Q68. What does the sixth commandment require?
The sixth commandment requires us to do everything we properly can to protect our own life and the lives of others.
Scripture Proofs — King James Version
Ephesians 5:28–29
“So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:”
1 Kings 18:4
“For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)”
Parent Guide
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Discussion Questions
- 1
What does the sixth commandment require?
- 2
What does it mean to "protect" the lives of others?
- 3
Who is someone at school or in your neighborhood whose life you could protect or care for?
Illustration
This commandment does not just say "do not harm." It says "do good." If a classmate is being picked on and you walk away, you have failed to protect their life. The sixth commandment requires active care for the well-being of others, not just avoiding violence.
Application
Because every person is made in God's image, their life matters to him. Ask God to help you notice someone this week who needs protection or care, and to give you courage to act.