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Transcript 199A — Capital Punishment
HC: Good evening. Welcome to Open Forum.
CALLER: Yes I have a question. Does the Bible speak of capital punishment, especially anything in the New Testament? And I'll take my answer on the air.
HC: All right. Fine
The question is raised, Does the Bible speak anywhere about capital punishment, and especially is there anything about this in the New Testament?
Let me begin to answer this, first of all, by indicating that the Bible is one whole. And the statements in the Old Testament are just as much God's will as those in the New Testament. However, we will look both in the Old and the New Testament.
In Genesis 9:6 we read, "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed. For God made man in His own image." In other words, God has laid down an inviolate rule, and this rule has never been abrogated in the Bible. You can search the Bible, and it has never been set aside. God indicates that when man murders, then he is to forfeit his life.
Now elsewhere in the Bible we'll discover that just anybody can't take that man's life. There are the constituted authorities who must do this. Now going to the New Testament, in Romans 13 we read about the role of government in carrying out the will of God. In Romans 13:1 we read, "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed. And those who resist will incur judgment."
And then it goes on and speaks about government in verse 4: "For he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid. For he does not bear the sword in vain. He is the servant of God to execute His wrath on the wrongdoer."
Now in the Bible the use of the sword was to kill. It was not to beat, it was not to chastise. It was used to kill. It's like the gun is used today. A gun is used to kill. And here God indicates that it is the government's role to wield the sword, death-dealing instruments, in order to execute God's wrath on the wrongdoer.
This is written, of course, totally in the context of the New Testament, after Christ had returned to Heaven, after the cross experience. And so God very definitely envisions capital punishment.
Genesis 9 is one of the best passages that indicates at least one area where capital punishment is to be administered.
I hope this will help. And thank you so much for that question.