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THE BIBLE AND THE DEATH PENALTY
(by Chuong Tong)
This article has been posted with
permission from
Chuong Tong, an inmate currently on Death Row in Livingston, Texas.
Many people have asked the question, does the Bible
support the death penalty, or does it teach that the death penalty has
been done away with? The question can be answered in a simple say! If
you are a "carnal" person, you will support the death penalty, but if
you are a "spiritual" person, you will oppose the death penalty.
"He has made us competent as ministers of a new
covenant - not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills,
but the Spirit gives life." ( 2 Corinthians 3: 6 NIV)
The Bible says that "the letter kills" but that
"the Spirit gives life". People who are carnal, who walk according to
the flesh will desire carnal things, therefore to them "the letter
(the Bible) kills" and that is what they use it for. But to a
spiritual person who has received the mercy and love of God, "the
Spirit gives life".
What then is the difference between a spiritual
person and one who walks "in the flesh" (a carnal person)? A
carnal person is someone who walks in his base animal nature and
desires those things that are opposed to the desires of God (God's
will). A spiritual person is one who is led by the Spirit of God and
who desires the will of God, which include "love", "Kindness",
"self-control". A person who obsesses about "revenge" is someone who
lacks self-control, neither does the love of God dwell inside that
person.
"By this it is evident who are the children of God,
and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice
righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his
brother." (1 John 3: 10 ESV)
It is apparent then, who are the children of God,
and those who are the devils' children! Jesus himself said, "a tree is
known by it's fruits!" Do you manifest love toward your brother, or
hatred?
"for each tree is known by its own fruit… The good
person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the
evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the
abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." (Luke 6: 44-45 ESV)
A "carnal" person will desire what is bad, a
"spiritual" person will desire "life". Let us remember, it is "the
Spirit that gives Life".
"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not
gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are
against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the
flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the
things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not
under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual
immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife,
jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy,
drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned
you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom
of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against
such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have
crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the
Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited,
provoking one another, envying one another." (Galatians 5:
16-26 ESV)
Let us take note of some of the things covered in
this portion of Scripture. First off, a person cannot both walk in the
Spirit and walk in the flesh. It is either one or the other. If you
however walk in the flesh, you are then "under the law". What does it
mean to be under the law? What is the purpose of the law? The law is
designed for lawbreakers! To give you an illustration: If the
Government passes a law that forbids its citizens from robbing another
person, was this law passed for people who rob other people, or for
those who don't rob other people? Of course this law was passed with
the purpose of condemning those who commit the crime of robbery! We
can see then, the law is not designed for those who obey the law, but
for those who break the law. The purpose of the law is to condemn
people! That is why the Scripture say, "But if you are led by the
Spirit, you are not under the law." It is only those who walk
according to the flesh who will end up doing these things that are
contrary to the will of God, and as a result, they will fall under the
judgment of God, or the law (the penalty of breaking the law).
Whenever a person walks by the Spirit, this person is led by the
spirit of God and as a result, they will never do anything that is
contrary to God's will. That is why they are not "under the law". Why
would they need to be under the law? The law is only for those who
break the law! If you are a person who does not commit the crime of
robbery, does it concern you that there is a "law against robbery"? Of
course not, because it does not affect you. That law is designed to
condemn robbers, not you!
Why is it people desire the death penalty? It is
because they themselves are under God's death penalty! How is this so?
A person who has received God's mercy also desires to give mercy to
others. But a person who does not have God's mercy inside of them has
therefore God's judgment on them! Since they reject the mercy of God
and see no need of mercy from God, they have no mercy to give away.
Since God's judgment is on them, all they can give away is judgment!
Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks."
(Luke 6: 45) Since God's judgment is on these people, all these people
can speak about is judgment on others…, they speak death because they
themselves are under the penalty of death from God! But those who have
received mercy from God, from abundance of that mercy in their own
hearts, they desire life and mercy for others! Let us look on what
Jesus taught about "mercy".
"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive
mercy." (Matthew 5: 7 ESV)
What did James write about mercy that parallels
what Jesus taught?
"For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown
no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment." (James 2:13ESV)
Those who are carnal and walk in the flesh will
desire death and support the death penalty. They have no mercy to
give, and as a result, they cannot receive mercy from God. If they
have not received mercy from God, that means they are still under the
judgment of God and since they are under the judgment of God, out of
the abundance of their hearts, they speak judgment toward others. A
spiritual person who is led by the Spirit does not desire judgment,
but rather mercy. His desire is not to see others judged, but rather
restored. If someone is a thief, do you want to see this person
punished to the fullest extent of the law, or would you rather see
this person rehabilitated from his unlawful ways and become a normal
productive citizen again? The carnal person wants only judgment, but
the spiritual person desires rehabilitation and restoration.
"Brothers, if anyone is caught in any
transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of
gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted."
(Ephesians 6: 1 ESV)
"The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life". A
carnal person desires to use the letter to kill and judge others, but
a spiritual person desires to give life, desires restoration and
mercy. If a person is a Christian, he is no longer to walk in the
flesh, but in the Spirit…; if anyone of his brothers is caught in
transgression, this spiritual person is to walk for restoration, not
judgment!
Too often people reference the Old Testament to
show that the Bible supports the death penalty. It is unfortunate that
these people fail to realize that we are no longer under the old
Testament, but we have now entered into a "new" covenant, "The New
Testament" era. What is the difference? The purpose of the Old
Testament was to prepare us for the arrival of Jesus and the New
Testament. In what way is this shown?
"For the law was given through Moses; grace and
truth came through Jesus Christ." (John 1: 17 ESV)
Moses was the person through which God gave the Old
Testament law. But we have seen that the purpose of the law is
designed to condemn people! And therefore, God gave the Old Testament
law to show people how sinful they were and to show people that no
matter what, no one could achieve the holiness and perfection of God.
The Old Testament was designed to condemn us and show us how sinful we
are, and thereby reveling to us the need for a Saviour (Jesus Christ).
But now that Jesus has appeared, Jesus brought grace (mercy and favor)
to light and made it into reality. That is why the Scripture says that
"the law was given by Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus
Christ". The law was unable to give life! God's law cannot give anyone
eternal life! All it can do is show us how sinful we are and condemn
us to death. The Bible says that if we have sinned, we are under the
penalty of death!
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift
of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6: 23 ESV)
The reason it was necessary for God to give the law
is so we would understand and realize our own sinfulness. Why would
anyone desire to receive the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins if that
person considered himself as a "good" person? A person will not
receive the mercy of God unless they first realized their own
sinfulness! That is the purpose of the law, to show (reveal) to us our
own sinfulness and our need for a Saviour. That js why the Old
Testament law was designed as a "teacher" to lead us (point or direct)
toward Christ (and his sacrifice for sin on our behalf).
"Why then the law? It was added because of
transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise
had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an
intermediary. Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is
one. Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not!
For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness
would indeed be by the law. But the Scripture imprisoned everything
under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given
to those who believe. Now before faith came, we were held captive
under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So
then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we
might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no
longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God,
through faith." (Galatians 3: 19-26 ESV)
The above portion of Scripture says: "For if a law
had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed
by the law." By keeping the Old Testament law, we cannot gain
(eternal) life. The Bible declares that all of us have sinned and have
failed to match the perfection of God, therefore we are all under the
penalty of (eternal) death because God has declared that the "payment
(wages) of sin is (eternal) death." No matter how well we keep God's
law, once we have committed a sin, we are under the penalty of death
and therefore, the law in itself cannot give us eternal life. That's
why no one can earn eternal life by being a "good" person or by doing
good deeds. God requires that we pay the penalty of death when we sin,
not perform some good deeds! Anything that is short of us burning in
hell for our sins will not satisfy the legal requirement of sin,
because the "wages of sin is death". To give you a better illustration
of this, we can take the example of someone who was convicted of the
death penalty. When I went to trail on this capital murder case
charge, I was found guilty and I was sentenced to the penalty of
death. Now after I was given the death penalty, I could have stood up
and told the judge, "Your Honor, from now on, I will do good and be a
good person and do good works every day!" Now if I had said that, the
judge would have said, "I don't care. The legal requirement for a
death sentence is not that you do good or be a good person, the
penalty is death and anything short of you being executed will not
satisfy the legal requirement of the death sentence."
In the same way, no amount of good works or obeying
the law will earn us eternal life. God requires our death, and not our
keeping the law. We need to pay the penalty of death! Either we pay
the price of that penalty for ourselves when we burn in hell, or
someone else can take our place and pay that price for us. That is why
Jesus came to this earth. To suffer and die for our sins on our
behalf, to do what we are unable to do for ourselves. But the only way
to receive the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins is through faith. The
Old Testament law was designed as our teacher (guardian) to point us
toward Jesus Christ and His sacrifice. It showed to us our sinfulness
and our need for a Saviour. It was designed to condemn us and to lead
to Christ. But now that Jesus has come, we no longer need the law.
How come we no longer need the law? There are
several reasons why we no longer need the law. First off, the law in
itself could not give us eternal life. It was designed to condemn us
and to show us our sinfulness. But now that we have received Jesus as
our Lord and Saviour, we are no longer under the judgment (death), but
have passed into eternal life!
"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word
and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into
judgement, but has passed from death to life." (John 5: 24 ESV)
Secondly, we have now been "born again" and become
new creations in Christ. We no longer are the old creation we once
were!
"Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, unless one is
born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3: 3 ESV)
And:
"Having purified your souls by your obedience to
the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly
from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable
seed but imperishable, through the abiding word of God." (1 Peter 1:
22-23 ESV)
Because of Adam's sin in the Garden of Eden,
mankind became spiritually dead.
"And the Lord commanded the man saying, "You may
surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of knowledge
of good and evil you shall not eat, for the day that you eat of it you
shall surely die." (Genesis 2: 16-17 ESV)
When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, God
places a new spirit within us. We become spiritually alive again. That
is why one must be "born again". When someone is born again, they now
become a new creation.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new
creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (2
Corinthians 5: 17 ESV)
Why is it important to understand all of this? It
is important because once you understand that a born again Christian
becomes a new creation (a different creation), he no longer is the
same person he was before! God's desire has always been one of mercy
and that people would turn from their sinful ways and live a holy and
righteous life. The only problem was that during the Old Testament
days, people were unable to obey God! They lacked the power to obey
and serve God.
In the Old Testament, the only people who received
the Holy Spirit of God were the prophets, kings and priests. The Holy
Spirit is the power of God that enables people to obey God. What good
is a religion, or a philosophy if that religion or philosophy teaches
something that is good, but it does not provide the necessary power
for people to obey? That religion or philosophy would be useless!
Those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and
Saviour receive the Holy Spirit, the power by which they are now able
to obey and serve God! What the new birth (being born again) provides
is the gift of the Holy Spirit, but God also places a new spirit
within us. This new spirit is also very important. Why? What causes
people to sin? People sin because they enjoy doing what is bad. People
sin and commit crimes because of their evil desires! What God does is
place a new spirit within us that "desires" good things. A born again
person no longer desires those old sinful things. Of course that
person is still tempted by sinful things, but no longer delights in
doing those things. A unconverted person does evil and has absolutely
no conscience of what he is doing. In fact, he wants to do even more
evil without guilt or remorse. A born again person, with a new spirit
no longer feels that way, in fact, now that his spirit is recreated,
the Holy Spirit of God leads and directs this person into the truth.
Whenever this person does anything that is contrary to the will of
God, he will feel convicted in his spirit. God communicates to us
through our spirits. That is why we cannot have a relationship with
God while we are spiritually dead.
God prophesied in the Old Testament that the day
would come when He would give us a new heart, give us a new spirit and
God would give us His Spirit!
"And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit
I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone
from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put
my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be
careful to obey my rules." (Ezekiel 36: 26-27 ESV)
God would give us "a new heart". Why? Because if we
have a heart of stone, we have a disobedient heart, one that rejects
God. A heart of stone is a heart of rebellion. God would "put a new
spirit within us". Why? Because we are spiritually dead and so that we
can have new and righteous desires. We sin because we desire wrong
things, but when we have a new spirit with new desires, we will now
want to do what is good. But to desire to do what is good and actually
doing it is two different things! We need the power to be able to do
what we know is good. That is why God said, "I will put my Spirit
within you, and cause you to walk in my statues and be careful to obey
my rules." The Holy Spirit is the power by which we can obey and serve
God!
We can understand now why the New Testament does
not speak about the death penalty! To endorse the death penalty is to
deny the power of God to change people! In the Old Testament, people
lacked this power to change and obey the ways of God because only a
select few people received the Holy Spirit. But under the New
Covenant, everyone has the opportunity to receive the Holy Spirit, the
power of God.
In Texas, the death penalty is given to people who
are considered a "future or continuing threat to society". It is based
on "future dangerousness". To put people to death because they are a
future threat would deny the power and ability of God to change
people! And yet the Scripture says that nothing will be impossible
with God!
"For nothing will be impossible with God." (Luke 1
: 37 ESV)
If God created the heavens and earth, is God unable
to create a new heart in us? Is anything too hard for God?
"Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who has made the heavens
and earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is
too hard for you." (Jeremish 32: 17 ESV)
God does not doubt His own power! It is "carnal"
man who walks in the flesh, who has rejected God's mercy who has
limited the power of God and doubted the goodness of God! The carnal
man has never fully received the mercy of God, therefore he is unable
to give away what he does not have. You can only give away what you
have. If you have not received mercy from God, you cannot give away
God's mercy to others! Since God's judgment is on these people, all
they can give away to others is judgment! God has always been a God of
mercy, even in the Old Testament. To see the heart of God and His
mercy, let us examine what God's desire is toward a sinner.
"The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not
suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the
iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon
himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. But
if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed
and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall
surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions that he has
committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that
he has done he shall live. Have I any pleasure in the death of the
wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from
his way and live?" (Ezekiel 18: 20-23 ESV)
God's desire is for wicked and sinful people to
turn away from their sins. Notice that last sentence, "Have I any
pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not
rather that he should turn from his way and live?" God's desire is for
even the wicked people to turn from their wrong ways and live! That
last sentence is repeated in the New Testament.
"Brothers, if anyone is caught in any
transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of
gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted."
(Galatians 6: 1 ESV)
A spiritual person is to desire that a person
caught in transgression should be restored (and live). Spiritual
people desire life, because "it is the Spirit that gives life." (2
Corinthians 3: 6)
Does the Bible support the death penalty or does it
teach that the death penalty has been done away with? How you answer
this question will reveal the status of your relationship with the God
of the Bible, who's words you are using to justify your answer. Allow
me to close with the following verses:
"For this is the message that you have heard from
the beginning, that we should love one another… We know that we have
passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever
does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a
murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in
him." (1 John 3: 11, 14-15 ESV)
"We love because he first loved us. If anyone says,
'I love God', and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not
love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not
seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must
also love his brother." (1 John 4: 19-21 ESV)
"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive
mercy." (Matthew 5: 7 ESV)
"For judgement is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy
triumphs over judgement." (James 2: 13 ESV)
Chuong Tong #999260
Texas Death Row ©2005
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