GOD HIMSELF authorized retaliation laws of punishment for crimes, administered by duly appointed authority (government) as part of divine establishment that insure freedom, security and peace within a national entity which provides precedence for remembering the victim.

GOD HIMSELF instituted government for man (Genesis 9:5-6). He authorizes capital punishment as a consequence to the crime of murder (Genesis 9:6a). The divine reason-viewpoint for the implementation of the death penalty is stated in Genesis 9:6 b and James 3:8b.

The IMAGE OF GOD and the LIKENESS OF GOD refers to the soul life of Adam and Eve before THE FALL OF MAN, therefore, he who unjustly kills a man dishonor God the Creator of all life.

All form of government and types of leadership comes from God (Romans 13:1), which authority has been given and delegated by God to carry out the purpose for which He established it (Daniel 2:20-21). Satan is the author of rebellion, and all forms or resistance against established authority. Those who opposed any established authority has opposed the word of God and they will receive the condemnation upon themselves (Romans 13:2). The national government is justified to sentence a criminal guilty of heinous crime to die by execution for several reasons: God has duly appointed the national government to penalize murderers to die under the force of the law (Leviticus 24:17, 22)..

The government of the people was instituted by God to insure freedom, security and peace (Genesis 9:5-6, James 3:9b, Daniel 2:20-21). The criminal must be eliminated for people to live in peace and security. The government is responsible for the enactment and enforcement of laws and including the capital punishment. The criminality will increase if the guilty criminals are not executed.

WHOEVER SHEDS MAN*S BLOOD, BY MAN (GOVERNMENT) HIS BLOOD SHALL BE SHED (CAPITAL PUNISHMENT) [EXODUS 21:23, 12].

God is perfectly just and righteous. All men are equally sinful before God. All men are under the SENTENCE OF JUDGMENT [2 Corinthians 1:9], so, all men are criminals in the eyes of God.

JUDGMENT  (krima is sentence) is a decision passed on the sin of others. KRIMA is especially designated the sentence from God toward men (2 Peter 2:3). KATADIKE  is the divine judicial judgment for a person sentence to eternal damnation by the ONLY TRUE AND PERFECT JUDGE (Acts 25:15). Since criminal instinct is present in every human being, therefore, all men are under condemnation, unless acquitted by the grace of God (Romans 8:1).

Men will go to hell because they have rejected the grace of God, not because they are criminals found guilty by the human court. Believers are mandated to exercise virtue impersonal love towards all men criminal or not. Study also: Exodus 21:12, 23-24, 22:20, Deuteronomy 13:4-5, 17:8-12, 22:20, 22:25-27.

There are moral arguments against the execution of the death penalty: First: Argument citing the sixth of the Ten Commandments: *Thou shall not kill* (Exodus 20:13) The Hebrew word used for kill is *ratsach* which means to murder or to slay or kill. It is not a prohibition to the State to enforce its laws and implement its death penalty. This is a God*s given command to protect the peace-loving citizens not the criminals guilty of murder, homicide or disobeying the divine mandate.

Second: Argument citing the morality issue *He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her* (John 8:1-11). The issue is not that none of us have the right to impose capital punishment against any criminal but the validity of the death penalty. The Lord Jesus Christ spoke this statement to silence the unbelieving, skeptical, hypocritical religious leaders of His day, thus it cannot be used as a statement to support the anti-death penalty stance. To use this statement to support the anti-death is not only out-of-context but dishonest and deceiving.

Third: Argument citing the issue of vengeance: *avenge not yourselves* (Romans 12:19). Romans 12:19-13:4 is stating that Christians are not supposed to put the law into their hands because there is a future payday. God established human government as His properly delegated authority which He used to minister of justice. The state is God*s instrument for executing His justice upon the evil doers. Any legitimate government must protect its law abiding citizens by properly prosecuting its criminals.

Fourth: Argument citing the flaws of our judicial system: our government is corrupt. The judicial corruption is not an excuse for not imposing the death penalty since it might persecute those not guilty of crimes. If the judicial system is corrupt then it is the judicial system that must be corrected. Such corruption should be condemned and corrupt official removed from their office, so that injustice should never be the lot of the innocent. The culprit is the corrupt system run by corrupt officials not the death penalty law. A wicked man receives a bribe from the bosom to pervert the ways of justice* (Proverbs 17:23). The wicked officials must be removed from the office not the death penalty law.

Fifth: Argument on humanitarian issue: every convict deserve an opportunity for change. The effort of the state to protect its citizens from criminal elements in society is self-preservation and very humanitarian by itself. It is inhuman to preserve the criminals who are guilty of heinous crimes. If the law is harsh against the criminals it is because the law is protecting the law abiding citizens.

Sixth: Argument on the issue that the death penalty failed to reduce the crime rate. The real issue here is not the effectiveness of the imposition of death penalty since the Scripture declares that men will tend to become more evil in the latter days (2 Timothy 3:1-7). The state will have more difficulty in preserving the lives of its citizens when they are more criminal elements roaming around. The purpose of the death penalty is to execute the criminals not to scare the people.

Conclusion: No government, human institution, or human system can guarantee the total elimination of all crimes. The imposition of death can only discourage some criminal elements but in no way prevent the growth of criminality. The problem is not the law, not the death penalty but the heart (soul) of every man contaminated with the old sinful nature (Mark 7:20-23). The only solution is not in the hands of the politicians, government of human system but on Christ alone. Faith alone in Christ alone is the solution for this problem of sin. The Word of God expresses in Bible doctrine alone can renew the mind and the soul of even the most hardened criminal.

Bible practicing Christians must preach the genuine Gospel of salvation to a disillusioned citizenry that is fed up with the hypocrisy of man-made religion. The world is waiting to hear and see genuine Christianity that presents a rightfully sound doctrinal viewpoint of God*s unchangeable Word (1 Peter 3:15).

It is but natural for this imperfect world to produce imperfect governments. The death penalty is not the solution for the growth of criminality but it is for the state to impose penalties on lawless elements including the death penalty for those who committed capital offenses. A government that protects, supports and refuse to eradicate its criminal elements is a reproach to its very own people (Proverbs 14:34). A person facing death penalty will receive forgiveness for all of his sins at the moment of faith in Christ, however God will never stop the consequences of his sin to take effect. All have sinned before God (Romans 3:23), thus all deserved the punishment by God. The only escape is through Christ (1 Peter 3:18).

©2005-2009  J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine Ministries