An Internal Litmus

Read Matt. 5:21-22

A litmus test reveals the chemical makeup of something that is normally invisible. Jesus taught that the law of God actually reveals much about our inner life; it is a litmus test of our inner life. A person consumed with hatred or loathing toward another can become a murderer. Jesus taught that in the Gospel.

Jesus said that if you hate your brother or insult him, then that, too, is breaking God’s law. Some expositions of this sin correctly flesh out a number of ways to break the 6th commandment, other than to murder. The Westminster Larger Catechism (1647) summarizes that “Under the sins forbidden” by the 6^th commandment are: “all taking away the life of ourselves or of others, except in case of public justice, lawful war or necessary defense; the neglecting or withdrawing the lawful and necessary means of preservation of life, sinful anger, hatred, envy, desire of revenge, all excessive passions . . . provoking words, oppression, quarreling, striking, wounding, and whatever else tends to the destruction of the life of any.”

“The Law,” wrote William Hendriksen, “must not be thought of only in a negative manner, but also positively. . . it’s real object is [not just to prevent wrong, but] to lead us positively, not only to do what is right, but also to love it. Conformity to the Law must not be thought of in terms of (outward) actions only. Thoughts, motives and desires are equally important. The Law of God is concerned as much with what leads to the action as it is with the action itself.”[1]

But Jesus preaches that God intends for followers to go far beyond the bare minimum. Not only should you avoid murder, but you need to go further, avoiding hatred and anger in your heart and still further removing the obstacles that prevent you from right relationships. We also are called to tend to these matters with urgency as they are priorities. That ‘going beyond’ fulfills the Law and exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees. If anyone seeks to avoid Jesus’ clearly moral teaching by saying ‘this is unrealistic or this surely can’t mean this or God doesn’t expect that from us,’ beware of a mindset like the Pharisees. Jesus, unlike modern excusers, in no way abrogated the Law but elaborated it to its full meaning. Doesn’t this have some application for us today?

What are some ways we can practice this passage?

·       We need to confess sin and receive forgiveness. If some human relationship can be mended, do it urgently. Don’t put it off.

·       Don’t participate in speaking of people as objects of scorn or contempt. As an individual you should let the Holy Spirit work in your life to stop calling others “fool.” Count the number of times you disparage someone today. It may shock you!

·       Deal with anger properly and promptly. “Don’t let the sun go down on your anger.”

·       Stop being judgmental if you don’t really know what you’re talking about. This is the root cause of much anger: assuming you know someone else’s heart when you don’t.

·       Be constructive in human relationships.

·       Admit/confess that you do not naturally respond like Jesus commands; and beg for Holy Spirit’s help

If these requirements sound like high standards that are unattainable by our own strength and will, you’re exactly right. These actions can only be performed by the Holy Spirit living in us, not by our own wills. They exceed the habits of the Pharisees. Thus, let us all flee to our Master, the Preacher of this sermon, to do three things:

1.     Confess our sinfulness and inability in this area.

2.     Agree with him that his word is authoritative and correct in this area.

3.     Pray for his indwelling that we may practice this as he did.

Anger is real. We even get furious at our computers or networks when they don’t work. Anger may be a childish reaction when things don’t go our way. It may not even be targeted at anyone but still reveals to us how self-centered we are.

Jesus is not pleased with angry disciples. As James says—and it is true of all situations—“The wrath of man does not work the righteousness of God.” Did you catch that? Our anger does not produce God’s rightness. Colossians 3:5 tells us to “put off all anger, wrath, malice,” etc. Even ancient pagans (e. g., Cicero) recognize that nothing could be done rightly or prudently when anger dominated.

William Barclay notes: “Jesus forbids forever the anger which broods, the anger which will not forget, the anger which refuses to be pacified, the anger which seeks revenge. If we are to obey Jesus, all anger must be banished from life, and especially that anger which lingers too long.”[2] Ligon Duncan comments in a sermon on these verses: “it is possible to murder without knives. It is possible to break the sixth commandment, ‘Thou shalt not murder’ in more ways than taking the life, physically, of another human being. Murder can be done without a gun and murder can be done without a physical weapon. There is more to the command of God in the sixth command than simple refraining from the unlawful taking of our neighbor’s life.”

Our attitude to the law is an index to our attitude to God. If we think that God’s law is something that he put into life in order to ruin it, then that surely reveals something sinister in how we think about God. But if we can say with the psalmist, “How I love thy law, O Lord,” and if we can be perfectly realistic and realize that we do not fulfill the law in this life, then we are on our way both to understanding the law, understanding our God, and understanding the freedom that the Christian has.

Are you convicted by Jesus’ use of the law in this instance? It calls us to resign some of our anger, to deal with others properly, and to keep things from building up. We must learn in essence: it is better to forgive than to kill. And murder has many forms. Christ wishes to cleanse and deliver you from all of the various forms. That’s part of his earliest Gospel, and the moral call is a litmus test of our souls. As always, this is a divinely perfect revelation to us.