Now, I am a Christian. Not a theologian, but I do like the bible. Especially as it is God's word and all. Thus, it did make me think, to see such fervor, what does the bible actually say about all this? Is it really relevant or defensible for us as Christians to support the death penalty?
Well, we are to use the bible as a reference point for all things, and we are to follow it. So it seems prudent to first examine the bible and see what it says on the subject.
Let's begin with the beginning and see what the Old Testament says on the death penalty...
According to the Old Testament - What Sins Hold Death as Punishment?
- Murder (Genesis 9:5-6)
- Blasphemy (Leviticus 24:13-23)
- Adultery (Deuteronomy 22:21-24)
- Rape (Deuteronomy 22:25)
- Incest (Leviticus 20:11)
- Bestiality (Leviticus 20:15-16)
- Showing contempt for priests or judges (Deuteronomy 17:12-13)
- Kidnapping and enslavement (Deuteronomy 24:7)
- Leading people away from God (Deuteronomy 13:6-11)
- Being stubborn and rebellious (Deuteronomy 21:18)
- Attacking one's parents (Exodus 21:15)
- Cursing one's parents (Exodus 21:17)
- Working on the Sabbath (Exodus 35:2)
- Spiritism (Leviticus 20:27)
- For careless handling of an animal (Exodus 21:29)
- Accidentally killing a pregnant woman (Exodus 21:22-23)
- Eating leavened bread during the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12:15)
- Consuming blood or eating rare meat (Leviticus 17:10)
- Sexual activity with a woman while menstruating (Leviticus 20:18)
- Speaking false prophesies (Deuteronomy 18:20-22)
- Being a glutton and a drunkard (Deuteronomy 21:20-21)
I think this list shows the general idea.
New Covenant and The Mosaic Laws
There are a lot of sins that carry the death penalty. A LOT of them. And I believe most of us are guilty of a fair share. Especially given into account what Matthew 5:28 says: "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.".
It seems like we are in a bad spot here. The old testament defines all these punishments for so many crimes - and then Matthew 5:28 says that if we even think of these things - we commit the sin of which we think. I do not think any human being can go his entire life without even thinking any of these things. And to make matters worse, James 2:10 says: "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it."
So it is evident we are in a tough spot indeed. If we break one command - we break all of them. And if we even think about breaking one... Well, then we break it. It would seem that it is impossible to lead a life which according to this should not be terminated by execution.
Let's look at these laws in the light of the new testament... Did Jesus come to break or remove these laws? In Matthew 5:17 Jesus says "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.".
So, according to these verses alone those Christians who embrace the death penalty for murder alone are making a biblical mistake. If Jesus came to fulfill the law, and our thought lives also apply - then we should all die, shouldn't we? I guess we might need to keep the electric chairs running for a while now. Long enough to make sure every single human is thoroughly dead. I think we can all agree that this is all impossible to follow for us mere humans. Basically, we're toast, right? Romans 3:23 really got it right. for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And not just by a little bit either.
Not so Hopeless After All
Thankfully, the bible does not end there. There are a few verses which brightens the day a little. Romans 3:24-27 continues and says: and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith.
On the same note Colossians 2:13-15 says: When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
He forgave us ALL our sins. Pretty amazing if you ask me. Especially given what we learned from the old testament and what the new testament says. We know from these verses, and of course the famous John 3:16 that if we believe in Christ - our sins are washed away, no matter what they were. And this is in my opinion unbelievably great! The punishment for our sins remains, the laws still apply - but Jesus took the punishment upon Himself.
So then what? Are we to persecute all non-Christians and execute them for their sins? We can't honestly go for murderers or rapists alone as James tells us committing any one sin
means committing them all. And the Old Testament clearly states that there is a plethora of sins for which we must die. And if we truly are to use the bible to strengthen our arguments we should stick to it, not read it selectively.
The Essence of Christianity
Thankfully the bible has verses which tell us what Jesus thinks we should do not only with sinners, but those who hate us and would want to kill us. And this is where things really get radical.
Luke 6, 27-31 reads: "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you."
LOVE your enemies. And do good to those who hate you. That's pretty tough. That means we should all try to do some good for Osama Bin Laden. Don't get me wrong here and start collecting money to send to him, but still. We are to love him, not hate him as he hates us. The murderers at school massacres are also to be loved by us. The bible is very clear on exactly this. Luke 6 is a very good read concerning loving those who are wicked. It continues in verse 35: But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
I did tell you radical, didn't I. We are to be as merciful as our Father is merciful. And Jesus didn't mean our earthly father, but God. Echoing the mercy of God is kind of hard. That was the mercy which caused him to go get tortured and then nailed to a cross to die. So we wouldn't have to. Echoing that mercy is hard for us humans, as we are so much smaller and so much less capable than God. It's a lofty goal for sure, but nevertheless a goal we - if we are to call ourselves Christians - must pursue before all else.
Overcome Evil With Good
The death penalty as a punishment should, I believe, not be one supported by us Christians given the sum of the verses I have quoted up till this point. There is, of course, more to back my statement up. Let's go to Matthew 5:38-39 where Jesus comments on the Law of the Talion from Exodus 21:22-24. Known for the line "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth". In Matthew Jesus says: "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also". These verses strikes at the very heart of the death penalty - retribution and vengeance. Which is also very directly addressed in Romans 12:19-21: Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"says the Lord. On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
And here we are with the essence of what our calling as Christians is. "Overcome evil with good". Jesus gave us plenty of examples of this. How He dines with the sinners of his day and age. How He handled it when a woman who was caught in the act of adultery was brought before him. He told them the famous line found in John 8:7: "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Jesus did not He himself stone her, as the Mosaic law dictates should have happened. He forgave her, and overcome what evil she did by doing good to her. There are numerous stories in the bible about Jesus relating to sinners. In His own words: "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (excerpt from Mark 2:17)
Who Would Jesus Kill?
Given all this, how can one condone the death penalty and use the bible as a basis for this support? I can only conclude that given the new covenant, Jesus' blood excluded no-one. His sacrifice was for all human beings. Not just those who have not committed murder. Or those who have not committed adultery. All. After all, one sin means all sins. And it would seem most of them hold biblical support for punishment by death. Thank God for the blood of Jesus by which we do not have to face this doom. But by which we are free. One could easily let this post drag out into the political and debate the social impact of the death penalty for some time. But my purpose - for now - was to approach the issue biblically.
