I have asked people that question a lot in the past, but now, with Saddam Hussein's impending death, that question is back buzzing around in my head.
Saddam had killed lots and lots of people in the past, so that makes him a murderer, right? And, his compatriots could also be murderers by association.
Now, though, he has been sentenced to death by a judge and jury. Shouldn't they be considered murderers too by association?
Today's society has said that anyone who has killed anyone has murdered. But then you have Jesus who has said: "if you have hatred for someone then in your hearts you have already committed murder." So when you think about it, the whole world is full of murderers. Sure, a few people are acting on the impulse of killing people, but you have many, many more who have hatred in their hearts...including me.
The answer to my question, then, is murder should be considered murder whether you have hatred in your hearts or you go out and kill someone. In Jesus' eyes, both are equally bad because sin is sin is sin no matter what you do.