“Let there be light and there was light, let the dry land appear and it appeared, let the waters teem with fish and so it was.” It is only the creation of the human person of which it is said, “Let us make man and woman in our image and likeness”. In the account of creation, all other areas of the created world are brought into being by a mere act of God’s will. It is a direct expression of love which exists perfectly in God.įrom the very beginning of the Bible, the special creation of the human person is emphasized. Pingback: J.Human life is that most precious and sacred gift of God. Pingback: The Extraordinary Nature of Murder and the Evidence for God | Cold Case Christianity Pingback: How Can We Be Pro-Life and Pro-Death Penalty at the Same Time? | Cold Case Christianity ![]() (God did not judge Abram as a murderer because he was protecting the life of Lot) He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people. During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. (God did not judge Moses as a murderer because he was protecting the life of the slave) Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. If a thief is caught breaking in and is struck so that he dies, the defender is not guilty of bloodshedĪ killing performed in an attempt to save the life of an innocent person is not murder: The assembly must protect the one accused of murder from the avenger of blood and send him back to the city of refuge to which he fled.Ī killing performed in self-defense (or in defense of one’s home) is not murder: However, if he does not do it intentionally, but God lets it happen, he is to flee to a place I will designate.īut if without hostility someone suddenly shoves another or throws something at him unintentionally or, without seeing him, drops a stone on him that could kill him, and he dies, then since he was not his enemy and he did not intend to harm him, the assembly must judge between him and the avenger of blood according to these regulations. The Bible is the source for these modern laws and the exceptions come straight from the pages of scripture:Īnyone who strikes a man and kills him shall surely be put to death. ![]() It’s interesting to note, however, these exceptions are not the invention of modern humans they are simply a reflection of ancient Biblical Law. Even those who don’t accept the existence of God or the authority of the Bible recognize the necessity for laws like these laws that allow for deadly force to be used to accomplish some greater good. In all these situations, killing is actually legal and justifiable, and exceptions of this nature exist in the Penal Codes of every state in America. ![]() In California, for example, a homicide is justified (according to Penal Code sections 187, 196 and 197) if one of the following conditions is met:Ī person is trying to defend him or herself and prevent his or her own murder (self-defense)Ī person is trying to prevent someone from entering his or her house to commit some violent felonyĪ person is trying to prevent the murder of someone else (protecting an innocent) Even today there are acceptable forms of killing that lack this kind of evil intent, and these forms of killing exist as exceptions in the murder laws of the United States. ![]() Malice is a form of evil intent that separates “murder” from “killing”. (a) Murder is the unlawful killing of a human being, or a fetus, with malice aforethought. In my home state of California, the Penal Code provides this definition of murder:ġ87. Interestingly, most of us are familiar with this definition of murder, because it is reflected in the Penal Codes of our country. The Hebrew word for “murder” literally means “the intentional, premeditated killing of another person with malice.” The command from scripture in the original language actually says “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13). “You shall not kill” is actually not a command found in the Ten Commandments. But the Scripture delineates a distinction between killing and murdering. Every group typically contains a large number of people who believe the Christian worldview condemns the use of deadly force unilaterally. I often ask my attendees if it is ever “OK” to kill someone. I occasionally present a talk on the nature of truth, and as part of this presentation, I discuss the existence of objective moral truth claims.
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