"You shall not murder.” Exodus 20:13

How are we to understand Jesus’ commentary on the sixth commandment regarding murder? Is there no difference between the act of murder and hateful thoughts? Yes, and no.

There is a clear difference between the two than can be summed up with the familiar words, “All sin is equally damning, but all sin is not equally damaging.” No thinking person could fail to see that more damage is done by murdering a person than by hating that person. Murder ends another’s life. Hate does not. Murder affects all who knew and loved the person who was murdered, hatred does not. In that sense, clearly, murder is more damaging than hatred, on a human level.

On a personal level, hatred certainly does damage the hater—usually much more than the hated. Hatred and its twin, bitterness, eats away at the souls of the hater.

But on a spiritual level, murder and hatred are equally damning—as are each and every sin ever committed. That’s right, every sin, great or small in our eyes, is a sin against God and deserving of His judgment, condemnation and wrath. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,” and “The wages of sin [any and all sin] is death” (Romans 3:23, 6:23).

Let us not think that the sins we commit that are not as damaging are any less damning.

Is all hatred sin? Next time…