Capital Punishment. Is it God s Will Today

Transcription

1 Capital Punishment Is it God s Will Today 1

2 John Brown 2

3 Nathan Hale 3

4 Marie Antoinette 4

5 Sir Walter Raleigh 5

6 Saddam Hussein 6

7 Timothy McVeigh 7

8 Jesus Christ 8

9 9

10 Before the execution of this sentence the Lord through Moses gave direction to the children of Israel concerning their departure from Egypt, and especially for their preservation from the coming judgment. Each family, alone or in connection with others, was to slay a lamb or a kid without blemish, and with a bunch of hyssop sprinkle its blood on the two side posts and on the upper doorpost of the house, that the destroying angel, coming at midnight, might not enter that dwelling. (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 274) 10

11 Adam listened to the words of the tempter, and yielding to his insinuations, fell into sin. Why was not the death penalty at once enforced in his case? Because a ransom was found. God s only begotten Son volunteered to take the sin of man upon Himself, and to make an atonement for the fallen race. There could have been no pardon for sin had this atonement not been made. Had God pardoned Adam s sin without an atonement, sin would have been immortalized, and would have been perpetuated with a boldness that would have been without restraint ( Ellen G. White, The Review and Herald, April 23, 1901) 11

12 Idolatry: Leviticus 20:2 Blasphemy: Leviticus 24:16 Sacrilege: Exodus 19:12, 13; Leviticus 24:23 Being a medium or spiritist Leviticus 20:27 Sorcery: Exodus 22:18 Breaking the Sabbath - Numbers 15:32 36 Parental abuse - Exodus 21:15; cursing parents, Exodus 21:17; Disobedient to parents: Deuteronomy 21:

13 Premeditated murder - Exodus 21:12 14 Striking an expecting mother which causes the child to be born prematurely and dies - Exodus 21:22 25 Failure to keep a killer animal from killing - Exodus 21:28, 29 Killing a thief in revenge - Exodus 22:2, 3 Kidnapping - Exodus 21:16 Striking an expecting mother which causes the child to be born prematurely and dies - Exodus 21:

14 Failure to keep a killer animal from killing - Exodus 21:28, 29 Killing a thief in revenge - Exodus 22:2, 3 Adultery - Leviticus 20:10 Incest - Leviticus 20:11, 12 Homosexuality - Leviticus 20:13 Marrying both mother and daughter - Leviticus 20:14 Bestiality - Exodus 22:19 14

15 It is a terrible thing for a man to be hanged, even by the decree of a court, but it is also a terrible thing for a man to be murdered, without a moment for preparation; and the Bible plainly declares for capital punishment, by saying, "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed." Concerning the widespread sympathy that was manifested in behalf of these convicted men, and that is always expressed to a greater or lesser extent when in the red-handed murderer is condemned to death, we shall have a few words to say next week. It is a notable sign of the times. (E. J. Waggoner, Signs of the Times, November 17, 1887) 15

16 Any feeling which leads one to try to save a criminal from just punishment, does not arise from charity. Such a feeling argues disregard for the law, but charity rejoices not in iniquity, but exalts law. We say that the widespread sympathy that was aroused for those men who were willing to slay hundreds in order to overturn law and order, shows that in "free America" there is a disregard for the sacredness of the law, and that is the spirit of anarchy. (E. J. Waggoner, Signs of the Times, November 24, 1887) 16

17 I do not understand that civilized warfare, or capital punishment, are against the sixth commandment. Anciently God commanded his people to wage war against their enemies, and enforced the necessity of inflicting capital punishment; and under this dispensation inspiration says, Romans 13:4 6 quoted. (James White, Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, October 14, 1862) 17

18 And in addition to this, if any treatise composed by Arius should be discovered, let it be consigned to the flames, in order that not only his depraved doctrine may be suppressed, but also that no memorial of him may be by any means left. This therefore I decree, that if any one shall be detected in concealing a book compiled by Arius, and shall not instantly bring it forward and burn it, the penalty for this offense shall be death; for immediately after conviction the criminal shall suffer capital punishment. May God preserve you. (A. T. Jones, The Two Republics, p. 351) 18

19 Under the Genevan theocracy the principle of tolerance was totally absent. As Schaff says, unfortunately, to the worst feature of Catholic oppression recourse to the civil arm, even to capital punishment for spiritual offenses Calvin coupled the Mosaic code and the theocratic theory. Rome s burning of the innocent was no reason, he held, why Protestants should spare the guilty. As a consequence, fifty-eight executions occurred in four years ( ), and seventy-six dissenters were banished from Geneva. (LeRoy Froom, The Conditionalist Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 2, p. 115) 19

20 Many Christians believe that faithfulness to the ministry of Jesus requires them to oppose capital punishment. Though they acknowledge that the Old Testament mandated this penalty for murder, they think Jesus changed everything. Typically, their view is that the harsh and mean God the Father of the Old Testament established execution, but the loving and kind God the Son of the New Testament abolished it. I m pretty sure such people don t realize they re denying the Trinity when they say this. 20

21 The doctrine of the Trinity affirms the eternal unity of all three persons of the Godhead, but such a fundamental disagreement between the Son and the Father would rupture this unity. In fact, if Jesus had contradicted any of the Father s principles, let alone such a well-established one, that very disagreement would have immediately disproved His claims to be the divine Son. (Andrew Tallman bible/bible-study-tips/did-jesus-support-capitalpunishment html) 21