Post
by rcassell » Thu Nov 14, 2013 8:35 pm
Hi Pete:
No, I affirm that God has assigned the duty of capital punishment to civil governments for certain crimes, specified by Him.
Genesis 9:6 says, “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made He man.” As I said, I believe that God does command the use of the death penalty.
Romans 13:4 says, “for he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid, for he beareth not the sword in vain; for he is the minister of God, an avenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.” While I believe that there is an allusion to capital punishment in this verse, Romans 13:1 - 4 cannot possibly be used as a defense for Christian participation in the military or in carrying out the death penalty. I will attempt to show what I mean. If we step back and look at the entire section in context, starting with chapter 12 and follow the flow of God’s revelation through chapter 13, then the application of Romans 13:1 – 4 looks very different. Some of the surrounding verses contain the following commands:
v. 12:10 Have kindly affection one for another with brotherly love, in honor preferring one another;
v. 12:13 given to hospitality
v. 12:14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and curse not.
v. 12:17 Recompense no man evil for evil.
v. 12:19 avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath;
v. 12:19 “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,saith the Lord.”
v. 12:20 Therefore: “If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink.
v. 12:21 overcome evil with good
v. 13:3 Do that which is good
v. 13:8 Owe no man anything, but to love one another, for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
v. 13:9 Thou shalt not kill *************************
v. 13:9 Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. **********
v. 13: 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbor
None of the above commands allow for a Christian to take up arms and kill anyone. I think that these verses are quite sufficient to clearly refute the normal application of the verses from Romans 13. Most Christians allege that Romans 13 obligates them to serve in the military, and even kill people, if the government commands it, because according to verse 1, we are to “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers.” They surmise that includes military service. However, the conclusion of all of the commands through those two chapters comes down to (Romans 13:9): “thou shalt not kill” and “thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” No one would wish for themselves to be bombarded with bombs and bullets from an attacking military force. Therefore, not only are the subjects of the command that Christians are to “be subject unto the higher powers” forbidden from killing anyone in verse 9, they are also commanded to positively love their neighbors. In context, Romans 13 is an absolute prohibition from Christians serving in the military, rather than an endorsement.
To get a Biblical understanding of God’s intention for the use of lethal force, I think that a good place to look is in the book of Numbers 35 or Joshua 20, where God gives directions for the cities of refuge. Of course those cities were safe havens for people who had killed others “unintentionally” and “unawares,” where they could flee for safety from the avenger of blood. The avenger had the authority to kill anyone outside of the city of refuge who had killed another person, whether the “slaying” was intentional or unintentional.
In Numbers 35:16, God gave the command “‘if he (the manslayer) smite him with an instrument of iron so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.” This command accounts for the verdict of the trial of a man who had killed someone intentionally – a man who was standing trial in the city of refuge, where he was protected from the avenger of blood until the verdict was rendered. However, after the guilty verdict was reached, the manslayer was evicted from the city of refuge into the hands of the avenger of blood. This can be seen in Numbers 35:19, “The avenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer….” Outside of the city of refuge, the avenger was given authority by God to kill all manslayers.
This Old Testament administration reflects God’s structure for vengeance in New Testament times also. In the New Testament, we are commanded to abide in Christ. There is safety from God’s judgment only as we abide in Christ. In the physical realm, the picture is virtually the same. If we abide in Christ, we will not participate in activities forbidden by God, including murder, rape, kidnapping, abortion, etc. These are all penalties that carry the death penalty under the law of God. If we cease to abide in Christ, and engage in these ungodly activities, we are then outside of the refuge afforded in Christ, and are then exposed to the vengeance given to the civil authorities. Such judgment is carried out by the world’s civil authorities, never by the church (or Christians.)
I believe that I have answered your questions. If not, please let me know where I fell short.
Have a nice evening,
Ron