Thread: What is your view on capital punishment?

We have an imperfect system, always will. As Christians we should allow justice to do it's job while expressing mercy and reaching out with the message of Christ.

I have no conscience conflict regarding the death penalty. Especially in the US criminals have time to repent whether it's 6 months or 20 years on death row.

The system has it's place and Christians have ours...we just need to guard our own hearts to remain tender and prayerful for the lost no matter their 'sin' or 'crime'. We don't need to hate and hold grudges to see justice...

As Christians we have to keep in mind the secular kingdom and the Kingdom of God. We are obligated to live under the Lordship of Jesus and interact with the secular accordingly...

Originally Posted by Colonel

If Ted Bundy did repent and take up the faith then he was born again and became a new creature in Christ. Only that part of him got to heaven, which is the same as with you and me. His debt to society did however remain and that was different to yours and mine.

Exactly! Our issue as believers is to make sure we walk in love and forgiveness and let the justice system do their job....

We MUST guard against hatred even for evil doers....As we have heard it said, we need to let them off 'our hook' of judgement and let the system do it's job while praying for accurate justice and their soul. If we WANT them to both be executed and go to Hell we might be more on the hate side of the issue than the love side...

The truth is if we ask some Christians, 'If so-in-so went to Heaven are you OK with that?' the rubber meets the road there....

We hear, 'They should rot in Hell..' and I always think without fail...so should you and I....

As I pondered this and reading Genesis it came to my attention that God established the death penalty for murder to emphasize the truth He stated.."Man is created in MY image." Some today say killing an animal is murder...while I get the emotion behind that there is a reality that is troubling....animals are not HUMANKIND therefore PER God it's not murder. We truly MUST guard against such false statements while embracing the truth...

Purhaps to take this discussion to an accurate conclusion we must consider God's message in Genesis...and what it truly means to HIM for someone to murder another human being....created in HIS image...

Genesis 9:6*Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

My emphasis...there is an essential reason He established the death penalty...not just punishment or justice...?

As with all sins they are sins because they are 'against God'. God views His creation as HIS possession...to murder is against HIM so He has the authority to set the consequence...

Do we believe God established this just for pre Christ era to keep a lawful state? Does not sound like it...

I guess we must remember all sin such as adultery, murder, stealing come from a condition of the heart that is ANTI God...His moral laws were not given just because they are a mistreatment of each other....sin is sin against God.

David said, 'Against You alone have I sinned.' That statement used to really bother me because I considered all the people he had wronged and hurt...but David grasped something I think is being lost in 'christianity' today...

But in this discussion it was touched on....let God's justice prevail while WE remain merciful and prayerful for the condemned...because they sinned AGAINST God...