POLITICS: The Death Penalty

Over the past 5 months I have been leading the college & career Sunday school class at my church. The time I have spent each week preparing each lesson has changed my views on many things. I feel that my eyes have had scales of indifference falling off them. My belief that the death penalty was just and ought to be used as punishment was being challenged by Jesus. Jesus spoke to me through the many contemporary books on justice that I have been reading and also through His Word, specifically the prophets of the Old Testament and the sayings of Christ himself as recorded in the four Gospels.

How is a Christian to begin to process the use of the death penalty by their government as the ultimate punishment for convicted criminals?

First we turn to Scripture to see what God has revealed. In the Old Testament we see God pass down laws that call for retributive justice, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Therefore the conclusion is drawn when one life is taken away by murder that person who committed the murder their life being taken away by the governing authority is justice. We then turn to the sermon on the mount, where Jesus recites this Jewish law but has a different answer.

Matthew 5: 38-42 (NIV)
"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you."

Here Jesus says that each person is responsible to respond to injustice done to them with a nonviolent response that gives of themselves completely to the one taking something from them.

At this point many people cry contradiction and throw up their hands since it seems we are pitting an Old Testament God of justice against a New Testament God of mercy. I don't believe this is the case because God reveals His character in the Old Testament as a God who loves justice and mercy.

Micah 6:8
"He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God."

This verse in Micah is one of many that show how God cares deeply for all people and wants them to seek justice and mercy in their relationships with each other.

Since God was giving the commands directly the those leading Israel in the Old Testament they didn't have to wonder how he wanted them to act, but what about our contemporary world of nation-states. Do they have the authority to carry out punishing evil? To answer this question we must turn to Paul's letter to the Romans.

Romans 13:1-7 (NIV)
"Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor."

Here Paul clearly states that all governments exist by God's authority and that He has delegated them authority. Those in authority are God's servants and He has delegated them the authority to punish evil and commend good. He also mentions that they bear the sword which means they have the right to use armed force. Note though, that the type of punishment and to what degree is not mentioned in the Romans text.

Taking all this into consideration it seems that it is just for the government to use the death penalty to punish convicted murderers. This is where I remained for a long time in my conviction but I can no longer support this position for several reasons.

Looking deeper in the heart of God towards how God treats His enemies I find that He over and over again offers mercy instead of judgement. In the story of Jonah. God calls Jonah to preach against the city of Nineveh and when He finally does the city repents. This is God's response

Jonah 3:10
"When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened."

The conversation between Jonah and God that follows is very telling of where Jonah's heart was and where God's heart is. Jonah storms out of the city to pout still hoping for the city to be destroyed and God asks him why He is angry.

Jonah 4:1-2
"But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. He prayed to the LORD, "O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity."

Jonah tells us how gracious and compassionate God is even to His enemies. I love how God responds because He points out how far off Jonah's focus is from His.

Jonah 4:10-11
"But the LORD said, "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?"

This story from the Old Testament shows us how all along God consistently cared about all people, those who worshiped Him and those who didn't. Going back to what Jesus says in the sermon on the mount is where I believe God is most clear about this issue.

Matthew 5:43-48
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Here Jesus cracks out hearts wide open by declaring that God wants you to love your enemy. You are not to wish ill upon your enemies, in fact you are supposed to pray for them. Now we must do the hard work of what it means to love our enemy specifically in terms of capital punishment.

Would love want the murderer to be executed for him crimes? I cannot say yes to this question any more. Love wants justice to be done by making sure the murderer gets a fair trial and is sentenced to time in prison accordingly to his crime because it does have consequences. But I don't think those consequences should be execution. It may be just for the murderer to be executed by the government but I think we need to seek mercy in this situation. Mercy that gives the murderer an opportunity to find salvation in Christ. We cannot know for sure if someone will repent and embrace Christ before they die but we can at least not shorten their time to consider making that decision.

How can a Christian support prison ministries to witness to the lost in prison and death row but support the death penalty which limits the opportunities for those ministers to share Christ with that person? This is not a consistent position to have. If God commands us to love our enemies and shows us over and over again in His Word and in our lives that He is abundantly gracious and merciful to forgive, then we ought to have laws that do the same.

Those of us who are disciples of Jesus must remember that we were enemies of God before we repented to follow Him and since we have been show mercy let us show relentless mercy to our enemies.

Matthew 5:7
"Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy."