PT3-A BIBLICAL SUMMARY OF THE DEATH PENALTY
Capital punishment, or the death penalty, refers to the execution by the state of those guilty of certain crimes involving First Degree Murder. Today, I am going to break down in greater detail what exactly Bible says about Capital Punishment-or the Death Penalty. This is part three of our three part serious on the death penalty, so let’s just jump right in.
Though some have opposed capital punishment for ideological or out of emotional reasons, it’s important to note that God mandated it’s use in the Bible. Now that we have seen Part 1 and 2 of this series, let’s jump in with both feet to look at God’s mandate for the death penalty, and break down what the Bible actually says about capital punishment or “the death penalty”.
THE BIBLICAL GOD GIVEN MANDATE FOR THE DEATH PENALTY
Most people don’t know or don’t realize that the Bible actually mandates the death penalty for crimes or in certain instances. According to the Merriam-webster.com dictionary, the word “MANDATE” is defined as “a formal order from a superior court or official to an inferior one”; an authorization to act given to a representative.”[i] In other words, “a formal order” disallows for that order to be disobeyed. To disobey an order by the police can get you arrested, shot or killed. To disobey an order in the military can get you punishment, including court marshalled. Let’s break down what the Bible means when it speaks to the Bible mandating the death penalty.
1) The divine, Scriptural and divine mandate occurs FIRST-immediately after the Noahic Flood. God instructed Noah and his sons, saying: “Whoever sheds man’s blood by man his blood shall be shed” (Gen. 9:6 NASB).
2) Human beings are created in the IMAGE OF GOD (Gen. 9:6). No other creature, great or small can say this. Only humans have logical minds able to think, process, understand and communicated as compared to all other creatures that exist only through instinct and natural mechanisms. As such, ALL human life is sacred, justifying a penalty as severe as death for crime of murder.
3) Capital Punishment (the Death Penalty) is reserved for the state (government) not the individual. There is no place for personal revenge or retribution outside the bounds of the law: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, VENGENCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY, says the Lord” (Rom. 12:19). This is the state’s responsibility, as God’s civil servant on earth, to protect its citizens and to punish those who harm them (Rom. 14:4,6). This begs the question as to what we are to do when the state turns evil and persecutes good for evil and makes evil appear good for their own sinful advancement? “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20). The answer is too complex to address in full here because bleeds into “ethics and morality” which involves civil disobedience and dealing with the natural growth of such sinful governmental policies which grow into anarchy (as we saw in the early 2020’s), extreme patriotism, and possibly revolution. Suffice it to say that we are to sit back and rest on “civil disobedience” which is a refusal to do evil, even when the state mandates it as a first step.
4) HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH? Capital punishment provides the state the means to apply the appropriate punishment for murder: “Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot” (Deut. 19:21 ESV).
ISN’T STATE (GOVERNMENT) VIOLATING THE SIX COMMANDMENT “YOU SHALL NOT MURDER” (Exodus 20:13)?
The state and only the state possesses the power of death to punish evil (Romans13:4; 1 Peter 2:13-14). This begs the question as to “WHAT” or “WHO” is EVIL. Evil are those acts identified by God as evil justify the use of Capital Punishment
God is the STANDARD for defining what is GOOD and what is EVIL. If this were not true, there would no abuse in what Nazi Germany did in killing millions of Jews.
The state does not violate the sixth commandment, saying, “You shall not murder” by it is proper executive and application of capital punishment. The Hebrew word “ratsach”, translated “kill” in some translations, refers to acts of murder or homicide. A different word, “harag”, often translated “kill” occurs more often in the Old Testament. Rather than violating the six commandments by capital punishment, the state supports the commandment by executing those who murder. The good news is that God provided us specific guidelines for those who would qualify for the death penalty. Let’s investigate further.
1) The accused person must have committed a crime for which death is appropriate punishment. God sates: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot” (Deut. 19:21).
2) Clear evidence of guilt must be provided by two or more witnesses (Num. 35:30; Deut. 17:6).
3) Those charged with crimes must be treated in a uniform and impartial manner, regardless of the “status” (Deut. 1:17) or “class” (Lev. 19:15) of the offender. Our society, business, and especially our governmental-political system favors some people and discriminates against others because of class or status, or deprives some of adequate defense, intentionally or through neglect, diminishes its integrity and creates serious doubts about its administration of justice (Leviticus 24:22).
CONCLUSION
God instituted capital punishment as a legitimate option for every state. Its institution predates Israel’s birth as a nation and Moses’ divinely inspired directions for its governance, eliminating the possibility that it was mandated soley for Israel if you were wondering. God issued His guidance on capital punishment to ALL of earth’s only surviving people (Gen. 7:20-24). God’s instructions to them provided the foundation for all subsequence governments there forward. Because God mandates capital punishment prior to Israel’s establishment, at the very least, it is a legitimate response to murder in other societies.
[i] Meriam Dictionary, Definition of word mandate, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mandate