Is Capital Punishment O.K. according to the bible?
- Thread starter snoboarder
- Start date
-
Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.
If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!
To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.
- Status
K
lets just remember that there are many on death row who are not guilty....there are some countries that have death penalty for drug crimes........yes we are tolive by the laws of the government exept when they conflict with jehovah teaching...i say let god be the judge not humans i would not like to be personally responsible for anyone receiving the death penalty....put them in prison throw away the key...and let god be thejudge on the matter....humans do not have the power to read the heart and therefore we could never deliver real justice.
Enough people have already quoted the verses which state that capital punishment is scriptural so I'm not going to repeat those. Some still want to say that even though the Bible is clear that the government should punish evil doers and that we have God's law stating how we should handle certain crimes, that we shouldn't condone it. Please take into context that the Bible doesn't say we as Christians and/or common citizens are to take the law into our own hands and kill anyone, not even in punishment of crime. That is the reason God ordained governments. We can pray and witness to the most evil of people and God can save them, but that does not negate the task that God gave to the government. God said in Proverbs 21:1, "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will." There are methods of petitioning for clemency and if it is God's will for a murderer to go free then God can turn the heart of the governor to grant such a pettition.
For those who point out that there are innocent people on death row. This is partly true, but also would not be a problem if the government handled the death penalty scripturally. Under God's law the death penalty was only used if there were at least two (preferably three) eyewitnesses to a crime.
Hebrews 10:28, "He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses." With two eye-witnesses, you greatly reduce the instance of a falsely accused individual being convicted. As in the case with Jesus' trial they had trouble finding any two false witnesses who could keep their stories straight enough to get a conviction.
This raises an interesting question. Since the government is not doing things scripturally does that mean that there are "innocent" people on death row. Scripturally, the wages of sin is death and all have sinned, as such there is no such thing as an innocent. God can and has granted clemency to real murderers and we have seen the falsely accused go free as well. God can also use the government to punish someone for their sin that the government might not even be aware of. Psalms 17:13, "Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword." God is in control and can use the wicked as his tool to bring about his intents. We are under a secular government with secular laws but as Romans 13 clearly teaches that God has ordained governments, even evil ones, for a purpose. Evidenced by the fact that Paul wrote that during a time that the rulers were known to claim to be gods.
For those who say lock them up and throw away the key I have a question. Where is the scripture for this position? We have many scriptures ordaining government implemented capital punishment which can be hashed and re-hashed over and over again. I've read through God's laws and the rest of the Bible and I have not found one single instance of God ordaining prison to punish a crime. There are examples of heathen nations imprisoning people, even God's people. There are a few instances of prophets being thrown in a dungeon, imprisoned in a home, etc, but that was during times of Israel becoming as much or more evil than their heathen neighbors and cared little, if at all, for God's law. None of the crimes mentioned in God's law (mosaic law) have prison sentences. The closest thing I could find to such is when someone had a potentially contagious disease they were quarantined until it had gone away or could be confirmed as non-contagious. Instead of prison, God's law always required restitution.
If I were stolen from today under man's law and if the criminal is caught and has money I might get re-payed but more than likely he simply goes to jail and I'm still without my money or stolen property. Under God's law if you stole you re-payed. If you had no money you worked until you could repay. A far more just system than man's law today. Under man's law today people commit crimes right in front of the police and plead guilty in court because they want to go to jail. They figure they are better off in jail than free. People in prison live much better than a lot of people walking free. They have their cable/sattelite tv, 3 meals a day, a library of books, a gym, etc, and all payed for by the free people outside who work for an honest living. Personally I like God's law better. It's far more just than what we are using today. As a Christian I have the option of forgiving a thief and him not having to repay me or do any prison time. So again God's law is found to not only be just but allows for mercy. Man's law is in many ways unjust and unfair, and only sometimes allows for mercy. Here in Kentucky we have what is called a commonwealth. That means even if I don't press charges the state can still prosecute on my behalf, which takes away my option of mercy.
If anyone can show me where God ordained prison in the his law then I would love to have that scripture. Until then I leave you with this verse:
Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.
Ecclesiastes 8:11
For those who point out that there are innocent people on death row. This is partly true, but also would not be a problem if the government handled the death penalty scripturally. Under God's law the death penalty was only used if there were at least two (preferably three) eyewitnesses to a crime.
Hebrews 10:28, "He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses." With two eye-witnesses, you greatly reduce the instance of a falsely accused individual being convicted. As in the case with Jesus' trial they had trouble finding any two false witnesses who could keep their stories straight enough to get a conviction.
This raises an interesting question. Since the government is not doing things scripturally does that mean that there are "innocent" people on death row. Scripturally, the wages of sin is death and all have sinned, as such there is no such thing as an innocent. God can and has granted clemency to real murderers and we have seen the falsely accused go free as well. God can also use the government to punish someone for their sin that the government might not even be aware of. Psalms 17:13, "Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword." God is in control and can use the wicked as his tool to bring about his intents. We are under a secular government with secular laws but as Romans 13 clearly teaches that God has ordained governments, even evil ones, for a purpose. Evidenced by the fact that Paul wrote that during a time that the rulers were known to claim to be gods.
For those who say lock them up and throw away the key I have a question. Where is the scripture for this position? We have many scriptures ordaining government implemented capital punishment which can be hashed and re-hashed over and over again. I've read through God's laws and the rest of the Bible and I have not found one single instance of God ordaining prison to punish a crime. There are examples of heathen nations imprisoning people, even God's people. There are a few instances of prophets being thrown in a dungeon, imprisoned in a home, etc, but that was during times of Israel becoming as much or more evil than their heathen neighbors and cared little, if at all, for God's law. None of the crimes mentioned in God's law (mosaic law) have prison sentences. The closest thing I could find to such is when someone had a potentially contagious disease they were quarantined until it had gone away or could be confirmed as non-contagious. Instead of prison, God's law always required restitution.
If I were stolen from today under man's law and if the criminal is caught and has money I might get re-payed but more than likely he simply goes to jail and I'm still without my money or stolen property. Under God's law if you stole you re-payed. If you had no money you worked until you could repay. A far more just system than man's law today. Under man's law today people commit crimes right in front of the police and plead guilty in court because they want to go to jail. They figure they are better off in jail than free. People in prison live much better than a lot of people walking free. They have their cable/sattelite tv, 3 meals a day, a library of books, a gym, etc, and all payed for by the free people outside who work for an honest living. Personally I like God's law better. It's far more just than what we are using today. As a Christian I have the option of forgiving a thief and him not having to repay me or do any prison time. So again God's law is found to not only be just but allows for mercy. Man's law is in many ways unjust and unfair, and only sometimes allows for mercy. Here in Kentucky we have what is called a commonwealth. That means even if I don't press charges the state can still prosecute on my behalf, which takes away my option of mercy.
If anyone can show me where God ordained prison in the his law then I would love to have that scripture. Until then I leave you with this verse:
Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.
Ecclesiastes 8:11
1
Soldier you ask about the Bible mentioning prisons? Here is a round about way to justify putting people in prison.....
Romans 13:1
1Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
This verse states the powers that be, are ordained of God.
So what's that mean? God is in so much control, that if someone is in government leadership, God has put them there. Right?
Governments are the ones who made prisons right? Who put government in power? God did!
So basically God has allowed people to be placed in power that believe in putting people in prison. If God didn't want governments to exist that put people in prison, then wouldn't he simply overthrow them with something else?
Romans 13:1
1Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
This verse states the powers that be, are ordained of God.
So what's that mean? God is in so much control, that if someone is in government leadership, God has put them there. Right?
Governments are the ones who made prisons right? Who put government in power? God did!
So basically God has allowed people to be placed in power that believe in putting people in prison. If God didn't want governments to exist that put people in prison, then wouldn't he simply overthrow them with something else?
Chris, If I didn't know you better I might almost think you were serious, but I think even you can see the fallacy in the argument you just made. I already basically answered your question in my post but to clarify for everyone's sake; Study the story of Nebuchadnezzar and how he conquered Jerusalem. He was an evil ruler, yet God ordained that he conquer his people as a punishment for their wickedness. God choosing Nebuchadnezzar and his government to rule his people did not mean that he or his government were holy and right in every respect. Quite the contrary, they were utterly pagan. We can infer from scriptures about what happened with him losing his kingdom for 7 years while eating grass in the field and then getting it back that it is possible that he turned to the true God before dying. However that in know way makes his years as a pagan to be godly. God's choice of putting him in charge was not telling all of his people that Babylonian law had now replaced the Mosaic law or that they should worship pagan idols. So to answer your facetious question: Yes, I believe there is a better way than prisons; No that does not mean I am in rebellion against the Government; and No, being against scripturally wrong things in the government that God has ordained does not mean I am against God.
1
I'm just seeing if I can out soldier, soldier of Christ here. So glad you picked up on my tone....
1Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
There is no power but of God. He's ordained every power. Not much wiggle room around that.
1Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
There is no power but of God. He's ordained every power. Not much wiggle room around that.
Yeah, I thought that was the case. Especially since I had already referred to Romans 13 in the fourth paragraph of my initial post. Good of you to quote the scripture from there. I think it has already been mentioned but I'll go ahead and post the context:
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 dam]nation. 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. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
Romans 13:1-5
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 dam]nation. 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. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
Romans 13:1-5
jk- Status