South End |
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Capital
Punishment 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). |