Does The Bible Support Capital Punishment ?
The result of discussions and talks on the media about capital punishment is that it is a discriminatory, barbaric and ineffective form of punishment and is best eliminated. It is believed that God Himself instituted capital punishment after the occurrence of worldwide floods. In the Bible, Genesis 9:6 states that God gives man the power and authority to take the life of anyone who in his senses brutally sheds blood causing death or the murderer. |
The reason for this kind of justice is quoted as a tooth for tooth or a life for life indicating the sacredness and value of human life. Exodus 21:23-24 states that a penalty befitting the crime should be meted out. In this case, the punishment is death sentence and the crime is murder or taking of another human life.
Capital punishment does not violate the 6th commandment as per Exodus 20:13 “Thou shalt not kill” that can be translated as “Thou shalt not murder”. According to this, though all murders are killings, all killings may not be treated to be murders like soldiers killing enemies in the war, policemen killing terrorists to save innocent lives, man killing an attacker to protect and defend one’s family or an executioner whose job is to carry out capital punishments or killing someone accidentally, unintended. As per Bible Rev.19:11-12, Jesus himself judged and made war at his 2nd coming that resulted in uncountable deaths.
Exodus Chapter 21, the chapter that follows immediately after the 10 commandments speaks of death penalty being demanded by God in His law for crimes like kidnapping, cursing parents, murder and many more. Exodus 21:12,15,16,17 and Leviticus 20:10-17 talk about crimes that were punishable by death according to Moses’ law.
Sword was the common instrument used for capital punishment in the New Testament days. As per the Romans 13:4, human governments held the authority given to them by God to punish the evildoers by using a sword. As per Apostle Paul, the execution of the person bearing this sword was God’s servant exercising God’s delegation of punishing the evil doers.
Capital punishment if practiced consistently can be an successful deterrent to control crime as death is a man’s greatest fear. Before committing any crime, he will think twice about getting caught and ending up with a death sentence. Life time imprisonment will not be able to build up as much fear. Deut. 19:20 states that swift justice when carried out ensures that people, who remain, hear of and fear the consequences will not commit similar type of evil. However, if execution of penalty is slow it may have a reverse effect on people.
A debatable topic – is capital punishment inhumane and cruel? Many point out that death is unpleasant to witness and for those performing execution on the criminals definitely do not find their task enviable. But we must not forget that cold-blooded murders, forcible rapes, hijacking of planes and jeopardizing the lives of the innocent or forcing life-destroying drugs are all acts of inhumanity and cruelty. We must not forget that there was someone who fell victim to the crime. It is a fact that if a killer is not allowed to live, he will not be able to murder again. Capital punishments may be inhumane and cruel, but if followed with sincerity, it can control the crime rate.
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Does The Bible Support Capital Punishment
A moral question associated with the capital punishments in United States is whether the federal and state governments deserve killing the imprisoned more than whether the convicts of violent crimes deserve a death sentence. The legacy of ethnic discrimination, racial bias and racial apartheid cannot go unnoticed in how administration of capital punishments is done. 
