Expert: Cooper P. Abrams III - 4/23/2005

Question
I am writing to you out of a long sense of confusion, i am and have been a Baptist, I was raised with strong beliefs in my bible and our God, and i have come to many areas where i am not able to distinguish what I have been told to believe and what i have come to believe in my own studies. The first of these being the Death Penalty, this has been weighing heavily on my mind as i recently had interaction with someone on Death Row, Until that time, i believed as most Christians i meet seem to that the death penalty is approved by God, I never looked further, just followed what everyone seemed to believe. And then i started to research more.. and though recently a conservative christian told me that God does Condone the Death Penalty i can not stomach that answer.. as i believe Murder is Murder, thou shalt not kill, means just that, And that my loving God, would did not plan for someone to know the exact hour and  minute of their death, in fact sit and wait for it for months.. so i came up with the following verses.. could you PLEASE give me some advice on if my new believes are correct, and if you do not feel they are, why? thank you SOO much
Okay, so i am not put in the position of someone saying, well you are complaining about people backing their thoughts up, i am going to include what i feel back up my thoughts that as a Christian, the death penalty is wrong.
starting with the old convenants that indeed do support the death penalty.. to the new convenants.
It says in Genesis 9:6, 6Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed:  And it goes on to say in Exodus 21:23-24, 23And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, 24Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

And it goes on further to say in Deuteronomy 19:21, 21And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Matthew 26:56, 56But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.  Let's go to Acts 3:18, 18But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.  It was all fulfilled.  So when Jesus said in Matthew 5:38-39, 38Ye have heard that it hath been said, AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH:  39But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

So Jesus was not about revenge which is what the old covenant was about.
Let's go to Jeremiah and see what he has to say about the new covenant.  Jeremiah 31:31-34, 31Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:  32Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:  33But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.  34And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, for the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord:  for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Now Paul goes on to repeat all of Jeremiah said in Hebrews 8:8-12 but Paul goes on further to say in Hebrews 8:13, 13In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old.  Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

Paul writes in Hebrews 7:22, 22By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.


Ephesians 4:31-32 reads, 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:  32And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

And Jesus said in John 15:12, 12This is my commandment, That ye love one another as I have loved you.

If we read Mark 12:30-31 30AND THOU SHALT LOVE THE LORD THY GOD WITH ALL THY HEART, AND WITH ALL THY SOUL, AND WITH ALL THY MIND, AND WITH ALL THY STRENGTH:  this is the first commandment.  31And the second is like, namely this, THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF.  There is none other commandment greater than these.
Jesus was about Love, Kindness, Forgiveness, and Compassion.  He was not hateful or revengeful for they have no existence in Christianity whatsoever.  And the definition of revenge is a desire to take vengeance.  And the definition of vengeance is with great force or fury.  And the definition of fury is violent anger and wild rage.  What do these have in common with Christ?

And these are what the death penalty are all about Revenge, Vengeance and Fury.  So a true follower of Christ cannot support the death penalty – no how, no way.  And like I said before and demonstrated in these scriptures, Christianity is about Love, Kindness and Forgiveness.


Answer
It is not murder for the state, or Federal government to put criminals to death for heinous crimes.    The Bible plainly says that the man who takes a life is to forfeit his own life (Gen. 9:6).    The Law of Moses, which was the civil and spiritaul system of law for the nation of Israel called for capital punishment in the case of murder (Lev. 24:17; Deu. 19:11-13), idolatry (Lev. 20:2; De. 17:2-7), witchcraft (Lev. 20:27), adultery (Lev. 20:10; Deu. 22:21,22), homosexuality (Lev. 20:13), bestiality (Lev. 20:15,16), rape (Deu. 22:25-27), incest (Lev. 20:17), blasphemy (Lev. 24:11-16,23), presumption (De. 17:12-13), kidnapping (Dev. 24:7), and rebellion against parents (Lev. 20:9).
  The avenger of death in O.T. times was a relative or friend of the victim who put the murderer to death (Deu. 19:11-13).   That applied to a people of a different culture and time than we today and does not apply to us.    Israel at this time was a people of 12 tribes each ruled by a tribal chief.    The OT law made provision for criminal justice beyond the tribal level to apply to all the tribes equally.    God allowed for this, and made cities of refuge as a provision for those who had killed someone accidentally.    In our present time or dispensation God has given civil government ( state and federal) the authority to put offenders to death in their crime warrants it.     In Romans 13 we see that God has given nations the authority to "bear the sword" against evil. This obviously refers to capital punishment.

Why then did command that capital punishment be carried out?

  The deterrent effect of capital punishment.    Some think the Mosaic law was barbaric in its dealings with serious crime. On the contrary.    It is barbaric to allow wickedness to go unpunished and people who are murders of innocent men, women and children to be allowed to continue their crimes.   When severe justice is not meted out to capital offenders, evil spreads like leaven throughout society.    The wicked become increasingly brazen.   They certainly do not fear of God nor the laws of society.      How many times in recent years has criminals guilty of terrible crimes been released from prison and go and murder, race or assault someone else.   These people show themselves unworthy to live in a society of men.   Like a poisonous snake or dangerous animal they have to be removed from society.    

   Some say prison is the answer, but in prison many times these violent out of control people murder and maime people including guards in prison also.  In prison they live a perverted live that is marked but every kind of sin and perversion.     Some escape and once out of prison commit the same crimes.    The bottom line is that even putting people in prison is putting society at risk and surely does not stop that person their evil life.
  God is not only a God of love, but a God of holiness and justice. The Bible speaks of the deterrent factor of capital punishment: Deu. 13:11; 17:7,13; 19:20; 21:21; Rom. 13:3,4. The Bible also says that only by taking the life of the murderer can the stain of murder be cleansed from the land (Num. 35:31-34; De. 19:13).
  When compared to the law codes of many ancient nations, the Mosaic law seems mild. In Alleged Discrepancies of the Bible, John Haley notes, "In the English code, about 200 years ago, there were 148 capital crimes, 'many of them of a trivial nature, as petty thefts and trespasses upon property.' In England, in the 18th century, it was a capital crime to break down the mound of a fish-pond, to cut down a cherry-tree in an orchard, to steal a handkerchief or other trifle, above the value of twelve pence, privately from another's person. In Sir William Blackstone's time (A.D. 1723-1780), no less than 160 offences (almost ten times as many as the Mosaic code), were declared by act of parliament to be capital crimes, worthy of instant death.' These facts should silence those who are perpetually inveighing against the 'barbarity of the Mosaic code."
  Individuals are not permitted to kill anyone.   If they do so for any reason they are guilty of murder.    Murder is the taking of a life by an individual without justification.     It is not murder to kill in defense of one's person, family or other innocent persons.   Most states have that as law stating it is legal to defend one's self, family or others in case of the imminent threat of serious bodily harm or death.
  Yes, no moral person or Christian wants to see anyone lose their life.   But we have a responsibility to protect ourselves and our families and that authority is given to the government who administers the law in a just and fair way.     One of the greatest reasons we has so much crime in America is the fact that our judges and courts are easy on criminals, which in a real sense allows them to get back on the streets and commit more crimes against other people.   
  God is a God of love and in allowing a government to practice capitol punishment God is being gracious, in that taking the life of the criminal, it stops that person from killing anyone else ever again.   It also stops that person from living a life a sin, which they will at the final judgment have to answer for.   So by cutting criminals  life short God lessen his judgment for sins.
  No one likes capitol punishment. We all are saddened when criminals are executed and we wish it was not necessary.    But it is necessary and our nation and highest court has recognized that fact.    Nations that have done away with capitol punishment have caused crime to soar in their countries, which means their policy has cost the lives of thousand of their people and allowed criminals to victimize the people.      In the Old Testament God gave nation of Israel the law, which was just, for their protection against immoral and evil men.    A person who is so degraded in sin as to murder someone is a threat to everyone....and we must, as responsible for the safety of our families, friends and fellow citizens protect ourselves from such people.

  I support capitol punishment.   I further support making sure that it is done justly and appropriately.   Do I like it....NO!    I do not like the death penalty and I wish men would be morally responsible, but I think of the victims....many who would not be victims if our laws were stronger and properly carried out.    John Evander Couey, a registered sex offender who had raped other children, was allowed to go free and the courts returned him to society.    That action of supposed mercy.....resulted in the brutal rape and murder of little Jessica Lundford an innocent 9 year old girl.  It the death penalty had been carried out...that sweet little girl would be alive today with her family.     Evidence is that the evil man not only raped this child but that he possibly buried her alive!  Couey had been arrested 24 times in the past 30 years for sex related crimes....think of all the victims of the perverted and evil man.    I think trying to defend this man by doing away with the death penalty lessens the seriousness of this man's crime and makes little of what the little girls suffered at his moral depraved hands.
  When God said we are to turn the other cheek...He was not talking about rape and murder and serious crimes.   If that were applicable then we would do away with all our laws....   We can love the man's soul and wish he would even now believe and be saved, but society cannot overlook his heinous crime and he must be removed finally from being a threat to society.
 
  I hope this helps you understand the other side of the matter.    It is good that you are seeking biblical answers to your questions and that you have a great compassion for people. That shows the love of God in our hearts, but we have a responsibility to uphold God's law, and the laws of our society...in order to protect ourselves and our loved one's.  God loves man too doen't He?   He came to the earth and suffered and died for the sins of the whole world....knowing that most people would not accept His free gift of Salvation...but in love He still paid their sin debt.  Yet, heaven is a perfect place and there will be no sin there.    God cannot allow sin to be ignored and unpunished.....that is way He suffer so much for us...that we would not have to suffer.   Yet, He is just and each man makes a choice as to whether he will believe and obey God's right instructions....or live in the destructiveness of sin.   
  It is not murder for our government to remove from society evil people who murder and rape, rather a righteous act.    God knows what is best for us.   I think the truth of  Proverbs 14:12 applies,   “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”         
  If you have further questions or comment please write.
Cooper Abrams
bible-truth.org