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.

BE GUILTY!-America's Guilt Culture And Justice: The Death Penalty PT2

By Steven Garofalo M.A.A.  February 14, 2025

We (America) are a “National of Laws”. If we don’t properly, swiftly and justly execute the law, we end up-quickly becoming “Lawless”.

Today, I am going to show you what happens when we fail to enforce the Law due to our guilt culture.

On December 23, 2024, President Biden communed the sentences of 37 individuals on federal death row. Those individuals will have their sentences reclassified from execution to life without the possibility of parole.  Three men remain on federal death row: Robert Bowers, convicted in the attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh that left 11 worshippers dead; Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, convicted in the Boston Marathon bombing that killed three people and injured more than 260 people in 2013 and Dylann Roof, convicted of fatally shooting nine people at Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015.

So, why did the President treat three differently from the 37? I submit that Biden is an extremely immoral man when compared to biblical norms and standards. As such, he not only rejects biblical standards and mandates, but embraces evil. The psychological term to describe a person who blames another person for which he is guilty of is called “PROJECTION”. Projection is a defense mechanism where an individual attributes their own unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or behaviors to someone else. For example, a person who is feeling angry may accuse other of being hostile or aggressive. This in turn often allows the individual to avoid confronting their own feelings or actions by externalizing them. This can and often morphs into narcissism which can be an incredibly challenging and painful ordeal-as the entire country has experienced over the past four years with the Biden administration which was full of such characters. Politics in general are corrupt, but it’s wrong to call all politicians or people equal violators of the law. Equal sinners? Yes, perhaps, but equal violators of the law-NO. This past administration led to lawless criminals being let out of prison, who in turn went out and murdered again. As such, there is culpability on behalf of all prosecutors and politicians involved. This begs the question though as to WHY people don’t support Capital Punishment, or the “Death Penalty”?

DEATH PENALTY AND THE TRUTH ARE 100% CONSISTENT

It seems for political reasons. If you don’t believe in the death penalty, it follows logically that you would be consistent in that belief. Set all that aside, the best way to get to the truth is to discover the “truth”, and in turn, you don’t have to make sense of mankind’s inconsistent moral standings. Man’s morality is always in consistent in relation to money, power, political favors and sinful agendas. God’s morality is 100% consistent. He doesn’t care how much money you have or what you position is. While God is a God of mercy, if you do the crime, you do the time-in other words, there are always consequences. In the case of murder, it cannot be overlooked. Stealing a pack of chewing gum and returning to the store to confess that wrong is less weighty than premeditatively taking the life of an innocent person. This falls under “ethics and morality” in the sense that different crimes differ in their “weightiness”. That’s a discussion for another article. This leads us to ask WHY people don’t support the death penalty and what does God say about the death penalty. I submit that it comes down to malformed cultural understanding of truth and morality. In other words, America’s CULTURE has become unbiblical.

DO DIFFERENT CULTURES SEE PUNISHMENT THE SAME?

Each country has their own cultural leading. Take for example Japan which has a “shame culture” based on “honor”. According to “AI Overview” on Google, A "Japanese Shame Culture" refers to the societal phenomenon where Japanese people are deeply sensitive to the perceptions of others and prioritize maintaining social harmony, often experiencing shame when they fail to live up to societal expectations, leading to a strong focus on outward appearances and avoiding actions that could bring negative judgment upon themselves; this concept is largely attributed to anthropologist Ruth Benedict's work describing Japanese culture as primarily based on shame rather than guilt

If you do something that goes against their cultural, moral and religious norms you are to be shamed.

On the other hand, American has a “shame culture”. This has been born out of an “underdog” mentality which America was founded on, but more so from the politically correct minority mindset starting in the mainly in the 1960’s when instead of helping minorities rise-up, government put non-minorities down to elevate people of color. You cannot elevate someone unfairly without putting someone else down. Simply put, inequality was personified in the name of trying to create equality. Leave it to the government to do more harm than good. The black population are equal humans like everyone else and ought to have been helped to rise-up to their full potential, not allowed opportunities based on the pigmentation of their skin. That is wrong according to the fact that God created all men and women equal. I say all this to illustrate the fact that America has a wrongful guild culture. No other country in world history has done as much good for the world as America-as imperfect as she is, it’s the truth.

AMERICA’S GUILT CULTURE VS. THE BIBLE

A casualty of our “guilt culture” is the inerrancy of the Scriptures. What I mean by that is that people take the parts they want and the parts of the Bible they emotionally feel in disagreement with, they deny in the name of grace and “compassion”. While that nice according to culture, it’s wrong according to God. And this truth is in full-on display in Genesis 9:6 which addresses the death penalty. This is what it says:

“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in His own image” (Genesis 9:6).

Leviticus 24:17 states, "Whoever takes the life of any human being shall be put to death". 

The verb suggests murder, not accidental homicide if the case of killing a human. It’s not speaking to manslaughter or running a red light, causing death. It’s speaking to First Degree, pre-meditated murder. To get the death penalty in America, you have to go through a special hearing (called bi-cameral hearing) to make sure that the case qualifies for the death penalty. This leads us to ask what the God says about the death penalty through His Word, the Bible.

THE BIBLE ON THE DEATH PENALTY

God is clear in Genesis 9:6 in that “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in His own image” (Genesis 9:6)

Homicide (which in a sense is always “fratricide” (killing of one’s brother or sister) (v.5): “And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man” (Genesis 9:5). As such this demands a punishment that matches the crime. The justification for capital punishment here established is “the nobility of the human life”, FOR GOD MADE MAN IN HIS OWN IMAGE”

Hence, murder shows contempt for God as well as for one’s fellow man. Romans 13:4 makes clear where governments have the power to use the death penalty. We are not allowed to take the law into our own hands and murder those who have violated us.

In closing, the United States has become a much less safe place to be. It seems daily that we read about innocent people who are murdered by people who have been convicted in the past for murder. God’s ways are not our ways. When we follow His ways, we live in peace. When we allow our guilt culture and emotions to lead out criminal justice system, innocent people get hurt or die. Let’s not allow our guilt culture override God’s truth. I know this is a touchy subject and there is so much more to be said. I read Genesis 9 this morning and wanted to share in today’s entry. How we apply God’s Word is not politics, it’s God’s ways. How we apply God’s ways is up to us. In the end, it’s still God’s Word. The bottom line is that while we (America) are a “National of Laws”, if we don’t properly, swiftly and justly execute the law, we end up-quickly becoming “Lawless” due to our guilt culture. Let’s put a stop to this today and seek God’s Word-His Truth, despite how we feel about His command for Capital Punishment-the Death Penalty.

AMERICA’S GUILT CULTURE AND THE DEATH PENALTY - A BASIC UNDERSTANDING - PT1

Steven Garofalo M.A.A.    February 10, 2025

This serious started as America's Guilt Culture and the Death. I think this is important because we can be a “National of Laws”-but if we don’t properly execute the law, we quickly become “Lawless”. As a result, today, I want to start with some application in order to wade into this subject in parts rather than in one big article. In this multi-part series, we are going to look at the Death Penalty and what the Bible says about Capital Punishment or the “Death Penalty”.

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS-The Scriptures Are Clear

“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in His own image” (Genesis 9:6).

Leviticus 24:17 states, "Whoever takes the life of any human being shall be put to death". 

APPLICATION

REASONS PEOPLE DON’T SUPPORT OR BELIEVE IN THE DEATH PENTALTY

1)    It’s wrong to kill. We all have the right to life and nobody deserves to be killed; despite what the Bible says. My response is the “despite what the Bible says”. The thought that one’s virtue or self-proclaimed vision of goodness is above God and God is a sin and it’s evil. All of God’s attributes are equal, including his mercy and justice. God makes the rules, not us. The Bible is clear that to knowingly “murder” (premeditatively) must be paid with the life of the murder of him or herself. If that what God’s Word says, that is what is right and what is to be carried out.

2)    Innocent people will be murdered if we have the death penalty: With the advent of DNA and modern science, the reduction or massive reduction of prejudice in society, the chances of being wrongly convicted or very low if existent at all. The Death Penalty mandates a bi-cameral system that mandates a separate hearing to see if one even qualifies for the death penalty to begin with. The argument is valid one in light of past culture and technology or lack thereof. In today’s world, with the advent of cameras, DNA, Cell phone data, etc. there is few places one can hid. This argument has been so abused in our modern age that innocent people are being murdered-namely those who are let out of jail after murdering to murder again. While possible, it’s near impossible or unplausible for one to be convicted and sentenced with the death penalty in our modern age.

3)    The Death Penalty is not a deterrent: The simple answer to this objection is that IF the death penalty would be properly applied SWIFTLY and WIDELY, it would have a chilling immediate effect on the murder rate. At present, it takes decade or more to execute a person on death row due to the length of the appeals process.

CONCLUSION

The United States or any nation can claim to be a “National of Laws”, but if we don’t properly execute the law, we quickly become a “Lawless” society. What the Bible says about Capital Punishment or the “Death Penalty” is just as true as any other Scripture reference in the Bible. We cannot pick and choose which ones we like, or we violate God’s laws, Word and will for how we are to live. In our next entry, I will show you in detail that Americans have become a “guilt culture” and how that has led to more lawlessness and for many, a rejection of the death penalty against God’s Word.  [“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in His own image” (Genesis 9:6).  "Whoever takes the life of any human being shall be put to death" (Leviticus 24:17) ].