The death penalty has not been revoked; however, it must be postponed as long as possible.

“Whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death.” Leviticus 24.17

Murder was not the only sin for which capital punishment could be applied under the Law of God. It was also applied, among other situations, in cases of adultery, rape, recalcitrance, idolatry, and homosexual practice. In ancient Israel all these offenses were seen as being hostile to the divine economy of love for God and neighbors and subversive of the institutions created by God to ensure a just society. The Spirit of God had not yet been given and the surrounding cultures, where such sins were more common, offered a continual threat to Israel’s wellbeing. Thus, while these penalties seem harsh to us, they were altogether appropriate in their place and time.

But we must not seek a one-to-one application of the death penalty for our day. While government still has the right to bear the sword against evildoers, Christians must work to create space and allow time for grace to work in the lives of those whose offense has been judged to deserve capital punishment. Moreover, there are certain sins for which the Old Testament required capital punishment which would not seem to merit that punishment today. In the New Testament many who formerly hated their parents, practiced idolatry and homosexuality, and committed adultery and fornication became Christians. They were living testimony to the power of God’s Spirit to create new beginnings in people’s lives.

Christians today should support public policies that make room and allow time for God’s grace to work in people’s lives. We do not deny the sinful state of such practices, or try to redefine them in a manner more in line with the spiritus mundi; yet we do not believe that capital punishment is, in this age of grace, the proper application of justice for those sins which can be cured by repentance and faith in Christ.

We create room for such repentance by giving sinners, and especially those condemned to die, access to the Word of God through the ministries of churches and other Christian agencies. We create time for them to repent through the lengthy appeals process of our judicial system. We do not “downgrade” the sinful state of the aforementioned practices. Nor do we remove from particular governments the right to enact such judgments and penalties as can be shown to be consistent with Biblical practice and rationale. Over all, however, Christians must contend for the preciousness of life and the priority of love, even as they rest in the authority of the State to administer just policies.

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