Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | Exodus 20:13 ¶ "You shall not murder. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Exodus 20:13 ¶ "You shall not commit murder (unjustified, deliberate homicide). [Gen 9:6; Ex 21:12, 14, 18] |
Subject: 'Conscientious Objection' Biblical? |
Bible Note: Greetings Sir! Thanks for your response! Allow me to address your comments! I believe that you have understated both the complexity and the importance of the issues surrounding this passage. You said: "1. When did Christ go, before or after resurrection? (I say it doesn't matter, the point remains that he preached to the people who had died in the past)" The question of when is important for the following reason. Most would say that Christ went to the "prison" while He was in the grave. However, if the passage is refering to an event that occured after the resurrection, the "prison" may be some place other than the abode of the dead. You said: "2. Where did Christ go? (I say it doesn't matter, the point remains that he preached to the people who had died in the past)" I contend that this is a vital question. If the "prison" refers to the abode of the dead, then obviously He preached to the dead. However, if the "prison" refers to some other place, then the audience may have been different. You said: "3. Did Christ preach to people who died in the past or to demons? (I say that it is obvious in the passage that He preached to humans)" However, it is not obvious that "spirits" refers to humans. You said: "4. What message did Christ preach? (Although it is not difinatively stated, I think it is obvious from the context of verse 18 that this passage is talking about salvation, and would therefore have to assume that it is most likely that salvation was Christ's message)" Again, the content of the message is not spelled out. My point isn't really to debate the meaning of the passage. I was simply making that case that there are several valid ways of looking at this passage. The main reason I got involved in this thread though was to ask for your Biblical basis for saying that there has been a change in status concerning the death penalty. Your assumption seems to be (correct me if I have misunderstood you) that God allowed it in the Old Testament simply because those who were killed would get a later chance at salvation, but now they won't, so God has changed His position on it. My contention is that this entire view is based upon a lot of assumptions that are not supported by Scripture for the following reasons: 1) The New Testament never condemns the death penalty. 2) There is no clear Scripture that indicates that the wicked in the Old Testament were given a second chance. While I can understand your thinking, I just don't see the Scriptural support for it. Please note that I am not critical of your personal position, just the Scriptural support for it. I believe that we all have the responsiblity, as I pointed out in my discussion with Nolan, to be passive in our personal relationships. However, I view the death penalty as a government right and responsiblity. Thus, while I may personally forgive someone who harms me or my family, though I do believe we have the responsiblity to protect our family to the best of our ability. No where in Scripture is the government given a command to forgive. It is the governments responsiblity to administer and enforce the law. So, while I don't have the right to administer the death penalty, except in self-defense of myself or my family, the government does. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |