Is Capital Punishment Biblical?

 A.C.Pike

Introduction

In this article, I will be looking at whether Capital Punishment for Murderers is biblical or not. 

Down through the ages, the churches (Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant) all believed in Capital Punishment for murder. In the Old Testament, the State of Israel also administered the death penalty for murder. Over the years, the Churches (Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant) did away with the practice. A lot of American Christians still practice this in various States, but over here in the UK, a lot of churches, even Reformed ones, have abandoned the practice. It has been legally outlawed in the UK.

The Old Testament

The first murder (by the hand of man) mentioned in the Bible is the killing of Abel by his brother Cain. The account describes Abel as a "keeper of sheep" and Cain as a "tiller of the ground" (Genesis 4:2). The LORD (Jehovah) respected Abel's offering, but not Cain's. Then, when they were in the field, Cain killed his brother (verse 8). God put a mark on Cain so that no man could avenge Abel's death (verse 14 & 15).

It was at the flood that Jehovah God instituted capital punishment for murderers. God told Noah that he and his offspring could eat any kind of animal Genesis 9:3), but gave a warning that "who so ever sheddeth man's blood, by man should his blood be shed" (Genesis 9:6). This commandment was/is binding on all nations.

Then after this, God gathered his people (the Jews) together into one nation, Israel. He gave them (previously to Moses) a set of rules (Moral, judicial, and ceremonial). He commanded the death penalty for murderers (Exodus 21:12-14; Numbers 35:30-32; & Leviticus 24:17-21). This was legally binding on the nation of Israel.

So we can see that after the flood all nations were required to administer capital punishment on murderers and that the nation of Israel had a penal code that punished murderers.

The New Testament

But what of the New Testament? A lot of Christians today (most) believe that God has done away with capital punishment for murderers. But is this true?

The Westminster Confession of Faith teaches that the Ceremonial Laws were fulfilled in Christ. It teaches that the Judicial Law ended with the national State of Israel and that only the 'general equity' remains. And that the Moral Law is binding on all people (not just Christians) throughout all ages (WCF XIX). However, is the remaining of the Moral Law a justification for capital punishment?

We must remember that the commandment that Jehovah gave in Genesis 9 is still binding on all human beings in all nations throughout the whole of history. We can also see that in the time of the Apostles, Paul said that the Roman State had the power to act as the "minister of God" and bear "the sword" and "execute wrath" upon the wicked (Romans 11:4). The Apostle Paul himself when up in front of the local Roman authorities said that if he had done anything wrong (worthy of the death penalty), then he should be put to death (Acts 11:25). We also read that the Apostle Peter said that Governers exist for the purpose of imposing punishment on evildoers (1 Peter 2:13-14).

Conclusion

As we can see, the Law of Jehovah that was pre-nation of Israel (Genesis 9), under the nation of Israel (Exodus 21:12-14), and post-nation of Israel (Romans 13) under the Christian age warrants the death penalty. This is because man is made in the image of God (Imago Dei) and because of this, retribution is required (Genesis 9:6).

Reference

The Westminster Confession of Faith