“Whoever sheds man’s blood, his blood will be
shed by man, for God made man in His image.”[1]
Does this verse support the concept of capital punishment? Biblically the
answer to this question is yes. Though some have opposed capital punishment for
ideological and practical reasons, it is important to note that God mandated
its use.[2]
This divine mandate occurs for the first time after the flood. “Then
God said to Noah, I have decided to put an end to every creature, for the earth
is filled with wickedness because of them; therefore I am going to destroy them
along with the earth.”[3]
In
reference to verses 5 and 6 of chapter 9 of Genesis, two things are very clear:
human life is sacred and premeditated murder is utterly evil.[4] In
fact there are multiple passages in the early parts of the bible that support
this fact. Exodus 20:11-17 states that after God finished with the creation of
the earth, he rested on the Sabbath and proclaimed loudly 6 of the 10
commandments, to include do not murder. In verses 21:12 of Exodus God states
that “Whoever strikes a person so that he dies must be put to death.” Was this
capital punishment limited to just murder though? Absolutely not, in verses
14-17 God also commands that those who strike their mother or father, kidnaps
another, or curses their parents must also be put to “death”. So just by these
few instances in the first 2 books of the bible you can see that God intended
for certain punishments to be dealt with by using capital punishment.
So
what does the New Testament say about capital punishment and who is responsible
for carrying out that punishment? “For
government is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid,
because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For government is God’s
servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong.”[5]
So this tells us from the New Testament side of the house the exacting of
punishment, whether it is normal or capital punishment, is the responsibility
of the state, not the individual. “The state has the responsibility, as God’s
civil servant on earth, to protect its citizens and to punish those who harm
them.”[6]
It
is clearly supported by biblical evidence that capital punishment was
instituted, commanded, and supported by God. Not to be questioned since the
authority comes from Him and He is the law. Society today needs to look into
God’s word and understand that in instances that God has commanded us to do
something, it is not up for debate. As far as the subject of capital punishment
is concerned I will leave you with this. “The
core of the Noahic Covenant was the judicial taking of life, which is the
ultimate expression of government. Since that is the ultimate exercise of
justice, all other laws of government lead up to that judicial decision and
find their credibility in the death penalty.”[7]
[1]
Genesis 9:6
[2] Brand,
Chad, Charles Draper, and Archie England, . Hollman
Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nasville: Hollman Bible
Publishers,
2004. Pg 265
[3]
Genesis 6:13
[4] Davis,
John. Paradise to Prison: Studies in
Genesis. Salem: Sheffield Publishing Company, 1998. Pg 127
[5]
Romans 13:4
[6] Brand,
Chad, Charles Draper, and Archie England, . Hollman
Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nasville: Hollman Bible
Publishers,
2004. Pg 265
[7] Towns,
Elmer. Theology For Today.
Cengage Learning, 2008. Pg 735
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