Should Christians Support Capital Punishment For Murder?

 by The Joshua Club

Is capital punishment Biblical? Christians believe in the perfect love God has for everyone regardless of what they have done. Some Christians believe the death penalty contradicts this law of love, others stand firmly in support of capital punishment. Should Christians support the death penalty or not?

In searching for the answers to today's tough questions we must return to the beginning. Unless we understand and accept the foundation, the building will confuse us. We must begin by realizing God is the Creator. God, as revealed in the Bible is our Foundation for everything. He not only designed the entire universe but He designed mankind as a special creature capable of having genuine fellowship with Himself.

So our big question is: What does the Bible teach on capital punishment? We will begin in the Old Testament. For those who believe the Old Testament laws have been replaced by the New Testament, bear with me or read Is Biblical Law Valid Today? ]. After we have seen the Old Testament teaching we will turn to the New Testament.

In the instructions God gave Noah right after the flood, He mentioned capital punishment. "Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man's brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed." [Gen. 9:5-6, NKJV] God made His intentions pretty plain. Whoever killed a human being, whether is was a human or an animal, was to face capital punishment.

One of the clearest examples is found in the last half of Numbers 35. "Whoever kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the testimony of witnesses; but one witness is not sufficient testimony against a person for the death penalty. Moreover you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer...so you shall not pollute the land where you are; for blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it." [Nu. 35:30-33, NKJV]

            An exception to this law is self-defense. "If the thief is found breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt for his bloodshed. If the sun has risen on him, there shall be guilt for his bloodshed." [Ex. 22:2-3, NKJV] If someone is caught in the act of attacking a victim or of theft and is killed, it is not considered murder and the killer is not punished. He was acting in self-defense - this means it is Biblically legal to use lethal force in defending your property as well as yourself and others. However, if the victim knows who stole from him and hunts him down and kills him that is murder and deserves capital punishment. After the fact, the accused must be brought before a proper court of law.

But what about the 6th Commandment? It says, "Thou shalt not kill." [Ex. 20:13, KJV] The word in the Hebrew language literally means "to dash in pieces." In the NKJV, the Amp., the NIV, and the NAS versions of the Bible this verse is translated, "You shall not murder." This puts the commandment in its proper light. Murder is the premeditated taking of human life outside the guidelines set by the Creator and Owner of Life. From the previous verses we see Capital Punishment for murder is commanded by God and therefore, is not murder nor does it violate the 6th Commandment.

New Testament 

As we turn to the New Testament we must remember there are some differences between the two Testaments. Both Testaments focus on the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. However, in the beginning of the Old Testament Israel became a nation. They needed to know how God expected a national, civil government to operate. Many of the laws of the Old Testament explain just that.

Jesus quoted the 6th Commandment in Matt. 19:18 and in Luke 18:20. He quoted it, showing it was still in force, and made no reference to any change in punishment. If there had been such a change, Jesus or the Apostles would have said so, but they didn't.

But what about the royal law of love? Aren't we supposed to love everyone regardless of who they are or what they have done? Here is where some people become confused. The line between love and justice for them becomes blurred. We, as Christians, are required to love everybody but that does not do away with justice. Justice must deal fairly with the crime. We can love the criminal, we can forgive the criminal, but we cannot allow him to escape the consequences of his actions. In the case of murder, even if he has repented, he must still be put to death. [If you have a hard time understand Biblical love, law, and justice and how they fit into modern society then you need to take the Life Line Course .]

How can putting someone to death be justified with love? The first thing it shows is love for God and His law-word. God's law, like Himself, is perfect and holy. We express our love for God by keeping His law. "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome." [1 John 5:3, NKJV] As we have seen, part of that law requires capital punishment for murder.

The  thing is that love for the murderer will try to lead him to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ before the execution is carried out. He has forfeited his right to life on earth but we must try to bring him to eternal life. [We all deserve Hell so we must be merciful even as God was merciful to us.] This does not mean; however, that the execution should be delayed. Speedy justice is always a requirement of Biblical Law [i.e. Deut. 13:14-15; Josh. 7]. Sending a murderer to meet God [which he would eventually have to do anyway] is more merciful than confining him in a prison, locked up in a way God never intended human beings to be imprisoned. [Prison itself is a humanistic device to try and replace God's declared laws on crime and punishment. And we wonder why it doesn't work!]

Polluted or watered-down justice sends the message that God is not really righteous or holy. It makes people think that sin isn't all that bad, although the Father had to sacrifice His Son in order to redeem us. We must never take sin lightly. The eternal scars across the body of Jesus will forever remind us of the dreadfulness of sin and the love that paid it's price.

We need to re-emphasize that the responsibility for carrying out capital punishment is given to the civil government after a properly conducted public trial [the executions are to be public also]. It is never to be done on the whim of individuals nor is it to be carried out by the church. The church is to teach the civil government what God requires but never to take over its responsibilities. Godly men and women should be running both the church and the civil government but their jobs are different.

Dear Friend,

There are many topics in today's culture that are off limits. How often do you hear an honest conversation about abortion, capitol punishment, politics and other religions? The Connection takes on these tough subjects. Every Wednesday night these topics are discussed from a Biblical worldview. For the last few Sundays our small groups have been looking at other religions. We explored their worldview, then compared it to the Bible, and came to a Biblical solution. Have you ever wondered about life questions like these? Join The Connection and explore the Bible with our group.

Sincerely,

Jared Buchanan