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Dripping Springs Weekly Bulletins
Capital Punishment?
There are few subjects more filled with controversy than this one. If you want an argument or even a brief discussion, you would be wise to bring your “sack lunch.” It will take a while to lay all the facts on the table.
The question for our discussion will center upon the mind of God on this subject. Does God approve of the death penalty?
It is understandable that humans are filled with regret when a criminal is executed because of his/her crimes. It is to be expected that we are stirred by the prospect of a human being’s death at the hands of an executioner. We ought to shrink from seeing another person’s execution. Why? Because man possesses an eternal soul, man is created in the image of God, and life is from God.
The fact that “life” is a gift from God is precisely the reason the death penalty must be an option for a benevolent state that seeks to protect the innocent from those who have no respect for that gift of life.
The source for this belief is the Word of God itself. If life is God’s gift – and it is – then man has the right to take a life only when God gives that right. This principle is found in both Old and New Testaments. After the flood of Noah’s day, God decreed:
“Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man,” Genesis 9:6
Human life is so valued by Jehovah that He has decreed that those who deliberately and unlawfully take that life must forfeit their own. It should be noted that this statement, found in the book of Genesis, is not a part of the Mosaic code that was abolished when Jesus shed His blood on the cross, Ephesians 2:15. It is a principle as valid today as the day it was written [See Romans 13:4].
Old Testament Principles
In addition to Genesis 9:6, at least twenty other Bible passages declare that capital punishment is a valid means of crime prevention, including Numbers 35:16, “…the murderer shall surely be put to death.”
In Deuteronomy 17:6-7, God states that when tried fairly and executed properly, the death penalty can be a deterrent to crime. “So you shall put away the evil from among you.”
New Testament Principles
Man is not under that Law of Moses revealed in Exodus and Leviticus. We are obligated to the “law of Christ,” 1 Corinthians 9:21, and Christ’s law provides similar authority for capital punishment.
“Let every soul be subject unto the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment upon themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same: For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain: for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil,” Romans 13:1-4
When he was falsely accused, the apostle Paul still recognized the government’s right to enforce the law. He told a Roman officer:
“For if I am an offender, or have committed any thing deserving of death, I refuse not to die,” Acts 25:11
Not Personal Vengeance
There is no place for personal vengeance in this matter, Romans 12:19, Matthew 5:39. Do we seek vengeance, or justice for the guilty? It is tempting to want a guilty person to receive as much pain as he/she has given, but capital punishment must be justice, not revenge.
Previously noted passages reveal that a properly instituted governing body has a right – yea, an obligation – to seek justice for those under their care. Man’s law is God’s means of justice against criminals.
God’s very nature is justice. It is innate to His existence. Moses said:
“He is the Rock. His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He,” Deuteronomy 32:4
Objections to Death Penalty
- “Thou shalt not kilI.” Jesus said this forbade murder, not legal “execution” of the guilty. See how Jesus explains Exodus 20 in Matthew 19:16-19.
- “It is unfairly enforced dependant upon race, wealth.” I do not deny that this may sometimes be the case, but it does not change the fact that God has authorized it. For that matter, all forms of punishment are subject to that charge.
- “It makes us barbarians.” A nation is not barbaric because it enforces capital punishment. Rape and Murder are barbaric – not the execution of murderers and rapists.
- “Mistakes can be made.” Yes, but that just emphasizes the need for speedy, fair trials, using every legal and ethical means of investigation.
We should be sad when a person is executed and their family grieves. But blame the crime, not the punishment. God authorized capital punishment, but if we can discover ways to prevent crime, we will not need capital punishment.
Carl B. Garner
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“Good understanding gains favor, but the way of transgressors is hard,”
“There is no justice without mercy.”
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap,”
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Tater People
Some People never seem motivated to participate, but are just content to watch while others do the work. They are called “Spec-Taters”.
Some people never do anything to help, but are gifted at finding fault with the way others do the work. They are called “Commen-Taters.”
Some people are very obossy6 and like to tell others what to do, but don’t want to soil their own hands. They are called “Dick-Taters.”
Some people are always looking to cause problems by asking others to agree with them. It is too hot or too cold, too sour or too sweet. They are called “Agi-taters.”
There are those who say they will help, but somehow just never get around to actually doing the promised help. They are called “Hezzie-Taters.”
Some people can put up a front and pretend to be someone they are not. They are called “Emma-Taters.”
Then there are those who love others and do what they say they will. They are always prepared to stop whatever they are doing and lend a helping hand. They bring real sunshine into the lives of others.
They are called “Sweet Taters.”
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