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Question. Does the Bible teach capital
punishment?
Scripture. Genesis
9:6; Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 19:21; Matthew 5:38-39, 44; Luke 22:36; John 5:30;
Acts 25:11; Romans 12:17; 13:4; 2 Cor 10:4-5; 1 John 4:8
Overview.
Justice and not
rehabilitation is the issue in capital punishment.
The sanctity and dignity of life issue argued by those against capital
punishment are equally an argument for capital punishment. The goal of capital punishment is the restraint of the sin
nature man.
Explanation.
There is a worldwide trend to
outlaw the practice of capital punishment today.
Yet capital punishment is clearly taught in the Old Testament Mosaic Law
where there are eighteen different occasions for its practice.
It is also implied in the New Testament in Romans 13:4.
In one sense, Jesus’ death on the cross is a clear example of the Roman
practice of capital punishment. It
is through the capital punishment of the cross that mankind has salvation from
sin. It was clearly practiced many
times within the Mosaic Law.
There
are a number of key issues used by those who argue against capital punishment
today. A common argument is that
some statistics show that capital punishment is not a deterrent to crime.
Surveys have been conducted that show that crime continues to flourish
even where capital punishment is practiced.
But one can debate for the abstinence of capital punishment because of
statistical surveys. Which group of people is being surveyed?
How are the questions worded? Which
area of the country did the survey take place? Statistics is not a fail-safe
argument against capital punishment.
Additional
rationale is that life imprisonment without parole is a better deterrent. People who are mentally retarded or act irrationally cannot
be held responsible for their crimes. But
others may say that confinement in a prison without chance of parole is not
necessarily a humane act.
Those
against capital punishment also assert that it is not a Christian act.
Forgiveness is a Christian act.
But forgiveness for a capital act is not the same as exercising due
process of the law. Forgiveness
does not mean we should no longer exercise penalties for breaking the law.
If we should only forgive crimes needing capital punishment, why not
include forgiveness for kidnapping, theft, embezzlement income tax invasion etc.
Is this not setting up a double standard for social justice.
We will forgive someone who has murdered someone but we will put one who
has kidnapped, stolen money or did not pay their taxes?
The
capital punishment practiced in the Old Testament was for a different stage in
the development of mankind that is not acceptable to our modern age of
enlightenment. For example, we do
not put people to death for adultery, rape or striking one’s parents as they
did under the Mosaic Law. It is
more logical and humane to seek rehabilitation and restitution from the guilty
than to put them to death. But
it was God who ordained these laws not Israel.
Evidently God has reason to suspect that the 18 different examples for
capital punishment were such as demanded the death of the offender.
Those
who argue for capital punishment say that its practice is a deterrent to further
capital crimes in that it removes one guilty criminal from society who could
possibly continue a life of capital crime in the future.
Capital
punishment is a severe penalty and as such teaches that taking another life in
premeditative murder upholds the dignity of taking a life in the first place
(Gen. 9:6). It also provides a fear
that helps restrain future capital crimes.
It is true that Jesus taught the importance of forgiveness (Matt. 5:39).
But He said nothing about removing the penalties from breaking all civil
law. As has been said, why stop
with removing capital punishment as a penalty?
Why not remove all penalties for any law and remove all consequence from
any crime? Then we could use a non-defined love equally in all society.
But the Bible clearly asserts that God is both a God of love (1 John 4:8)
and justice (John 5:30). Justice
is not removed from society and replaced by love.
Those
who claim that man has evolved into a higher level of enlightenment should pay
attention to the news reports and crime statistic of today.
Man is still the same as he was in the Old Testament.
The many laws for capital punishment in the Mosaic Law provided ample
evidence of the true condition of the nature of man.
In
summary, justice and not rehabilitation is the real issue behind the use of
capital punishment. The sanctity
and dignity of life issue argued by those against capital punishment are equally
an argument for capital punishment. Capital
punishment is a clear commentary on the sinful nature of man.
He has an incurable nature that must be restrained.
There
are several passages in the Bible that need to be clarified regarding this
debate. Matthew 26:52 records
Jesus’ commanded that His disciples to put away the sword.
But the context was an attempt by some Apostles to defend the Lord at the
time of His arrest. The
passage is not teaching the removal of all forms of capital punishment.
In addition, Jesus did not resist or speak against capital punishment
when He was put on the cross. In
Luke 22:36 He commanded His disciples to buy a sword.
2
Cor 10:4-5 implies that we are to fight spiritual battles with spiritual
weapons, not physical or literal weapons. But
the context of the passage concerns the spiritual warfare of the believer. Obviously, the believer can only be effective against Satan
using God’s spiritual weapons to reach for the souls of men.
The question of maintaining civil law and order is not discussed in this
passage.
As
has been noted, the Sermon on the Mount presents a wholly different standard of
life for the child of God as a private citizen.
The believer is to set aside the law of “an eye for an eye” (Matt.
5:38; Exo. 21:24; Lev. 19:21). He
is to love his enemies (Matt. 5:44). He
is not to return evil for evil (Rom. 12:17).
However, Jesus’ sermon does not change the duty of the state to
maintain civil law. It is
inconsistent to say that Jesus is removing the laws of capital punishment while
not at the same time to remove all penalties from all laws against society.
In
Romans 13:4, the word “sword” was not simply a symbol to maintain order in
the Roman Empire. People living
during the Roman period took the sword quite literally.
In fact in Acts 25:11, Paul recognized that the state had the power to
take his life and did not speak against this right.
There is nothing in the New Testament that sets aside the practice of
capital punishment. In addition,
the Old Testament clearly prescribed the use of this punishment in the numerous
crimes requiring capital punishment within the Mosaic Law.
The
issue against capital punishment is most strongly debated by those advocating
secular humanism. Those who are for capital punishment argue for justice and
the rights of the victim. Perhaps
the most important Old Testament passage that summarizes the argument from the
Bible is Genesis 9:6, which states that whoever sheds man’s blood, his blood
shall be shed.
