Christians and the death penalty - FB conversation

As a Christian, I have a hard time reconciling the notion that someone who claims Christ and being pro-life can be for the death penalty.

Comment

Aaron: All good and valid points, but who are we as fallen individuals to decide who has a right to live and die, based on their crime? There is a fine line between Grace, Righteousness, and Judgement. I for one don't think I can make the decision, how can anybody else be ready, and qualified to decide that someone dies.

Brian: There are two main reasons I have been opposed tho the death penalty as a Christian. 

From Genesis to Revelation the Bible says time and time again that one of the ways God identifies himself is a God of justice. It's His character and literally a part of who God is. The justice system in the USA has been shown time and time again to be unjust socially as well as individually. Wrongful convictions are sadly not uncommon in our country. On that basis alone as a Christian I cannot support the death penalty and the potential of sending an innocent person to death. 

Additionally how can we claim to be followers of Jesus and support the death penalty when the One we follow was unjustly convicted and then executed by state and religious leaders? I believe the words of Jesus "I have come that you may have life and have it more abundantly" are core to the way of Christ. God chose to meet injustice and execution with resurrection. The death penalty is completely contrary to the ways of Christ.

Rich:  If it's reprehensible to execute what may turn out to be an innocent man, then it must be reprehensible to send a possibly innocent man to jail for 20 years. By that logic, no one should be sent to jail because of the possibility that they're innocent..Indeed, then what's the point in having a trial? Why bother to arrest them? What's the point of having a police force, if there's even the slightest possibility of the innocence of the person?

Brian: There's a massive difference between exonerating an innocent person after a 20 year prison sentence and executing an innocent person. Both are reprehensible but only the one has their life. 

I, and no Christian that is anti-death penalty,  is against justice and punishment. What we are against is an unjust legal system that has more than once sentenced innocent people to capital punishment. I am totally fine with a sentence of life without parole for those who have committed murder or rape. In addition to being much cheaper for tax payers, I actually believe that a life sentence is a far worse punishment than execution.

Brian: A life sentence without parole also allows for justice to occur for those that are falsely convicted.

Rich:  There is no difference whatsoever. Both should be equally abhorrent to an anti death penalty advocate. 

Justice does not require perfection. Justice was achieved when the person was put to death, and that is the result of the power given by God to governments.

Brian: Justice does not require death. Justice demands truth.

Rich:  Then why did Jesus have to die?

Brian: His death and resurrection defeated death. We are no longer bound by death.

Rich:  Justice required his death.

Aaron: Why are we so worried if someone lives instead of dies? Do we rejoice if someone dies at the hand of the government? Are our lives better or worse because Charles Manson still takes breath? Just because we have the sword, should we use it? Death means no rehabilitation, a life is gone, what purpose is served?

Rich:  Justice is served. If it's only the death you object to, then you must also object to God killing people.

Brian: Why does justice require death?

Rich:  Ro. 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Brian: Precisely. Jesus defeated death by death. We are no longer bound by death.

Rich:  "Wages of sin..." Everyone has a death sentence, sir.

Brian: But through Jesus death has no victory over us.

Rich:  The fact remains, according to the justice of God, some people are going to die. In fact, justice requires death for all of us. However, those who call upon the name of Jesus are born again, so our death is required to receive mercy. By extension, those who do not will die. God's justice requires death, so God is in favor of the death penalty.

Brian: Where is death required for justice? I don't see this in the Bible. I see in the Bible that Jesus defeated death for us because of His mercy and it has no hold on our lives as a result.

Rich:  Ez 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Brian: “When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:54-57‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Rich:  Yes, of course. Perhaps you could address the truth that some people are going to die because of God's justice.

Brian: But death is not required for justice as you have said above. Mercy triumphs over justice. That's the choice God makes and He gives that choice to us on our human justice systems as well. 

Did Jesus break the "laws of God" by forgiving the adulterous woman in John 8:1-11? Jesus is clear that we have all sinned, and as a result His work removes condemnation and death from us.

Rich:  Are some people going to die because of God's justice?

Brian: They may. But death is not a mandatory requirement of justice as you have repeated stated. It is clear in the grand narrative arc of the Bible, God's story about us and to us, that God's desire is mercy and grace at all costs over death.

Rich:  They "may?" You aren't sure?

Brian: It's God's choice based on His justice, not our feeble understanding of justice. Do you understand everything about God?

Rich:  No, just what is in the Bible. Sinners will die. God doesn't prefer that. Murderers will die in the electric chair. I don't prefer that. 

If there is no penalty for sin, we might just as well keep sinning, don't you think?

Brian: If you think that God keeps a ledger sheet of our sins and judges us accordingly, you have missed entirely the Gospel. There is a penalty for sin and it's death, and the Bible is clear that Jesus has defeated death. God's way of dealing with sin is far beyond our feeble human understanding of justice. Jesus has proven to be far more generous in grace and mercy than any of us would be. I am not willing to put limits on the saving work of Christ by declaring people irredeemable and sentencing them to death.

Rich: Re. 20:12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.
Re. 20:13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done.
Re. 20:14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.
Re. 20:15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.