READING TIME: 1-2 MINUTES
April 30, 2020
What does the Bible say about “capital punishment?”
The primary purpose of government is to restrain evil. In Romans 13:3 Paul confirms this purpose when he says that “rulers are” to be a “terror” or deterrent to bad behavior. In the next verse, he says that the government is “God’s minister to you for good . . . an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.” Paul made it clear in Romans 13 that God has delegated to human government the authority to exercise capital punishment in the case of murder. Also, Peter wrote something similar in 1 Peter 2:13-14. An excellent defense of capital punishment is John S. Feinberg & Paul D. Feinberg, Ethics for a Brave New World (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1993), pp. 127-147.
God set up capital punishment to administer justice when a person takes somebody else’s life in a premeditated way (Gen 9:6). Since God knows the extent of the wickedness of man’s heart, capital punishment also serves as a deterrent to holding that sinful person back from looting, committing violence, murder, etc. This is seen in Deut 13:10-11 and Eccl 8:11. The reason why God established human government in Gen 9 was to restrain evil and prevent the world from reverting to what it was in the pre-flood world (Gen 6:5; 8:21).
If a believer commits a crime, he/she needs to understand that God only removes the eternal consequences of their sins, which is hell, but he/she must pay, to a certain extent, the temporal consequences of his/her crime.
I believe capital punishment should be applied equally, fairly, and justly.
