DAILY CONFESSION: John 15:7 Whatever I ask it shall be done unto me, by my Heavenly Father

Capital Punishment-Death Penalty?

The Old Testament

Life was harsh for the Hebrews in early Old Testament history. They had just been freed from slavery in Egypt, and wandered in the desert for 40 years. When they finally reached the promised land they had to fight almost constantly to take and hold it. There were few options for dealing with offenders in a society that moved frequently and struggled just to survive. The penalty for most crimes was either death, beating or banishment from the tribe.

The Old Testament Law prescribed the death penalty for an extensive list of crimes including:

• Murder (Exodus 21:12-14; Leviticus 24:17,21)
• Attacking or cursing a parent (Exodus 21:15,17)
• Kidnapping (Exodus 21:16)
• Failure to confine a dangerous animal, resulting in death (Exodus 21:28-29)
• Witchcraft and sorcery (Exodus 22:18, Leviticus 20:27, Deuteronomy 13:5, 1 Samuel 28:9)
• Sex with an animal (Exodus 22:19, Leviticus 20:16)
• Doing work on the Sabbath (Exodus 31:14, 35:2, Numbers 15:32-36)
• Incest (Leviticus 18:6-18, 20:11-12,14,17,19-21)
• Adultery (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22)
• Homosexual acts (Leviticus 20:13)
• Prostitution by a priest's daughter (Leviticus 21:9)
• Blasphemy (Leviticus 24:14,16, 23)
• False prophecy (Deuteronomy 18:20)
• Perjury in capital cases (Deuteronomy 19:16-19)
• False claim of a woman's virginity at time of marriage (Deuteronomy 22:13-21)
• Sex between a woman pledged to be married and a man other than her betrothed (Deuteronomy 22:23-24)

The New Testament

The New Testament does not have any specific teachings about capital punishment. However, the Old Testament ideas of punishment became secondary to Jesus' message of love and redemption. Both reward and punishment are seen as properly taking place in eternity, rather than in this life.

Jesus said His mission was not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17-20). However, He and His apostles greatly modified our understanding of God's intentions. Love is the principle that must guide all our actions (Matthew 5:43-48, 22:34-40, Mark 12:28-34, Luke 10:25-28, Romans 13:9-10, Galatians 5:14). Christians are bound by Jesus' commands to "Love the Lord your God" and "Love your neighbor as yourself." We are no longer bound by the harsh Old Testament Law (John 1:16-17, Romans 8:1-3, 1 Corinthians 9:20-21).

Jesus flatly rejected the Old Testament principle of taking equal revenge for a wrong done (Matthew 5:38-41, Luke 9:52-56). He also said that we are all sinners and do not have the right to pass judgment on one another (Matthew 7:1-5). In the case of a woman caught in adultery (a capital offense), Jesus said to those who wanted to stone her to death,

"Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus straightened up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, sir." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again." (NRSV, John 8:7-11)

The apostle Paul also warned against taking revenge for a wrong done (Romans 12:17-21, 1 Thessalonians 5:15). Likewise, the apostle Peter warned us not to repay evil with evil (1 Peter 3:9).