Should Christians Support the Death Penalty?

Capital punishment is considered only in the most extreme of cases, and even then, it’s rarely used. Despite its infrequent use, is the death penalty something Christians should support?

Share your thoughts!

By: Chris. This entry was posted on Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 9:50 am and is filed under People, justice, questions and answers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

8 Responses to “Should Christians Support the Death Penalty?”

Duane Ediger says:

I am not without sin. And I certainly know that the powers and principalities that execute people also are not without sin. Let me follow the one whose quality of struggle against sin led to the inevitability of his being executed by those to whom also God’s forgiveness — but never a commendation for their fallen act — is extended.

October 26, 2009 at 6:54 pm

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Jo Jones Lewis says:

For me that is to Million Dollar question. People do so many horrific things, I am thinking that if someone murdered a loved one of mine YES and I know that isn’t right. It seems to me that being in jail (being in a cell 24/7 cannot be a good thing)for the remainder of your life to think about what you have done might be far worse than being killed. The scripture does say “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” but truthfully I don’t even know what that means.

October 27, 2009 at 2:55 am

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Brian says:

I believe the Bible is complete in its entirety and it is sad that now people would like to disect it and the true meaning is lost… The Bible says:

Exodus 21:13 However, if he does not do it intentionally, but God lets it happen, he is to flee to a place I will designate. 14 But if a man SCHEMES and kills another man DELIBERATELY, take him away from my altar and put him to death. 15 “Anyone who attacks [a] his father or his mother must be put to death.

Look at it this way, EVEN Jesus had to face the death penalty for you and He came down and DIED for our sins that we can be saved!, Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” Because God’s WORD is NEVER changing the law of death still remains, even unto His own Son’s death.

The rules never change, people change..

October 27, 2009 at 7:02 am

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- Steve Bolton says:
  
  Can someone send me a list of all the bible verses – OT & NT – that speak about the death penalty. I have a liberal friend who says that the death penalty is only an OT issue – what does the NT say about the death penalty?
  
  October 29, 2009 at 5:59 am
  
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  - Chris says:
    
    Steve, the only account of a sort of “death penalty” that I can recall is the story of Ananias and Saphira in Acts 5.
    
    http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts%205&version=NIV
    
    October 29, 2009 at 7:18 am
    
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- Mike says:
  
  Excellent reference, Brian! Thanks!! I needed this in a debate I was in, too late now. I’ll know better next time. Thanks!
  
  November 4, 2009 at 8:03 pm
  
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Sheunesu Taona says:

christions must not suport death penalty it’s only God’s responsebility to take away someone’s life.

October 31, 2009 at 2:31 pm

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Mic says:

One can make a case for both sides. The OT clearly gives the right to capital punishment to the Israelites. In the NT, it seems God carries out the sentence on A&S in Acts 5. And the unjust death of Christ makes a powerful statement against. I personally reconcile this by thinking that God gave his people the duty to execute criminals of a certain type. Since we are not living under a king appointed by god (e.g. a theocracy) and don’t have a levitical priesthood with a direct line, I err to the side of caution and side against capital punishment. Our current US government is NOT anointed by God, and is not infallible. And won’t be until the second coming, eh ?

November 10, 2009 at 11:53 am

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