“Recompense to no man evil for evil … avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Rom. 12:17-19). This is one passage used to argue (from the Bible) that capital punishment is wrong. Yet, the Bible says in Gen. 9:6 “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.” Are these two passages contradictory? Has God changed His mind in the New Testament? Of course, the answer to both of these questions is, No!” Rom. 12 is speaking of individuals, meaning in part, I cannot “take the law into my own hands.” On the other hand, Gen. 9:6 is God’s revelation and command on the importance of human life. Man was created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26). And to show the sanctity of human life, and to maintain boundaries to assure its protection, God has ordained capital punishment. Don Fleming writes, “Human life was … precious to God … because human beings were made in God’s image. Therefore, any person who killed another without God’s approval was no longer worthy to enjoy God’s gift of life and had to be put to death.”
As with so many “contemporary issues,” the “root issue” is not the issue itself, but our view of the Word of God. Is it truly the Word of God, not just the word of men (1 Thess. 2:13)? This is shown in an editorial to The Freeport News, where Freeman Thurston documents,
Research done in the 1990s in the USA found that Protestants (who interpret the Bible to be the literal word of God) were more likely to be in favour of the death penalty than members of other religious factions and denominations.
As you see, one’s view of Scripture will determine one’s view on this issue (as well as others).
What does the Bible teach about capital punishment. As we have seen, God instituted it (Gen. 9:6). This is clearly repeated in Lev. 24:17 “And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death.” God also gave very specific instructions, so that an “innocent” person, who had accidentally taken the life of another, would not be put to death (Deut. 19:5-6). God also gave instructions for those guilty of “indirect” murder. In Ex. 21:28 the Bible says that if an ox causes a man’s death, it is to be destroyed, but the owner is “quit” (or innocent). However, verse 29 stipulates that if the ox had a history of being dangerous, both the ox and his owner would die. There is a tremendous lesson here on personal responsibility. Wiersbe states, “These laws are the logical application of the sixth commandment, ‘Thou shalt not kill.’ We’re made in God’s image, so to murder a fellow human being is to attack the image of God.”
Human government is ordained of God. Earlier we cited Rom. 12:17-19 as a passage some quote to argue against capital punishment. In the very next chapter, we read, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil” (Rom. 13:1-4). Notice, this passage says God has ordained the “higher powers,” calling these governmental leaders “the minister of God,” with the stated purpose of executing wrath on those that do evil.
As Jesus was standing before Pilate, with the crowd crying out, “Crucify him,” Pilate asked “Whence art thou?” When Jesus did not answer the question, Pilate claimed to have the power to crucify him, and the power to release him. Jesus not only answered Pilate, but also pointed out that the power Pilate claimed to have was given to him by God (John 19:9-11).
REFERENCES
Thurston, Freeman, “Capital punishment, religion and social justice,” The Freeport News, 26 Oct. 2011, <http://freeport.nassauguardian.net/editorial/139464147284869.php>
Wiersbe, Warren, The Bible Exposition Commentary – Pentateuch, (Colorado Springs, CO: Victor, 2001), WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
