Murder
A Common & Ordinary Sin in Doomed Generations
“Thou shalt not kill.” – Ex. 20:13
Have you ever murdered anyone? Perhaps not. “Murderers…shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” (Rev. 21:8). Most people know that this is a bad sin. However, what they don’t know is that God will judge hatred as murder. Have you ever hated anyone? (Have you ever told anyone you hated them?) This is a more common sin. Do you hate anyone?
“Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” – 1 Jn. 3:15
Men look on the outward appearance, but God looks to the heart. Hatred can be defined as intense anger or great dislike. Hatred could even be defined as strong feelings of unforgiveness or a “grudge” that you have against someone for something that they have done to you (James 5:9; Matt. 6:14-15). God will judge you as a violent and bloody murderer who is worthy of hellfire for the hateful thoughts of your heart! Soberly consider it.
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these…hatred…and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.” – Gal. 5:19-21
If you are guilty of murder in the sight of God, it wouldn’t be wise to continue thinking you are a good person (Rom. 3:12). This is the sad reality: “Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?” (Prov. 20:6). Whether you profess faith in Christianity or not, you can know for sure that you are truly lost if you feel this way about others (1 Jn. 2:9, 4:20). A blinding force of “darkness” is upon you (1 Jn. 2:11)! You need a guide to find your way out. Otherwise, you are as good as dead already (1 Jn. 3:14)! You are doomed to hell if something doesn’t change (Lk. 13:3).
Feelings of unforgiveness, frustration, anger, and hatred often lead to a fight. An outbreak of violence is imminent when people that don’t get along come around each other. However, even if you don’t say or do anything about it, you can still be damned to hell for the hatred that is lodged in your heart. People are different. Maybe you’re not as bad as the guy down the street. The general public of society is suppressed from acting upon their murderous and hateful feelings of violence because they are afraid of getting caught by the police and duly punished by the justice system of the government, as it is written in Romans 13:1-7. Such people would proudly deny that they would ever act in violence. Nevertheless, murderous and hateful people are lovers of violence, so these same people stream into the movie theaters on the weekend to excitedly watch heroes and villains skillfully commit unspeakable acts of violence. Are you guilty?
The people are mesmerized by the violence as they sit before the big screen and behold how “their feet are swift to shed blood” (Rom. 3:15). Is this your entertainment? No wonder that the UFC is becoming so popular today. You may not be personally committing the sins graphically displayed on the movie screen, but you are taking “pleasure in them that do them” (Rom. 1:32). Moviegoing lovers of violence would be shocked to discover that God personally hates them for this wicked behavior. As it is written, “…but the wicked and him that loveth violence [the LORD’s] soul hateth” (Ps. 11:5). God is serious about vanquishing all lovers of violence from the earth. Make no mistake about it! Nearly 4,000 years ago, all men everywhere except 8 souls were annihilated in a worldwide flood for reasons clearly stated by God:
“The end of all flesh is come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” – Gen. 6:13
This deserves some reflection. A God of love was so infuriated with anger against the violence of mankind that He decided to destroy them, saying, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth” (Gen. 6:7). Literally, the holy heart of the Creator was filled with regret that He ever even made these men in the first place (Gen. 6:6-7)! Furthermore, what happened to them can happen to us. It has already been foretold (2 Pet. 3:6-7). There is another deluge of destruction coming! Not of water, but of fire, to put an end to the anguish endured by a God of peace and love (2 Pet. 3:10-12). Therefore, my fellow Americans, “Save yourselves from this untoward generation.” (Acts 2:40)! Repent and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ and you will be totally transformed (2 Cor. 5:17).
