Q 99: What sanction does the Lord threaten in the sixth commandment?

A 99: The Lord threatens that those who disobey the sixth commandment shall come under His wrath and be liable to judgment from ecclesiastical and civil authorities. (Deut. 19.11-13; Rom. 13.1-4; 1 Cor. 5)

God has invested by civil and ecclesiastical authorities with the power to carry out His judgment against violators of the sixth commandment, at whatever level the infraction occurs. Church discipline can be a powerful resource for helping people learn to check anger before it leads to something worse, or, if anger has already gone too far, to begin the work of changing affections which all believers are charged with pursuing. In the civil realm government may still apply the death penalty in cases of murder; however, in this age of grace, in which the patience of God runs long against offenders of all sorts, civil society should employ means to bring murderers to repentance and restoration, where possible, even if the death penalty is still to be applied.

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