I want to talk to you about something, which I told you last week, is illegal to address in Canadian churches. Because it is considered to be a political issue, capital punishment is said to be not “religious.” Social subjects, like abortion, have been ripped out of the hands of the gospel preacher in that country, and in dozens of other countries around the world. It is quite likely that these anti-Christian laws will become a part of the United States law as well, despite your freedom of speech provisions. The writing is already on the wall: The liberals call preaching against homosexuality and abortion “hate speech.” But actually, personal hatred doesn’t have to have anything to do with those messages. Rather they are preached because of a love for God and a loyalty toward the Word of God. I wouldn’t be surprised, in this atmosphere of growing liberalism, to hear that it is becoming illegal for Bible believers to preach against evolution or human cloning, or even pornography and prostitution. But as I said last Sunday, despite our limited obligations to the civil governmental powers that God has ordained, we are a hundred times more obligated toward the Lord from Whom all authority is derived. If the laws of man run contrary to the laws of the Lord, there is no question Who we must obey first, no matter what the temporal consequences might be.
There are several statements in these verses which suggest our subject for this morning. There are the words “terror” and “be afraid.” “For rulers are not a TERROR to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be AFRAID of the power?” And then there is Paul’s reference to an obvious instrument of death. “He is the minister of God … he beareth not the SWORD in vain.” Finally, Paul says that the king has been ordained by God to be “a REVENGER to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.” Although not every preacher in this community agrees with my interpretation, I believe that these references teach the practice of capital punishment – the use of the sword to put to death “him that doeth evil.”
In studying these verses, along with several others, I would like to try to answer three questions this morning: Is capital punishment Christian? Is capital punishment practical? And is capital punishment moral? Does it render true justice?
Directly following the Ten Commandments, and as a kind of addendum to them, the Lord said: “He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death. If a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die. And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death. And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death. And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.” Leviticus 24 – “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin. And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the LORD, shall be put to death. And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death.” Numbers 35:16-19 – If a man smite “with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. And if he smite him with throwing a stone, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. Or if he smite him with an hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.”
These and a dozen other scriptures, sometimes lengthy scriptures, teach the death sentence for certain specific sins. And the only way that someone can deny that fact is to read the Bible with a corrupted agenda. The liberal, the modernist, the Bible-hater, must approach these scriptures with the intent of contradicting what they say, no matter what they say, because an honest man cannot deny that they say what they say.
The question is not, “Did God ordain capital punishment, but is capital punishment CHRISTIAN? Some people want to brick up the door between the Old Testament and the New Testament. They want to say that things in the Old Testament don’t apply to us today. But the God of the first Testament is the same God that we find in the second. The law of the Old Testament was not done away in Christ, but rather fulfilled in Him.
Jehovah has never repealed the death penalty. The sixth commandment of the Decalogue is not the abrogation of capital punishment. The Ten Commandments tell us: “Thou shalt not kill.” The meaning of that sentence is simply, “Thou shalt not murder people.” It has nothing to do with the execution of criminals, which is not murder. And proof of that is seen in the fact that God later, and often, specifically ordered the death penalty. Capital punishment has never been withdrawn as a command of God. When the Lord Jesus saw Peter hack off Malchus’ ear, He said – “Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.” Some would like to think that this is only a rephrased version of the law of sowing and reaping. It is exactly that, but much more – it is an approval of the execution of the murderer. The man who sows murder will reap his own death – by execution. It might be argued that the testimony of a dying malefactor – that thief and murderer – isn’t important. But I think that the statement of the man dying on the cross next to Jesus reflected the attitude of Jewish society. He said to his co-conspirator, “We suffer justly for our crimes.” “We are dying today, because we deserve to die.” Last week we looked at the words of the Apostle Peter. We saw that both Paul and Peter teach that it is the business of good government to “punish evildoers.” No doubt some criminals might be reformed, but that has to follow or coincide with their punishment. Unfortunately for the murderer, rapist, kidnapper and some other criminals, the God-ordained punishment is death, leaving no opportunity for reformation.
There is not a word – not a hint in the New Testament – to say that God’s law of punishment in the Old Testament has been revoked in the New Testament. Paul says, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.” They who resist the ordinance of God shall be judged, condemned – damned. “For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power?” Be afraid, be very afraid. But I’m afraid that most murderers and potential murderers are not afraid, because our ungodly society has become so weak and liberal-minded that they have little reason to be afraid of the punishment which their crimes and sins deserve. “If thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.” Back in the wild, wild East – in the early days of Israel’s history, the execution of capital punishment was often left in the hands of the victim’s family. Right or wrong, eventually it was put into the hands of civil authority. Good government is supposed to be a minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon the wicked. And the word “execute” is a very fit word there in verse 4, even if it is in italics.
I have no problem whatsoever teaching capital punishment as a Christian doctrine. In fact, it is an essential Christian doctrine.
But some people say, “Executions are expensive.” The price for the hanging of Wesley Dodd was reported to have been $20,000. But that is misleading in at least two ways. According to a report submitted to the Washington State Bar Association, Lawyer’s fees in death penalty cases are estimated to cost almost $500,000 more than non-death penalty murder cases. And every direct appeal to a guilty verdicts cost an average of $100,000 each. Usually there are several appeals when the death penalty is involved. Who usually pays these fees? Almost always it is the tax-payer. And when it is all said and done, according to the “Death Penalty Information Center,” the cost of an execution is three times higher than incarcerating that murderer for 40 years. But these are not really the cost of the execution – rather they are the price of a convoluted legal system. What is the price of a good stout rope, or a syringe and a vial of poisonous cocktail? Then again, laying these aside, what is the value of the lives of the people murdered?
I was reading the comments of a capital punishment opponent, and what he said made me laugh. Robert Johnson, of American University, said that “people don’t want to see executions.” “We don’t want that sort of gross and ugly process done in front of our eyes if we can help it.” Two things Mr. Johnson – First, executions are supposed to be gross and ugly in order to be more effective on the next generation of potential murderers. And secondly, isn’t this exactly what television is built upon these days? I’m not sure that the average American doesn’t actually secretly love this sort of thing.
There is another thing: capital punishment has some very important eternal practicality. Please forgive me for going back sixteen years to Wesley Dodd. As it happens I studied his case quite extensively at the time, and I haven’t had the opportunity to really examine any other executions since. I don’t know the heart of Wesley Alan Dodd, but in his last statement before he died he professed to have found peace with God through the LORD Jesus Christ. For the sake of argument, let’s say that this is true. Let us say that in his confinement someone came to him with the gospel. Let us say that he thoroughly and remorsefully repented of his sin before God. Let us say that he became a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Let us say that it was the eternal will of the Lord to save that man sometime during his last days on earth. If that is true, the practical reality of his imminent death was undoubtedly a contributor to his repentance. Death is a very sobering thought, which most of us casually dismiss because it is so remote. But the hangman’s noose was too near for Dodd to avoid. He knew the exact time that he was going out into eternity. He claims to have prepared his heart, as well as his head, for that departure. If you and I had that same knowledge as it relates to us, we might be more likely to think upon salvation too.
Capital punishment is practical in several ways, but would be far more practical if all but the initial lawyers were taken out of the equation.
But still, is it morally right to put a murderer to death? Well, let’s ask what determines morality, or Who determines morality? If we are speaking of society’s mores, then the most vocal people in our country get to decide. But in this case, we’re talking about the command of God. If Jehovah has ordained something, then it is moral, just and good. And that, brethren, is the end of the discussion on this particular point. Morality is what God declares it to be; sin is what God declares it to be; and the proper judgment of immorality, sin and crime should be left in the hands of the Lord.
It is often argued that capital punishment may result in the death innocent people, falsely convicted. That is certainly a possibility, albeit a slight possibility. Yet, don’t think that the Lord wasn’t aware of judge’s infallibility when He commissioned capital punishment. It is still our obligation to execute those whom our judges determine are law-breakers. Besides we risk the death of innocent people in various situations. A notable example is when a criminal has taken hostages. Most law-enforcement people advocate risk losing hostages in order to get the criminal. Our society is rife with endangering the innocent. We do it by society’s approval of alcohol. We do it with parental poisoning of children with secondary tobacco smoke. Every murderer needs to know that he will not escape death if takes another human life. He shouldn’t hide behind the possibility that one innocent man might die along with a thousand murderers.
But then there is the very special example of the Lord Jesus. It seems to me that Christ went through life so focused on His Heavenly Father, that he paid very little attention to the laws of man. It wasn’t that he was trying to walk a legal tightrope, He simply did His father’s will. That put him at odds with the corrupted laws of the Jews, and He also ran afoul of the Romans with their utterly foreign laws. Of course, the Saviour was not unwilling to “face the music” – to pay the penalty. In fact, that was a definite part of the eternal plan of God. Christ did not fight for His release, even though the accusations against Him were completely unjust.
If Christ Jesus had not been crucified there would be no hope for any of us. And He was crucified through human laws which were contrary to the Lord’s laws. That execution of the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, was ordained in eternity. Because you and I are sinners, we are enemies of God and His kingdom. Reconciliation to God is possible only by the payment of God’s proscribed penalty. If that penalty was a fine of $20.00, we could all pay it. If that fine was a $1,000 and 10 years in prison, some would probably pay it. But the penalty for our sin is eternal death – Romans 6:23. How can someone pay the price of eternal death and still live to enjoy it? It is Impossible.
But God, in grace, and in order to meet His own demands, sent his own Son to be executed in the place of certain specific sinners, all of whom were guilty of capital crimes before Him. Christ was taken by cruel hands and in what was a truly cruel and unjust fashion died agonizingly on my behalf. To every man, woman and child who will acknowledge his sin debt, and who will humble himself before the now-living Redeemer, there is forgiveness and eternal life.
Since this is the God-ordained plan, it must be morally acceptable to Him. And if it is not acceptable to you, you will die in your sins, spending eternity Hell. Denial of the death penalty for many people is just a thin disguise for denial of punishment for sin in Hell. I stand amazed that so-called “evangelicals” can be opposed capital punishment. This doctrine stands at the very core of Biblical salvation from sin. Its denial stabs at the very heart of our need of a Saviour.
Sixteen years ago, I preached a message similar to this one, using the execution of Wesley Allen Dodd as my primary illustration. And in the course of that message I said, and I quote, “In 10 years none of us will be able to remember the name of Wesley Allan Dodd.” I dare say that until I refreshed your memory that prophecy was true, just as we have forgotten the names of countless others executed during our lifetime. But for over 2,000 years, the crucifixion of Christ has been a subject of discussion and declaration. We cannot ever forget that Name. Was the death-penalty crucifixion of Christ Christian? It was not only Christian, but it IS Christianity itself. It is the key-stone of the arch of all true religion. It is the key that unlocks eternity and the abode of God. Without it, the purpose of the incarnation of the Son of God is inexplicable. There is a sense in which, if it were not for capital punishment, we would all be victims of our sin. If Christ had not died on the cross, the law of God would demand that eternal capital punishment fall on every one of us.
Have you been delivered from the penalty of your sins by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ? Are you living in repentance and loving surrender to Him? There is no other means for man’s salvation.