South End
Church of Christ

4001 Taylor Blvd
Louisville, KY 40215

 

Capital Punishment
Aaron Erhardt

God has authorized government to exercise capital punishment. It “does not bear the sword in vain” (Romans 13:4), which was borne as a symbol of the magistrate's power to inflict death. In fact, Jesus Himself affirmed that this authority comes from “above” (John 19:10-11).    

Paul acknowledged that some crimes are worthy of capital punishment, when he declared, “If then I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek to escape death” (Acts 25:11). Peter did the same when he said that rulers “punish those who do evil” (1 Peter 2:13-14).              

The principle of capital punishment was established in Genesis 9:6 (“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed”) and was included in the Old Law. God prescribed the death penalty for crimes such as rape, murder, and homosexuality, though not without due process.

Capital punishment is not only to bring retribution upon the guilty, but to deter others from committing similar offenses. And like other forms of punishment, it should be carried out quickly (Ecclesiastes 8:11).

   

 


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