Subject: Death penalty Biblical? |
Bible Note: Jesus is only love, only means love, and means no harm to anyone. The wages of sin is death. The bible is referring not to death caused by someone killing us, but death in our hearts caused by pain and suffering which are the fruits of sin. This fruiting of sin within the heart is the death that the bible is speaking of, not physical death. But is it ever our right to kill someone else because we want to get revenge? What part of "Love thy Enemy" don't you understand? The bible clearly says Thou shall not kill. When someone breaks that commandment there are consequences to their actions. also, the bible says clearly never take vengeance, for vengeance is mine, sayeth the lord. What do you think that means? Does this give us permission to go and do likewise when someone kills? Why do we think that killing is justified, in any way? Because we want to take revenge, and we don't trust that God is going to take care of it. It is our huge responsibility to love whoever hurts us. Whoever hangs us on the cross. It is hard to do, and it doesn't feel right, and all we want to do is hurt them back, but this is the lust of the flesh. We lust, in our anger to get revenge. In doing so, WE ARE THE ONE WHO IS SINNING. I am not saying it is not natural. i am not saying it is not what we aretaught to do in If God is the God of the Bible- Omniscient, Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniloving- so kind as to forgive you and I of our sins, and he tells us to love others because that's what he wants us to do, who are we to say, "they must die and we are right to kill them for they don't deserve life"? I personally struggle daily to forgive myself for making simple mistakes, such as eating too much, or thinking self-debasing thoughts. But when I remember God's love for me, and that he wants me to love myself, I stop hating myself and thinking shame-based thoughts. Then I feel release from my own self judgment, and I feel freed, almost as if I have been freed from Hell. The Lord loves each one dearly. When He punishes us, it is not truly out of revenge, but it is done out of a parent's love, so that we will get tired of our sins and the fruit they bear, and turn to worship God. God says His punishment is up to Him, not to us. Lev 19:18 'You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD. Deut 32:41 If I sharpen My flashing sword, And My hand takes hold on justice, I will render vengeance on My adversaries, And I will repay those who hate Me. There is a big difference between protecting the world from murderers for our own safety and punishing them. We can protect ourselves and forgive the other and live free and have justice. This is the definition of justice I found, and I want to say, That God is the Jury not us. Justice 1. fairness fairness or reasonableness, especially in the way people are treated or decisions are made 2. law application of law the legal system or the act of applying or upholding the law 3. law validity validity in law 4. good reason sound or good reason 5. judge a judge, especially of a higher court It is not a valid law to kill those who kill, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, for this is the old law of the old testament that Jesus came to free us from. Matt 5:38 You have heard that it was said, AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH. Matt 5:39 But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. It is not a good reason to kill someone because they have killed. We must have judges, and must have justice. But God is both. Not us. We must pray and ask God for the grace to not desire vengeance, but rather seek forgiveness. Has killing another ever solved anything? has hating someone ever brought peace, love, and joy? To be fair is to treat others as the children of god, for that is what they are. Did Jesus come to save the saints, forgive the holy, lift up those who were alive, release those who were free in their hearts, give sight to the seeing, and cure the healthy? Jesus hightailed to the sinner's door! Why? To bring love, messages of God's love, forgiveness, and salvation from sin. Jesus was Christ, the Son of god, I believe. Jesus treated eveyone as the children of God, worthy of God's fairness, God's salvation, God's saving love. Jesus would never preach the law of death to any one of us. His law is one of forgiveness, love, trust in God, and salvation. It is still considered killing when we kill because they killed us. Killing is always wrong. Do you want other's death on your heart? Yet, we are commanded never to kill. That does not mean sometimes, but all of the time. The one who wrote do not kill is the judge, he has the court, he is the justice. We cannot handle such things, we are mere humans. we can't know another's heart. |