I’m writing this Monday evening, and it looks like Stanley “Tookie” Williams (see LaShawn Barber for a good summary of all this), will be executed early in tomorrow morning. All the news coverage got me thinking about the death penalty.

Before I get into this let me set up a few boundaries for this particular discussion:

1) I acknowledge that people everywhere, including Christians, have very different opinions on this. You can disagree on this without being either stupid or unspiritual.

2) I’m not trying to settle this argument – that would be a futile endeavor no doubt! What I want to do is to bring up an aspect of this debate that is often either overlooked or misunderstood.

Actually I just heard the main point I want to make summed up pretty well by Alan Colmes on tonights edition of Hannity & Colmes.

He asked if “Thou shalt not kill” should be applied to government or not. When the answer was no he asked why.

Good question!

Someone might ask, “What does the Bible say?” That could depends on which part of the Bible you look at.

No one doubts that under the Old Covenant God not only approved captial punishment but commanded it done under several circumstances.

But as Christians we live under the new covenant, so what does the New Testament say about capital punishment?

Nothing directly.

So opponents of the death penalty usually quote passages on forgiving, grace, and point out the Jesus Himself was an unjust victim of the death penalty and therefore could not possibly be in favor of it.

All of which ducks the critical question that Alan Colmes asked. Let’s put this question another way to help clarify things:

Does the New Testament allow for Governments to act in ways that individuals cannot?

From my reading of the New Testament I can see one and only one asnwer – YES!

Here’s the key passage:

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. Romans 13:1-5 (NIV)

Paul clearly teaches here the God established governments because as fallen creatures we need to be restrained, guided and punished when we sin and hurt others.

This can only be done by a governing authority. Of course this authority ought to conduct itself according to God’s moral law. But even when it does not it still has a legitimate function to perform.

That function is to restrain the evil inborn in all humans, and to punish those who do wrong.

While Paul does not say they have the right to captial punishment, the governing authority he and those he’s writing to are living under did infact use capital punishment quite freely!

The Roman government, the same Roman government who killed Paul’s Lord and Savior Jesus; that’s the governing authority Paul is saying to obey, and is saying God has given the right and indeed duty to punish those who do wrong.

The point is clear. While individuals are commanded to forgive, and not to take vengeance the government isn’t! We are to love and forgive and to strive to become like Christ.

Government is to restrain and to try and create a just and safe and free society in which people can flourish. Human government will never become like Christ, because when He returns it will pass away as all imperfect things.

In it’s place we shall be governed by Christ Himself. Then all will be right at last.

Meanwhile, we live under imperfect goverments in an imperfect world and that will often in imperfect results. That’s sad and we should all be working to make our government the best it can be.

But the fact remains that any fair look at the New Testament must conclude that it does indeed cede the right of capital punishment to the governing authority.