Life is a precious gift of God. Christians see life as something that must be preserved, enjoyed, and celebrated. Yet Christians—evangelical Christians—are often among those who support the death penalty. How can this be? Isn’t there an inconsistency with the Christian witness of life, grace, and mercy and support of the death penalty? Isn’t there an inconsistency when Christians say that they are against abortion but for the death penalty? Possibly.
I want to give a brief primer on the Christian options with regards to the issue of capital punishment. Hopefully this will serves to help people on both sides understand the issue more accurately.
There are essentially two positions that Christians have taken with regards to capital punishment:
- Rehabilitationalism
- Retributionalism
Rehabilitationalism: Believes that capital punishment is repealed by the New Testament’s command to love one another and let God have final retribution.
Arguments for Capital Punishment (Retributionalism):
1. It is God’s way of punishment instituted at the time of Noah. This seems to suggest a general governmental principle that transcends the situation (i.e. there is no Law or theocracy).
Gen 9:6 - “Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man.”
2. It is continued in the Mosaic Law with further offenses that call for death.
Capital Offenses
- Murder (Ex. 21:11; Num. 35:30)
- Cursing or striking parent (Ex. 21:15, 17; Lev. 20:9)
- Kidnapping (Ex. 21:16)
- Witchcraft (Ex. 22:18)
- Bestiality (Ex. 22:19; Lev. 20:16)
- Idolatry (Ex. 22:20; Lev. 20:2)
- Negligent Homicide (Ex. 21:29)
- Work on the Sabbath (Ex. 35:2; Num. 15:32-35)
- Homosexuality (Lev. 18:22; 20:13)
- Adultery (Lev. 20:10; Deut. 22:24)
- Incest (Lev. 20:11-12, 14)
- Prostitution (Lev.21:9)
- Blasphemy (Lev. 24:16)
- False Prophecy (Deut. 13:1-5)
- Rape (Deut. 22:25)
4. The New Testament does inform Christians that the Government is part of God’s common grace, given to men in order to keep order in society.
Romans 13:3-4 - “For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.”
The right and responsibility of the government to “bear the sword” definitely implies its strictest use, capital punishment.
5. Paul implicitly accepts and agrees with the government’s authority to use the death penalty in his own life.
Acts 25:11a - “If, then, I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die.”
Arguments Against Capital Punishment (Rehabilitationalism)
1. The sixth commandment states that you shall not kill (Ex. 20:13). The death penalty is killing people.
2. While the Mosaic System did demand capital punishment, it was a theocracy that is no longer in effect.
Romans 6:14-15 - “For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” (emphasis added)
3. Christ showed by his words and example that the death penalty was no longer in effect.
Matthew 5:38-39 - You have heard that it was said, ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.”
John 8:3-7 - “The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to Him, ‘Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?’ They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’”
4. Paul tells Christians to leave vengeance and retribution to God.
Romans 12:19 - “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘vengeance is mine; I will repay,’ says the Lord.”
5. Statistics show that death penalty is not much of a deterrent to crime.
My position
I believe that the arguments for the continued use of capital punishment are much stronger. Therefore, I support and encourage the use of capital punishment for heinous crimes.
In response to the arguments against capital punishment, I would offer these observations.
1. The sixth commandment speaks against murder, not killing. There are major inconsistencies make this objection invalid in my opinion. Although there can be a fine line between murder and taking a life for societal order and retribution, their is a definite line. If the death penalty was always a violation of the fifth commandment, why would God have allowed such in the same Law? Notice that the penalty for breaking the sixth commandment is death (21:12). How could the fifth commandment prohibit that which is mandated for a violation of the sixth?
2. It is true that Christians are not under the Mosaic system, but the principles of the system are still good (e.g. Ten Commandments).
3. Christ’s words and example speak to individual retribution, not governmental. Taken to the extreme, there would be no punishment for any crime.
4. Paul’s statement in Romans 12:9 once again seems to speak to individual retribution. God uses government, not individuals, to execute His vengeance (13:4).
5. The statistics concerning the efficacy of capital punishment to deter crime are not consistent. Some statistics do suggest that where the fear of death is truly present, it does act as a deterrent. But even if it does not deter crime, this is not necessarily an argument against it. Its function is also seen as retribution, acting as God’s instrument of wrath.
In the end, I see no inconsistency in being an advocate of the death penalty for certain crimes and being against abortion. The aborted child is innocent, having committed no crime, while the one sentence to capital punishment is guilty of a great offense.
5 comments:
In the Old Testament God's people were alson a governmental nation, they were one in the same. The name Israel referred to the nation as well as the OT "church". Not so in the New Testament.
We are the church and our nation status is not of this world. The New Testament informs and warns the believer of the power of the government, a power that God has created but that is also many times abused. God ordained government but not Hitler. God ordained marriage but not abuse.
So we as the body of Christ should have no ecclesiaistical opinion about captital punishment, the government will have their own opinion. We must flow in love, grace, and mercy and not revenge. Capitlal punishment carries only punitive correction without the chance of repentance and even reconciliation.
And just as an observation, the United States administers captital punishment in a racist, sexist, and monetarily partisan way. In short, it is a mockery and executes the "least of these" among us. So even if a believer happens to agree with the concept, he must reject the fleshly and captalist way the American system carries it out, not to mention the excruciating delay between sentence and punishment.
What a mess that in no way reflects the spirit of the New Testament and of Christ. And all the references to the law are irrelevent including the laws God gave before Moses. We have the ministry of reconciliation and should not participate in politics either in activism or legislative moral theory.
Rick,
Good article. Thanks for posting. To Rick Frueh--I agree that the data would suggest that capital punishment in the US may be racist and based on the monetary ability of the accused. However, we should not throw out the baby with the bathwater. If it's the right thing to do, we should fix the system rather than abandon it. BTW--most of the delays between sentencing and execution result from endless appeals by the convict. If the person drops all appeals, it goes fairly quickly.
Captial punishment is like tithing - not New Testament for the church. We keep melding the government with the church. Think about it, Rick. Should the church in China be in favor of capital punishment? The warning to the church is just that, a warning.
Democracy wasn't even invented as of yet.Please, everyone, hand in your political membership cards and focus completely on Christ and His will for the church. See, I'm a little gnostic! :)
To both Ricks,
Oh...I agree that capital punishment is a government function. However, as a Christian, I support the government doing the right thing. They should ticket speeders, stop abortion, and execute murderers. I don't think the church should be involved in any of those things. the role of government is to maintain the peace.
"the role of government is to maintain the peace."
Yes, and the role of the church is to preach and live the Prince of Peace. No more and no less.
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