therefore it “defrauds” another of his or her rights. ...
(2) [v. 6b] The Lord is the avenger in these issues; He takes action against these sins. ...
(3) [v. 7] Sexual immorality is a contradiction of the whole character of the Christian life: “God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification.” ...
(4) [v. 8] Sexual immorality is a sin against the Holy Spirit of God. (722-723)

It is true that “bad company corrupts good morals” (1 Cor. 15:33) (NASB); and it is equally true that “evil communications corrupt good manners” (KJV). The point is that unchaste language undermines good morals. (724)

The Preservation of Chastity in Ourselves and Others:
Not only should we diligently preserve chastity in ourselves, by avoiding all immorality and by marrying, if the opportunity allows; but we must also seek to preserve chastity in others. The best way for preserving our own and our neighbor’s chastity is “the cherishing in our minds and consciences of a continual regard, reverence and awe of the divine Majesty, and a fear of displeasing him, Prov. v:20, 21.” 28. Fisher, Fisher’s Catechism, 110. (725)

Watchfulness over our Eyes and All Other Senses

Temperance:
Temperance had reference to “self-control” and self-discipline in contrast to over-indulgence, i.e., giving freedom to one’s appetites, desires, and passions without restraint. (728)

Keeping Chaste Company:
The Bible reminds us time and again that, if we are to remain chaste, we must closely associate only with chaste people because “bad company corrupts good morals” (1 Cor. 15:33). (729)

Therefore, as much as possible, avoid those who would encourage you to sin for pleasure (Prov. 1:15; 5:8; 1 Cor. 6:18); and stay in the company of good people (Prov. 2: 20). (730)

Modesty in Apparel:
In 1 Timothy 2:9, the Greek word translated “modest” in the KJV (“proper” in the NASB), means “respectable” and “honorable” in contrast to immodest and indiscreet. Paul’s point is that women must dress in a way that is consistent with their Christian profession and life. (730)

The word translated “discreetly” (NASB) or “sobriety” (NASB) carries the idea of “good judgment, moderation, self-control, decency, chastity.” (731)

Excess and sensuality—both of these bear on modesty. Christian women (and men, for that matter) must self-consciously control their hearts and passions, instead of arraying themselves elaborately, expensively, and/or sensuously. If they are modest, they will not draw attention to themselves in the wrong way. Their dress
will not say “SEX!” or “PRIDE!” or “MONEY!,” but “purity,” “humility,” and “moderation.” (732)

Marriage By Those That Have Not the Gift of Continency:
God has given some people “continence” with reference to sexual issues. “Continence” or “continency” is the ability to restrain the passion for sexual intimacy and intercourse. If a person does not have this self-control, he or she should marry and not live a single life, because “it is better to marry than to burn.” (733)

Conjugal Love:
Sexual relations are “due” each other within marriage, because the body is not one’s possession to do with what he/ she will, it belongs to the spouse. (734)

According to verse 5, married couples may not abstain from sexual relations unless by common consent and only then under three conditions: (1) Both must agree to it; (2) It must be for a set time, and not for a long or indefinite time; and (3) It must be for the purpose of devoting themselves to prayer. Any other sexual “separation” amounts to defrauding one another. (735)

Cohabitation:
Just as wives are to be submissive to their husbands in the Lord (1 Pet. 3:5, 6), “likewise” husbands are to be submissive to Christ and to His lordship over their lives. The Lord’s two-fold mandate to husbands is: (1) “Live with your wives in an understanding way;” and (2) “Grant her honor as a fellow-heir of the grace of life.” It should be obvious that these two mandates are necessarily interrelated. (735)

1] The Greek word translated “live with” denotes “to cohabit,” “to live together as husband and wife,” “to live chastely with your wives, cohabiting with them alone.” The point is that God is calling upon husbands to make a home for their wives in which they live with their wives.
This exhortation has several implications. (1) Each marriage should have its own home and dwelling place....2) Husbands, as well as wives, should ordinarily and habitually dwell in the same house. A wife’s primary and most exalted duty is to be a “keeper at home.” Husbands, too, are bound, as much as is possible, to make their house their home and special dwelling place....A husband who is much away from home has great difficulty in discharging his family responsibilities—family worship, family instruction, family discipline, family surveillance. When a married man voluntarily and unnecessarily spends his evenings away from home, the home is put at risk.
To “live with your wife” is to spend time with her as your chosen companion and closest friend. ...
He will live with his wife “in an understanding way” or “according to knowledge.” The husband’s relation with his wife should be in harmony with and governed by knowledge derived from the Word of God in communion with God, which deepens communion with his wife. He must understand the Bible, his wife and himself so he
will not injure his wife in any way, but bless her and make her a blessing. The whole context of marriage should be one of “knowing” each other in the full, Biblical sense of the word (Gen. 4:1).
The husband must live with his wife “as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman.” “Weaker” is a comparative adjective, indicating that both husband and wife are weak instruments used by God for His purposes: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves” (2 Cor. 4:7). The greater weakness of the wife does not
imply inferiority and it is not derogatory. ...
"The wife may be considered weak because of her role as wife. She, by marrying, has accepted a position where she submits herself to her husband. Such a position is vulnerable, open to exploitation. The husband is commanded not to take advantage
of the woman’s vows of submission." 47. Susan T. Foh, Women and the Word of God: A Biblical Response to Feminism (Presbyterian and Reformed, 1980), 133. (736-737)

2] Wives are to “reverence” their husbands (Eph. 5:33), and husbands are to grant their wives “honor” (1 Pet. 3:7). They are continually and habitually to show them respect and to treat them with honor, dignity and love. To honor your wife is to have and to manifest a deep respect for her, not berating, despising, exasperating, frustrating or grieving her; not revealing her weaknesses and shortcomings to others, not being quick to see and criticize them yourself; but hiding her shortcomings from the eyes of others, as well as from your own eyes by love; never criticizing her more than love requires, and even then, in gentleness that flows from love.
The reason husbands should show their wives honor as they live with them is because they and their wives are “heirs together of the grace of life.” (737-738)

Christian husbands and wives believe in the same Savior, are redeemed by the same blood, live by the same grace, follow the same rule, filled with the same Spirit, members of the same Body, heirs of the same promises, and look forward to the same eternal destiny. To be fellow heirs of that grace of God that gives and enhances life in Christ is the highest position to which poor mortals may rise; and it is this spiritual height that prompts mutual honoring. (738)

Diligent Labor in our Callings:
How is diligent labour in our callings required of us by the Seventh Commandment forbidding sexual immorality?...Thomas Watson answers: “Take heed of idleness.
When a man is out of a calling, he is ready to receive any temptation. We do not sow seed in fallow-ground; but the devil sows most seed of temptation in such as lie fallow.”48...Men and women, both, like the “Proverbs 31 woman,” should diligently labor in their callings as husband and wife, father and mother, and never “eat the
bread of idleness” so married partners will trust each other and place the welfare and holiness of the family above their own pleasures and desires. 48. Watson, Body of Divinity, 338. (739)

Shunning Occasions of Uncleanness and Resisting Temptations:
If we do not give careful attention to the Word of God and to parental instruction
based on that Word, we will have neither the knowledge nor the power to resist the strong temptations of immorality. And if we do not resist immorality, it can kill us physically, emotionally, mentally, socially, spiritually and eternally. (740)

What are the sins forbidden in the seventh commandment?

Neglect of the Duties Required

Adultery:
Adultery is a crime of such heinousness that its only just punishment is death (Lev. 20:10; Deut. 22:22), because it is a vicious assault on marriage and family, and on God’s moral and social order. (743)

Whereas all pre- and non-marital sexual intercourse is forbidden, adultery is especially abhorrent.
Biblical Law is designed to encourage and protect marriage and family. Therefore a central offense against God and society is to strike at the integrity of marriage and the life of the family. (744)

Fornication:
One thing is certain from 1 Corinthians 6:9–10: fornicators do not go to heaven unless they repent of their sinful way of life and are cleansed of their immoral lifestyle by the power of the Holy Spirit... (744)

Fleeing immorality is not a mindless reaction; rather, because we understand its nature, heinousness and danger, we are to run away from it. (745)

Rape:
Rape is a capital crime for the rapist, but not for the victim. According to this law, rape is a capital crime because it is comparable to murder. A woman is raped contrary to her will in the same way that a person is murdered contrary to his will. (746)

Incest:
Marriage makes the husband and wife “one flesh” (Gen. 2:24). A husband and a wife become one legally, covenantally and in love. This unity between man and woman in marriage is the basis of these laws forbidding incest. ...
Marriage creates a “vertical” or “lineal” relationship in children, and a “horizontal” or “collateral” relationship between spouses. (748)

It is highly significant that the Westminster Standards use Leviticus 18 for support of their statement on incest. This shows that our Westminster fathers believed that these laws are still in effect and of abiding authority today. (748)

The reasons these laws forbidding incest are as valid today as they were when they were first written is that they are grounded, first, in the nature of the relationship and union of the husband and wife as “one flesh” (Lev. 18:16), and second, in the relation of blood between members of the same family (Lev. 18:10)....Therefore, because incest is an assault on marriage and family, it is considered by God to be a capital crime. (749)

Sodomy and all Unnatural Lusts:
Leviticus 20:13 and 18:22 are explicit in their condemnation of homosexuality. Its portrayal of homosexual activity is unmistakable. Such activity is said to be “detestable” or “abominable,” which is a term of strong disapproval, in Hebrew, of something that is intrinsically evil (e.g., Prov. 6:16). The death penalty is attached to this prohibition. (750)

As one would expect, the Bible also condemns and forbids bestiality. This filthy act is also an abominable attempt to pervert God’s moral order, an assault on marriage and family, and a transgression of God’s boundaries between man and animal; therefore, it remains a capital crime for human and animal. (752)

All Unclean Imaginations, Thoughts, Purposes, and Affections:
Environmental influences are powerful, but we are accountable regarding how we let them influence us. Jesus said that we are not what our environment makes us; we are what our heart makes us. It is what proceeds out of the heart that determines our behavior....If this battle is to be won, the believer must perseveringly resist unclean imaginations, thoughts, purposes and affections, which resistance he can do because of the power of the Holy Spirit within him....The Holy Spirit has made us new people and He has taken up residence in us to help us say No! decisively to sinful desires. For this reason, we will have success in “putting to death the deeds of the body.” (753)

Corrupt and Filthy Communications:
Fornication and everything that leads to it must not only be avoided by Christians, such things must not even be the theme of our conversations with each other, because such filthy communications are not “proper among saints,” whom God has separated from the world and consecrated to be holy as He is holy. Our conversations must not contain any “filthiness and silly talk or coarse jesting,” i.e., obscenities, whatever is morally hateful, or that which is revolting in that it excites disgust, either physical or moral. (754)

Wanton Looks:
One of the sins for which God severely punished Israel, was the immoral behavior, immodest apparel, sensual dancing and “seductive eyes” of the women of Israel....They are looks and gestures that are designed to stir up sexual lust in another person. “One also commits fornication with the eyes if, by ogling and casting lewd glances, one seeks to allure others to commit fornication.” 65. Wilhelmus á Brakel, The Christian’s Reasonable Service, trans. by Bartel Elshout, 4 vols. (Pittsburg, PA: Soli Deo Gloria, 1994), 3:208. (755)

Impudent and Light Behavior; Immodest Apparel

Prohibiting Lawful Marriages:
The apostle Paul condemns the prohibiting of lawful marriages in the strongest terms imaginable. (758)

Paul is condemning and refuting all forms of Dualism, the idea that physical desires and material things are base and morally contaminating; and that spiritual, contemplative, and heavenly concerns are good and uplifting. Therefore, to be holy, one must suppress and deny physical desires and needs, e.g., the sexual desire and the need for pleasure, in order to spend one’s entire life focusing on the spiritual, intellectual and heavenly things. Dualism has manifested itself detrimentally in the church in ascetic Gnosticism in the early church, monasticism in the medieval church, Pietism shortly after the Dawn of the Protestant Reformation, and much of Fundamentalism in the 20th and 21st centuries. All of these forms of dualism have their roots in Greek Neo-Platonism, which has its roots in Persian Zoroastarianism. Asceticism and monasticism considered marriage and sexuality as a morally inferior way of life to single hood and celibacy. Pietism and Fundamentalism have by their unbiblical lists of do’s and don’ts, characterized largely by a distaste for the physical, material and pleasurable, have left the impression that enjoying God-given and physical appetites and desires, and of material things and the pleasures of this life, is “worldly” and a distraction from “spiritual things” and thinking about heaven. (758-759)

Genesis 1:31a refutes all these forms of Dualism: “And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.”...God instituted marriage for companionship and pleasure. God placed the sexual desires in the human being to be enjoyed in marriage. (759)

Dispensing with Unlawful Marriages:
...the Seventh Commandment is transgressed when marriages forbidden by God’s Law are allowed and condoned by family, church or state. (761)

The question is what does the Bible identify as unlawful marriages?
First, marriages with unbelievers are forbidden by God.. ..
Second, marriages within the degrees of sanguinity and affinity defined in Leviticus 18 and 20 are forbidden by God (WCF, XXIV, iv). ...
Third, marriages of daughters without the permission and approval of their fathers are forbidden by God....
Fourth, same-sex marriages are forbidden by God (Lev. 18:22; Rom. 1:26–27). ...
Fifth, marriage by the guilty party after a just divorce is forbidden by God (Matt. 5:31–32). ...
Sixth, remarriage of parties in an original marriage, after divorce and the end of a second marriage by one party (Deut. 24:1–4) is forbidden by God. ...
Seventh, marriage by someone incapable of fulfilling all the conjugal duties required by marriage (Matt.19:1–12) is forbidden by God. ...
Eighth, marriage is only allowed for those who are able with judgment to give their consent (WCF, XXIV, iii). ...
Ninth, such as profess the true reformed religion should not marry with infidels, Papists, or other idolaters: neither should such as are godly be unequally yoked, by marrying with such as are notoriously wicked in their life, or maintain damnable heresies (WCF, XXIV, iii). ...
Tenth, polygamous marriages are forbidden by God (Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:5–6, 9).
(761-764)

Allowing, Tolerating, Keeping of Stews and Resorting to Them:
So then, not only should a person not be a prostitute, he or she should not resort to prostitutes. A nation should not even allow a brothel to exist or to tolerate its existence. The full force of family, church, state and society should be used to eradicate them. (765)

Entangling Vows of Single Life:
The point is that, normally, people ought not to make entangling vows of single life, unless they are physically incapable of fulfilling their conjugal duties to their spouse, or unless they have the gift of continence, and have dedicated themselves completely to the spread of the gospel in difficult and hazardous situations. Otherwise, it is more beneficial for a man or woman to marry. (767)

Undue Delay of Marriage:
If a man and a woman have all the prerequisites for marriage, are willing to love each other all their lives, are willing to solve life’s problems together God’s way, and have found that they are better Christians together than either is single, they should marry as soon as is reasonable, “for it is better to marry than to burn.” (768)

Polygamy:
Polygamy is having more wives or husbands than one at the same time (Mal. 2:14). It is a perversion of the original intent for marriage instituted at the beginning of the human race by God: one man and one woman in one flesh (Gen. 2:22–25; Matt. 19:5, 6). (769)

Unjust Divorce:
To understand divorce from a Biblical perspective we must always view it in the light of: (1) The authority and sufficiency of the Bible (2 Tim. 3:16–17); (2) The indissolubility of the marriage bond (Gen. 2:24); and (3) The centrality of reconciliation (Col. 3:12–15). And, as we shall see, some divorces are just and some are unjust. It should also be pointed out that divorce is not commanded or made mandatory, neither is it encouraged; but it is permitted as God’s legal way of dealing with sin. (769-770)

This provision is necessary because of the entrance of sin into the human race. We no longer live in a sinless world. Some hearts are as hard as rock. (770)

The law of God is addressed to men and women who love that law (Ps. 119), i.e., to covenant-keepers who want to please God by obedience to His law. Therefore, if a woman “finds no favor in his eyes,” it is with reference to the husband’s holy standards of the law, and not to his caprice. (771)

By requiring a formal bill of divorce presented to the guilty party, makes mandatory, on purpose, a cumbersome legal process, full of technicalities, including: a serious charge for divorce; a writ of separation for a woman’s protection; the involvement of a public official who might also have to judge the adequacy of the alleged grounds for divorce; and a formal dismissal. (771)

The resuming of a marriage that ends in divorce, after an intervening marriage, represents an abomination to God because the intervening marriage was a defilement. (771)

Jesus’ response to the Pharisees was threefold. (1) He endorsed the permanence of marriage. (2) He confirmed the full details of Deuteronomy 24:1–4...He teaches us that the marriage union is so inviolable that only “fornication,” i.e., sexual immorality, can qualify as grounds for breaking it....And (3) Jesus calls remarriage after divorce, save for the one exception, adultery. (773)

Paul says that divorce is permitted on the irremedial desertion of an unbelieving spouse, or at least, acting like an unbeliever. No separation other than divorce is allowed (7:10, 11). Furthermore, divorce places a man and a woman in the condition they were in prior to their marriage, and it implies the possibility, in some cases, of remarriage. (774)

“Fornication” must include malicious, irremediable desertion of the unbelieving spouse. In 1 Corinthians 7:15, Paul establishes desertion by an unbeliever as a legitimate cause of divorce, or else we must assume that Jesus and Paul contradict each other. (774)

Desertion:
Although Christians and forbidden to marry unbelievers, once such a marriage takes place, the Christian has no right or obligation to dissolve the marriage because his/her partner is an unbeliever, as long as the unbeliever wants the Christian partner to remain in the marriage. ...The reason is two-fold: (1) The sanctifying effect the believer can have on the unbeliever; and (2) The holy position of any children. In a marriage in which one parent is a Christian, the children belong to the Lord, are to be considered children of the covenant and have the right to be baptized. (775)

If one marriage partner acts like an unbeliever...regardless of what he professes (because faith without works is dead), and abandons his/her role as husband or wife, which is what desertion really is (which means that it is possible for one spouse to desert the other without leaving their house), then the believing partner is not obligated to remain in the bondage of that broken marriage, and is free to leave that marriage by divorce. Being the innocent party in the divorce, he/she, therefore, is free to remarry. (776)

Idleness, Gluttony, Drunkenness:
Idleness, gluttony and drunkenness are often occasions and incentives to immorality. Idleness is a deliberate wasting of our precious time, and as we are correctly told “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop” (Prov. 7:7, 8). Drunkenness “deforms the image of God in the soul, by divesting a man of the right use of his reason; it leaves him defenseless against all temptations,”83 e.g., immorality. 83. Fisher, Fisher’s Catechism, 116. (777)

Gluttony is often linked with drunkenness in the Bible (Prov. 23:21; Matt. 11:19); and drunkenness is often linked to immorality (Rom. 13:13; Gal. 5:21). In fact, gluttony in the Bible is far worse than merely overeating. Gluttony is a capital crime! (778)

So then, the phrase, “a glutton and a drunkard” was
"a reference to a worthless, vile person who drank too much and fornicated. This is why the Westminster Larger Catechism lists “gluttony” right next to “drunkenness” as a violation of the seventh commandment, against adultery, footnoting Prov. 23:30–33 (KJV).… Obviously, they saw the essence of gluttony to be vileness and fornication, not overeating." 85. Boer, “Regardless of What You Have Heard, Overeating is Not the Sin of Gluttony,” 7. (778-779)

Unchaste Compnay

Lascivious Songs, Books, Pictures, Dancings, Stage Plays:
A brief analysis of pornography will show that it has a revolutionary purpose.
First, pornography hates Biblical morality. ...
Second,
"pornography sees a tremendous appeal in moral evil. Morality is seen as tedious and confining, as utterly boring and restrictive, whereas evil is portrayed as man’s liberation." 98 ...
Third,
"for the pornographer morality is death. To confine men and women to the prisonhouse of morality, marriage, law, and order is seen as equivalent to a sentence of death. Since evil is life, morality is logically death, and this is the religious faith of pornography. The gospel for man is thus evil; sin is the way of salvation, the way to life and liberty.…" 99 ....
Fourth,
"pornography manifests a hostility to the very idea of law and morality..." 100 ...
Fifth, a definite link exists between pornography and totalitarianism. ...
Sixth,
"the politics of pornography is a moral anarchism whose purpose is revolution, a revolution against Christian civilization." 102
98. Rushdoony, Law and Society, 17.
99. Rushdoony, Law and Society, 17.
100. Rushdoony, Law and Society, 17–18.
102. Rushdoony, Law and Society, 19.
(787-789)

All Other Provocations to, or Acts of Uncleanness in Ourselves and Others

There are two Appendixes to this chapter. One on Levirate Marriage (a subject I confess I have never actually fully grasped) and Sexual Intercourse and Menstruation. Extremely briefly then:

[1] Levirate Marriage:
The purpose of this levirate law was: (1) To protect and preserve the godly family; (2) To preserve property and inheritance in the family; and (3) To carry on the deceased father’s name. ...
Also, (4) The levirate institution provided for the widow’s future welfare and security. (792)

[2] Sex and Menstruation:
John Calvin, Matthew Henry and R. J. Rushdoony consider this prohibition to be morally binding in all ages. ...
While Calvin’s counsel is taken to heart, others have pointed out that that which made a woman ceremonially unclean in the Old Testament was the loss of blood (Lev. 12:1–8) as well as other bodily discharges (Lev. 15) because “the life is in the blood.”....The point is that Old Testament rituals of the sacrificial system are not morally binding on the Christian; however, he is to seek to understand the particular gospel principle symbolized in the rituals of that system.
One thing is certain: in marital sexuality anything that is morally abhorrent, aesthetically repulsive or indelicate, unpleasant or humiliating or hurtful to either partner is contrary to true marital love. (974)

And thus concludes Chapter 30...

Racheal

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Chapter 29: The Sixth Commandment

1/13/2019

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I forget the last time I typed up my Authentic Christianity notes...I think it's been several chapters ago at this point I think (due in part to the fact that I have pretty much stopped turning my computer on on Sunday's), so I'm not going to try to catch up on them, but just pick back up here. I read the entire chapter today (it was a short one--under 100 pages), so here's the whole of my notes.

The sixth commandment: Thou shalt not kill.

The Larger Catechism covers this command in questions 134-136:

Q. 135: What are the duties required in the sixth commandment?
The duties required in the sixth commandment are, all careful studies, and lawful endeavours, to preserve the life of ourselves and others by resisting all thoughts and purposes, subduing all passions, and avoiding all occasions, temptations, and practices, which tend to the unjust taking away the life of any; by just defence thereof against violence, patient bearing of the hand of God, quietness of mind, cheerfulness of spirit; a sober use of meat, drink, physic, sleep, labour, and recreations; by charitable thoughts, love, compassion, meekness, gentleness, kindness; peaceable, mild and courteous speeches and behaviour; forbearance, readiness to be reconciled, patient bearing and forgiving of injuries, and requiting good for evil; comforting and succouring the distressed, and protecting and defending the innocent.

Q. 136: What are the sins forbidden in the sixth commandment?
The sins forbidden in the sixth commandment are, all taking away the life of ourselves, or of others, except in case of public justice, lawful war, or necessary defence; the neglecting or withdrawing the lawful and necessary means of preservation of life; sinful anger, hatred, envy, desire of revenge; all excessive passions, distracting cares; immoderate use of meat, drink, labour, and recreations; provoking words, oppression, quarreling, striking, wounding, and whatsoever else tends to the destruction of the life of any.

Dr. Morecraft starts us out with expounding on the wording of the command itself:

This commandment is concerned with unlawful killing, the unjust taking of the life of a human being, “killing that violates justice.” 1. J. Douma, The Ten Commandments: Manual for the Christian Life, trans.by Nelson D. Kloosteman (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishers, 1996), 214. (630)

Unlawful killing is a better translation of rasah than murder, which usually refers to the intentional, premeditated and unjust taking of human life. (630)

What is the presupposition of this command?

Here [Gen. 9:5-7] we find the divine establishment of capital punishment for the unlawful killing of human beings. Human life is to be protected by the civil government because it is the image of God. The unlawful killing of a human being is so heinous that it deserves capital punishment precisely because it is a direct assault on the image of God in man, and therefore, an assault on God Himself....Man is not free to do as he wishes. His life must be regulated by the Law of God and that Law must be enforced by the civil government (Rom. 13:1–7). (632)

"Saying no to death means saying yes to life. And this yes is just as radical as our no. We have not arrived if we simply avoid killing or hating our neighbor, for the opposite of these is that we must love our neighbor." 9 Douma, The Ten Commandments, 231. (634)

The duties required by the command are many...

All Careful Studies and Lawful Endeavors to Preserve the Life of Ourselves:
Obeying the Sixth Commandment includes taking care of ourselves physically, doing what we can to stay in good health.
"This includes every form of human research and planning directed toward the preservation of life. For example, it includes such varied matters as scientific investigation of the causes and prevention of diseases, studies in chemistry directed
toward discovering drugs which will save life or prevent suffering, plans for preventing traffic accidents on the highways…agricultural research by which the productivity of the soil can be increased, and development of swift and efficient means of communication by which quick relief can be brought to the suffering in time of disaster such as earthquake, fire, or flood." 10. Johannes Vos, The Westminster Larger Catechism: A Commentary, ed. by G. I. Williamson (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing Co., 2002), 362. (635)

All Careful Studies and Lawful Endeavors to Preserves the Life of Others:
(I Kings 18:3-4) At the risk of his own life, and motivated by an appreciation of the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah “hid them by fifties in a cave, and provided them
with bread and water.” (636)

Resisting all Thoughts and Purposes Which Tend Toward Unjust Taking of Life:
The Sixth Commandment gets down to the root of the matter, the cause of all unlawful killing: wrong, unloving attitudes, desires and goals in the heart. As a person thinks in his heart, so is he. (636)

Subduing all Passions Which Tend Toward Unjust Taking of Life:
These three interrelated exhortations are based on four assumptions. (1) Not all anger is sinful (Mark 3:5). (2) Sinful anger in the heart is a murderous emotion (Matt. 5:21–26). (3) Sin is ambitious. It always attempts to go as far as it can and turn every sinful thought into a sinful action. (4) Satan is always seeking someone to devour....Because anger, if left alone and un-dealt-with, easily and quickly degenerates. Anger, resentment, hatred, envy are fully capable of expressing themselves in murder. (637-638)

Avoiding all Occasions Which Tend Toward Unjust Taking of Life:
This law of God, which is a practical application of the Sixth Commandment, presupposes a general liability principle that demands safety in building construction. The point is that “[a] property owner [has]…a general responsibility to remove occasions of hurt to legitimate persons on his land or in his home.” 12. Rousas J. Rushdoony, Institutes of Biblical Law (The Craig Press, 1973), 252. (638)

Avoiding Temptations and Practices Which Tend Toward Unjust Taking of Life:
We learned from Larger Catechism Q. 99 that under one sin or duty, all of the same kind are forbidden or commanded; together with all the causes, means, occasions, and appearances thereof, and provocations thereunto. This means that any thought or choice on our part that leads to an overt transgression of a commandment is a transgression of the commandment, e.g., if immorality is sinful,
then entering a pornography store is also. The same is true of succumbing to temptations or placing temptations in the paths of others that would lead to or tend toward the unjust taking of life or the diminishing of life. (639)

Just Defense Against Violence:
...God calls upon us to redress and rectify wrongs and injustices committed against the defenseless by those who oppress the disadvantaged, whether they are thugs, vandals, landlords, politicians or judges. In fact, we are commanded to do what is necessary and what is Biblical to “rescue” and “deliver” them from their oppressors,
literally, “to carry away safe” and “to cause to escape.” This is particularly the function of the civil government, i.e., to protect, defend and do justice to the defenseless. (640)

The laws of the liability of the bystander, which is a practical application of the Sixth Commandment, reinforces this duty (Deut. 22:1–4, 24; Luke 10:29–37). These laws, along with Proverbs 24:11–12, give citizens a measure of police power.
....
(Of course, this God-given police power of the citizenry must not be misused, nor used in a rash, impatient or unbiblical fashion.)
(641)

Patient Bearing of the Hand of God:
Impatience with and complaining against God’s providence can bring down on our lives His judgment. Furthermore, impatience with God’s hand, rooted in unbelief and self-love, produces bitterness, anxiety and worry, which in turn lead to stress-related illnesses and the shortening or diminishing of health and life, hence a transgression of the Sixth Commandment. (642)

Quietness of Mind:
Making it our ambition to lead a quiet life attending to our callings and working with our hands to the glory of God as believers enables us to live a quiet life with quietness of mind. Such a life of tranquility, quietness, peace, godliness and dignity enhances life and therefore is our duty under the Sixth Commandment. (642)

It is only when we are resting in the Lord in faith, trusting His promises and persevering in obeying His Word that we are able to keep from fretting over prosperous evil-doers...These soul destroying attitudes are also body-destroying if they are left to simmer and boil within us. They have the potential of destroying spiritual and physical life. (643)

Cheerfulness of Spirit:
The body of a human being is influenced by his state of mind, therefore, we can speak of psychosomatic illnesses. Many people who are physically sick have made themselves sick by their sinful attitudes....spiritual joy often has a healing effect on
the body; whereas “a broken spirit dries up the bones,” i.e., has a life diminishing
effect on the body. (643-644)

Sober Use of Meat, Drink, and Physick:
Proverbs 25:16 is telling us that moderation in eating is important to our health. Ephesians 5:18 forbids drunkenness because it dissipates and squanders our physical and mental health. And in Isaiah 38:21, God shows Hezekiah the means by which he will be healed of his illness. Medicine and treatment alone could not have cured Hezekiah. (644)

Sober Use of Sleep:
Good sleep is important to clear minds and healthy bodies. It is directly related to believing and resting in the strength, wisdom and protection of the Lord concerning our days, nights and tomorrows. The sleep of such a person can be truly restful and refreshing.
...
In other words, we are not to oversleep. Know how much sleep you need, get it and do not overindulge yourself. Furthermore, this kind of sleep comes with diligent and satisfying work during the day (Ps. 127:2), with living orderly, disciplined, and scheduled lives (Eccl. 5:12), and with believing God’s promises concerning sleep (Ps. 121:4—while you are asleep, God will not be asleep), and God keeps on blessing you
while you are asleep (Ps. 127:4). (645)

Sober Use of Labor:
Hard, meaningful work in a calling is good for a person’s mental, spiritual, physical and emotional health....Meaningful work in a calling is virtuous; and idleness and laziness are contemptuous. (645)

But, if work is to be godly and life-enhancing, it must be sober, i.e., it must be within the confines of our gifts and limitations and moderated with rest. Workaholics are sinning against God. This is especially true when this excessive work is motivated by the excessive craving for wealth without moderation. (646)

Sober Use of Recreation:
Recreations, vacations and play are important aspects of life and are pleasing to God, when used soberly, according to His Word and for His glory. (646)

Cheritable Thoughts:
A kind and charitable attitude toward others is required of us by the Sixth Commandment because an unkind, uncharitable, unloving, bitter attitude toward others will sooner or later have a harmful effect on ourselves and on others—physically and spiritually. (648)

Love:
The essence of love is self-giving—the giving of itself for the welfare and happiness of another person. Love delights in its object, which prevents us from injuring those we love. Therefore love seeks to do all that the law of God requires of us, because it requires nothing that is not conducive to the best interests of others (13:9). (648)

Compassion:
Showing compassion to people in need or misery enhances life....Jehovah of the Old
Testament is a God of compassion: “Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him” (Ps. 103:13–14). Because Israel was the covenant people of God, they were to reflect God-like compassion in their daily relationships: “If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother;
but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks” (Deut. 15:7–8). (649)

As Jehovah incarnate, Jesus’ life was characterized by compassion: “When Jesus went ashore, He saw a great multitude, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things” (Mark 6:34). Jesus also taught His disciples that Christ-like compassion should
be extended to everybody. (649)

The Greek word for showing compassion is an interesting one. It is based on the Greek noun meaning “the upper viscera, lungs, heart and liver.” It denotes therefore “warm and tender affections and emotions.” (649)

What was it in people that drew out compassion from Jesus for them? Whether they were distressed, harassed, downcast, leaderless and shepherdless (Matt. 9:36); sick (Matt. 14:14); hungry and ignorant (Matt. 15:32); blind (Matt. 20:34); leprous (Mark 1:41); demon possessed (Mark 9:22); in debt (Matt. 18:27); grieving
(Luke 7:13); bankrupt, sorrowful, guilt-ridden, self-abused (Luke 15:20); or lacking in material needs (1 John 3:17), Jesus had compassion on them.
Therefore, we can draw two conclusions: (1) It was human suffering caused by human sin that drew out Jesus’ compassion; (2) His compassion moved him to action—to do what He could to relieve their need. Feeling without action is not compassion (James 2:14–17; Amos 1:11).
....
So then, compassion is rooted in: a proper view of sin; a genuine concern for the welfare and destiny of people; a desire to be one with Christ in compassion, to be more conformed to His image; a self-less, self-denying, neighbor-loving, servant-spirit; and a desire to see God glorified in the salvation of sinners (2 Cor. 5:17–20). (650)

Meekness, Gentleness, Kindness:
Meekness is life-enhancing.
"[T]o be meek is to be as tender as a mole and as soft as silk, so that it is a delight to have dealings with such a person. It is to have a quiet and dispassionate disposition, and to manifest this by the enduring of wrong, by maintaining a
consistently tender disposition, by forgiving wrongdoing as if it had not been committed, and by rendering good for evil—all this so that everyone may be convinced of their wrongdoing and cease doing wrong against us. A meek person
is as a smooth beach upon which tempestuous waves break and then gently flow away, interacting, so to speak, in a playful manner with it. "17. Wilhelmus á Brakel, The Christian’s Reasonable Service, 4 vols., trans. by Bartel Elshout (Ligonier, PA: Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 1993), 3:203. (651)

The Greek word for “kindness” in this text can be translated “kindness,” “good-heartedness,” “graciousness,” “benevolence,” “considerateness,” “friendliness.” This kindness is a perfection in God that finds expression in the saving work of Christ (Rom. 11:22). It is almost an equivalent to “grace.” (651)

This Greek word means “mild and gentle friendliness.”...Gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit and it enables the believer to correct others without arrogance. (652)

Peaceable Speeches and Behavior:
Our love for life means that we will strive for the establishment and preservation of peace: “being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). We are to “seek peace and pursue it” (Ps. 34:14). And Paul exhorts us: “If possible, as far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men” (Rom. 12:18). (653)

Mild and Courteous Speeches and Behavior:
This Proverb [15:1] is also a practical application of the Sixth Commandment for it teaches us that mild and courteous speech can have a positive effect on an angry person, calming his anger; and that harsh words can have a negative effect on a person, stirring up strife between friends. (653)

Forbearance, Readiness to be Reconciled, Patient Bearing and Forgiving Injuries, and Requiting Good for Evil:
Forbearance is the willingness to suffer being wronged rather than standing up for our rights. Readiness to be reconciled is the willingness, and even eagerness, to be reconciled with those who have offended us or with those whom we have offended, as quickly as possible, because by the grace of God in Christ, we have been reconciled with God, although we did not deserve to be reconciled. Patient bearing and forgiving of injuries is possible for the believer because God has freely forgiven him of all his sins against Him and is patient with Him everyday. Gratitude to God makes him patient and forgiving with others. Requiting good for evil is refusing to repay or return evil for evil, i.e., to refuse to treat or react to another person in the same evil way that he or she has treated you. We are never to return evil for evil. We are always to return good for evil. (654-655)

"It may sometimes be our duty, as well as our right, to seek justice from the constituted authorities of church or state.… Especially when the rights of God and
truth of God are at stake, it is our duty to stand up courageously for truth and righteousness, without respect of persons. Kindness to men must never induce us to become lukewarm in defense of God’s truth." 19. Vos, The Westminster Larger Catechism: A Commentary, 366. (655)

Comforting and Succoring the Distressed and Protecting and Defending the Innocent:
The Sixth Commandment demands of the Christian that he give comfort and succor to the distressed. The parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us that our extension of mercy to those in need by trying to meet their needs is not based on the merit or worth of the needy person. It is especially our duty to try to relieve the sufferings
of our fellow Christians anywhere in the world.
...
We are also called upon by the Sixth Commandment to protect and defend the innocent. The innocent are those who are suffering unjustly for no fault in them, or who are being treated as guilty persons, when they are not. It is always our responsibility to protect and defend others against unjust treatment so far as it is in our power and place to do so. The individual, the family, the church and the state all have this duty in their distinct spheres and according to their divinely-assigned functions, authority and jurisdiction. (656)

The sins forbidden:

All Taking Away the Life of Ourselves or Other:
As we have seen above, the Sixth Commandment forbids all unlawful killing of human beings, which includes suicide. (657)

Except in Cases of Public Justice or Lawful War:
The God-appointed function of civil government is to terrorize evil doers and to punish them by enforcing the Laws of God. To make the civil government effective in its responsibility, God has placed “the sword” in the hands of the civil magistrate to protect law-abiding citizens by administering God’s “wrath” on the criminal
law-breaker. Romans 12:19 tells us clearly that vengeance belongs to God, but to the civil magistrate God has given the authority to administer His vengeance: “it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil.” When a civil government justly punishes a criminal, it is God acting through that government. (658)

The purpose of “the sword” can be defined in three ways:
First, its purpose is to enable the civil magistrate to protect the church and law-abiding citizens from the lawless and the criminal. If the civil government is going to provide this protection, it must have strength superior to that of the lawless. The godly state must be of superior strength to evil men and nations.
...
Second, a Christian civil government with a sword in its hand is a holy terror to evil-doers.
...
Third, the power of the sword is to be used to administer God’s justice, to make sure that God’s order is maintained, and that restitution is made whenever God’s Law is broken. When crimes are committed against God’s Law, restitution must be made to God, to society, and to the victim, or his family, in order for peace and order to continue[.] (659-660)

God has given the civil government the authority to use deadly and coercive force, when necessary, to preserve justice in the domestic relationships within a nation. This includes the legitimacy of capital punishment. (660)

There are three fundamental reasons why capital punishment is essential to public justice.
First, the holy character of God is the basis of capital punishment.
...
Second, the holy command of God is the basis of capital punishment.
...
Third, the sanctity of the image of God in man and the importance of the family comprise the basis for capital punishment.
(661-663)

God has given the state the power of the sword in international affairs to protect the citizens of that nation from lawless invaders or terrorists from outside its boundaries. This is the national defense of a nation’s families. (663)

Neglecting or Withdrawing the Lawful and Necessary Means of Preservation of Life

Sinful Anger:
Anger that arises when God’s honor is defamed is righteous anger. Emotions are God-given, and are constructive, when governed and used in accordance with Biblical principles. They become destructive when they are unrestrained or when we fail to express them in harmony with Biblical principles. (670)

Jay Adams,in his books The Christian Counselor’s Manual and Competent to Counsel, shows us how anger becomes sinful in two ways: By the ventilation of anger, or “blowing up,” and by the internalization of anger or “clamming up.” (671)

First, believe that, as a Christian, you have the power to control your anger (Rom. 6:11–12).
Second, settle daily all emotional issues between yourself and others, rather than allowing the matter to fester and abscess.
...
Third, learn to redirect your anger, making it solution-oriented rather than problem-oriented. Understand that anger is a God-given emotion “designed to mobilize force to tear something apart,” (Jay Adams), e.g., a problem by solving it.
...
Fourth, avoid people who are dominated by anger: “Do not associate with a man given to anger; or go with a hot-tempered man, lest you learn his ways, and find a snare for yourself” (Prov. 22:24–25).
Fifth, determine to be angry only at sin. The holier we become, the more anger we will feel against sin and the less anger for each other (Ps. 139:21–24).
Sixth, learn to love each other in terms of 1 Corinthians 13.
Seventh, do not try to play God. Submit under His mighty hand, casting all your anxieties on Him because He cares for His own.
...
Eighth, meditate on the reality, nature and objects of God’s anger (Rom. 1:18; Ps. 7:11; Ex. 22:24; Eph. 4:26, 27; Ps. 4:4; Rev. 6:15–17). His wrath is severe and final (2 Thess. 1:7f); but it is also slow (Ps. 103:8).
(671-672)

Hatred:
Hatred is deadly because it is a deep-seated anger. One will harbor this within himself until an opportunity arises in which he can avenge himself. (672)

Therefore, since no contradiction can exist between the ethics of the Old Testament and the ethics of the New Testament, then no contradiction exists between Jesu’s command to love our enemies and the declarations of the Bible that we are to hate God’s enemies. On the one hand, we are to obey the law of God from the heart with
reference to other people generally, and to our enemies in particular (Rom. 13:10); and, on the other hand, being repulsed and angered by their blasphemy of the Name of God, their audacious assaults on His Kingdom and their blatant disobedience to His revealed will, we are to hate God’s enemies by separating ourselves from their goals and behavior, and work to resist, expose and overcome their efforts for evil. Furthermore, we are never to use our resources or show compassion in such a way as to subsidize and encourage the continuation of a life of rebellion against God (Prov. 28:17), or the vicious assault on the people of God (2 Chron. 19:2). We also must be wise in the nature of our relations with others, sensitive to the fact that, as we love our enemies, we must not allow ourselves to be
corrupted by their evil (Prov. 22:10, 24). (674)

Envy:
Envy is a manifestation of a murderous disposition of heart.
...
Envy is destructive to a peaceful social order.
(677)

Desire of Revenge:
Revenge is also murderous. It is
"the inclination to retaliate against someone for a wrong actually committed or an imaginary wrong—yes, they are not satisfied with a retribution of a similar degree, but the least wrong which has been done to them is deserving of death in their eyes." 36. á Brakel, The Christian’s Reasonable Service, 3:201. (678)

All Excessive Passions:
Bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander and malice are all intimately related sinful attitudes and passions. “Bitterness” denotes disagreeableness, pungent to the taste and poisonous. Figuratively it refers to any excessive and unrestrained passion that corrodes and “acts on the mind as poison does on the body, or on the minds of others as venom does on their bodies.… The command, therefore, to lay aside all bitterness, is a command to lay aside everything which corrodes our own minds or wounds the feelings of others.”38 This would include “wrath,” i.e., the mind burning with passion; “anger,” i.e., outward excessive expressions of that wrath; “clamor,” i.e., sinful expressions of wrath in speech and conversation; “slander,” i.e., any form of speech aimed at wounding or injuring other people; and “all malice,” i.e., the desire to injure and all forms of malevolence. In the place of all excessive passions, “be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Eph. 4:32). 38. Charles Hodge, Commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., n.d.), 275–76. (679)

Distracting Cares:
Worry for the Christian is absurd and irrational....Filling each day with worry, anxiety and distracting cares about the future are destructive of joy, peace and life itself, filling it with fear and stress. (680)

Immoderate Use of Meat, Drink, Labour, and Recreation:
Doing injury to yourself by overindulgence in eating, drinking, sleeping, and pleasure-seeking is suicidal, because if left unchecked these sins lead to death. Furthermore, the immoderate use of meat, drink, labour and recreations “weighs down” the heart with “the worries of this life” (Luke 21:34) making us insensitive to and unprepared for the crises of life, like the fall of Jerusalem, prophesied in Luke 21. (681)

All the good things we enjoy in life are gifts from God. If they are to be used properly and joyfully, they must be received and understood as coming from God’s gracious hand. (682)

Provoking Words:
Words can kill. Sarcastic, slanderous and biting language, that reveals a heart full of anger, and which provokes others to anger or discourages others from faithfulness is murderous. They are like “the thrusts of the sword.” (683)

A look can kill.
....
Ministers kill people in their congregations by their words or lack thereof, i.e., by not warning the ungodly of the evil of their ways (Ezek. 13:18, 22). (684)

Oppression:
Oppression is repeatedly condemned in the Bible as a sin particularly heinous in the sight of God, e.g., the treatment of Israel by the Egyptian Pharaoh....All forms of oppression are forbidden—by fraud or by violence, in all spheres of life—family, politics, economics, commerce, business, etc. (684-685)

Quarreling:
The metaphorical condemnation of quarreling in Galatians 5:15 makes clear the point that quarreling breaks the Sixth Commandment, because it is destructive and murderous speech toward our neighbor. Love serves others, and if we serve one another we will not “kill” each other in malicious talk, gossip, and slander. (686)

Striking and Wounding:
Although much more can obviously be said about this text, suffice it to say that this provision in the Mosaic Law calls us to great carefulness with human life. (687)

Whatever Else Tends to the Destruction of the Life of Any:
The Bible does not allow us to use force to solve disputes between each other, except for the legal force of the civil magistrate, when necessary. We are required to submit our arguments to arbitration....In an escalating dispute, the person who initiates the escalation to physical violence, bringing injury to his opponent, is the guilty party. Self-defense is allowable. (688)

Indentured servants and their owners both have rights before the Law. The owner may flog his servant for just causes (Deut. 23:15); but if he maims him by abusive treatment, the servant is set free (Lev. 24:17). Murder is murder, even in the case of a slave. This law assumes that, if the slave did not die immediately, the owner did not intend the murder. If he dies later on, as a result of the flogging, unintentionally
caused, then the owner has lost the value of his labor. It also assumes the servant, in this case, to be deserving of severe flogging. (688)

Therefore, if accidentally and prematurely induced abortions are to be treated as murder, how much more so are deliberate abortions. (690)

If an owner beats his slave too severely and unjustly, permanently damaging or maiming him, and the slave recovers, the servant is freed in fair compensation and restitution. (691)

(1) Animals as well as men are liable for murder charges (Gen. 9:5). The owner of an animal that kills a person is not guilty or liable for punishment, if the animal has no previous record of unprovoked violence. But the animal must die. If the animal did have a record of violence, then the irresponsible owner is liable for murder charges and capital punishment. .... (2) If a man’s animal kills the child of
his neighbor, he is to be dealt with and not his children (Deut. 24:16). (691)

There is an Appendix to this chapter: What the Bible Says About Abortion:

God made man and woman in His image (Gen. 1:27), to reflect His character and glory. Jesus Christ came to restore that image which had been marred by sin (Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10). This gives all human life sanctity, in other words, a sacred inviolability defined by God’s Word. (692)

The question of the hour is this: Is the unborn child covered by God’s special protection? Is the unborn child a human person in God’s image?
The Bible is clear in its answers to these crucial questions. It leaves no doubt about the continuity of personhood which includes the unborn child. In other words, the Bible teaches that at conception, (more accurately, at fertilization), the unborn child is a human person in the image of God, and therefore, under His special protection. This point is made in a variety of convincing ways:
(1). The express statement on the beginning of human life (Job 3:3).
(2). The continuity of personhood from conception through adulthood (Ps. 139:13-16).
(3). The continuity of sinfulness from conception through adulthood (Ps. 51:5).
(4). The continuity of human experiences from conception through adulthood (Luke 1:15, 41, 44).
(5). The nature of conception as a gracious act of God (1 Sam. 1:19), etc.
(6). The case-law governing abortion (Ex. 21:22-25).

(693)

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