‘Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ Matthew 5:3 SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Esther 5:9–7:10
Would you know if this is your state or how far you have advanced? Attend to the effects. So far as you are poor in spirit, you will find: (i) a resignation to the will of God, for you will not only believe that his appointment is best, but you will see everything is better than you deserve. (ii) you will not be easily angry. A knowledge of your own heart will teach you to make allowance for others. And from a sense of your debt of 10,000 talents to God, you will be ready to forgive a few pence to man. (iii) you will not be over-confident. To be poor in spirit is to be sensible that you are weak, fallible and know but little, and this will keep you diffident of your own judgement. (iv) you will not aim to stand high in the opinion of others, any more than a beggar will try to pass for a rich man. (v) especially, you will most gladly renounce your own righteousness and count all things but dung for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus the Lord. But what do I say? Shall I unchristian all my hearers and myself too? Many, I am afraid, can in no degree stand this trial, but these gracious tempers must be formed in you, if you would be saved. These are the mind that was in Christ, and if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his. What can those who live in pride, anger, peevishness—impatient of the least contradiction—say to this? O may the Lord convince you and stir you to seek for pardon and grace for Jesus’ sake while it is to be found. And those of us who believe have need to be ashamed and humbled into the dust. How much do we feel contrary to these tempers!
FOR MEDITATION: Bless God for an Advocate—admire rich grace and trust to it. If he has begun the work, he will finish. And even now you are blessed, for yours is the kingdom. The kingdom of grace is yours. Grace is glory begun. Glory is grace perfected. Watch, pray and strive for an increase of this poverty of spirit, that your light may shine to the glory of your Father which is in heaven.
Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Matthew 12:31
Context The Unpardonable Sin He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the one to come.…
The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost.—Better, against the Spirit, the word “Holy” not being found in any MSS. of authority. The question, What is the nature of the terrible sin thus excluded from forgiveness? has, naturally enough, largely occupied the thoughts of men. What, we ask, is this blasphemy against the Holy Ghost? (1.) The context at least helps us to understand something of its nature. The Pharisees were warned against a sin to which they were drawing perilously near. To condemn the Christ as a gluttonous man and a wine-bibber, as breaking the Sabbath, or blaspheming when He said, “Thy sins be forgiven thee,” was to speak a word against the Son of Man. These offences might be sins of ignorance, not implying more than narrowness and prejudice. But to see a man delivered from the power of Satan unto God, to watch the work of the Spirit of God, and then to ascribe that work to the power of evil, this was to be out of sympathy with goodness and mercy altogether. In such a character there was no opening for repentance, and therefore none for forgiveness. The capacity for goodness in any form was destroyed by this kind of antagonism. (2.) We dare not say, and our Lord does not say it, that the Pharisees had actually committed this sin, but it was towards this that they were drifting. And in reference to later times, we may say that this is the ultimate stage of antagonism to God and to His truth, when the clearest proofs of divine power and goodness are distorted into evidence that the power is evil. The human nature in that extremest debasement has identified itself with the devil nature, and must share its doom.
By the blasphemy here spoken of, we are evidently to understand injurious or impious speaking against the Spirit of God, such as the Pharisees were now guilty of; that is, attributing to the devil those miracles which Christ gave full proof that he wrought by the Holy Spirit. That this, and nothing but this, is the sin here intended, is manifest from the connection in which the words stand in this place; and more especially still from the parallel passage, Mark 3:28-30, in which the evangelist, assigning the reason of our Lord’s making this declaration, adds, Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit; that is, “hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of devils casteth out devils.” This, then, and this only, is the sin, or blasphemy, as it should rather be called, (and as the Scriptures always call it,) against the Holy Ghost. It is an offence of the tongue; it is committed not by thinking, but by speaking, by evil-speaking, by belying, slandering, or reviling the Divine Spirit, by which our Lord wrought his miracles, ascribing them to the devil: which in fact was calling the Holy Ghost, or the Spirit of the one living and true God, the devil: a more heinous crime than which is not to be conceived.
The issue of the death penalty has long been a constant debate among Christians. One side justifies capital punishment from its biblical origins as retribution of wrongdoing, while others argue against the practice, maintaining a holistic pro-life stance.
The death penalty is advocated for in the bible, but Christians should not support the existing death penalty model. Current inconsistencies in the system and discrepancies with offenders’ cases should cause Christians to stop blindly encouraging the policy Christians must first retain our pro-life and human rights stance before we can promote the poorly implemented capital punishment model we currently have in place.
The concept of capital punishment was established in Genesis 9:6: “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed.” Romans 13:4 specifically discusses the concept of government’s authority, mandating the instruction: “he [rulers] does not bear the sword in vain.”
These verses outline that government has the God-granted right to punish wrongdoing, which includes implementation of the death penalty. New Testament principles of love and forgiveness apply to Christians but not primarily to governments and authority. The Bible makes it clear throughout Romans 13 that government was established as “an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.” With that biblical view of government, Christians can promote the death penalty as directed by God.
There is a problem, however.
Christians must tread lightly on the issue of capital punishment. On the one hand, it is biblically mandated for government, but problems such as racism and the possibility of wrongful convictions corrupt the present system. The argument for capital punishment should first be met by proper implementation.
On the contrary, Christians have a bigger problem to solve than ensuring capital punishment’s place in government. Before promoting the policy’s use, Christians should be aware of the rights violations and discrepancies that contaminate the current capital punishment.
Innocent lives have been lost to the death penalty. The prominent issue of capital punishment is killing an innocent person that was wrongfully convicted. Since 1973 according to the Death Penalty Information Center, over 185 mistakenly convicted prisoners on death row have been exonerated, pointing to a trend of erroneous death sentences. Similarly, more wrongly-convicted detainees have most likely been put to death. There have been dozens of instances in capital cases where there were discrepancies and questionable convictions. Christians cannot ignore these cases and vouch for capital punishment without acknowledging this problem.
Another caveat for the continued implementation of the death penalty is the racist tendencies of conviction. If the victim of a crime is white, the offender is more likely to be sentenced to death. Cases involving white victims comprise 80% of capital cases according to reports from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), in which African-American offenders are three times more likely to receive the death penalty than white individuals. How can Christians support a process with racist outcomes? Christians should be on the offensive in stopping racial disparities. Public policy with unjust results is not God-ordained.
With these misnomers, Christians have the responsibility to promote solutions to these inconsistencies before we begin to encourage the death penalty with a fairer justice system. Before capital punishment can be justified as biblical, we must follow our pro-innocent-life stance and fight against the sin of racism. We must fight to ensure innocence until proven guilty. After these problems are solved, Christians could then justifiably encourage the biblical use of the death penalty.
Each Christian has to choose whether or not they believe in the death penalty. We must remember that God’s justice is not our justice, and just as we are a fallen world so too are our systems and the reasons they exist.
Vivian Bricker Contributing Writer 2021 20 Sep
The death penalty is a popular topic today as well as a politically heated debate. There are two arguments for the death penalty, those who are for the death penalty and those who are opposed to the death penalty.
Believers are divided on this ethical topic as some believe the death penalty is permitted; whereas others believe it is never permitted. There are weighty arguments on each side of the coin as each individual Christian has to make their own decision about the death penalty.
The Argument for the Death Penalty There are multiple arguments in support of the death penalty; however, the most popular argument is “The death penalty is an effective deterrent.” In other words, the death penalty prevents the criminal from committing any future harm.
Right now, in 2021, the death penalty is legal in 27 states of America, including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.
All of the current criminals in limbo on death row have all been found guilty of murder. More specifically, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, “Death sentences may only be imposed for crimes in which a victim is killed, but state legislatures can determine what specific circumstances make a murder eligible for a death sentence.”
Thus, the death penalty is only enacted if murder was involved. In the past, the crime of rape would be found worthy of the death penalty; however, in the 21st century, rape is no longer seen as a crime deserving death. As of 2021, the only crime guilty of receiving the death penalty is murder.
Was the Death Penalty Used in the Bible? The Old Testament does show evidence for capital punishment. The punishment of death was not only for murder (Exodus 21:12), but also for rape (Deuteronomy 22:24), adultery (Leviticus 20:10), kidnapping (Exodus 21:16), homosexuality (Leviticus 20:13), and bestiality (Exodus 22:19). False prophets were also condemned to death.
That prophet or dreamer must be put to death for inciting rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. That prophet or dreamer tried to turn you from the way the Lord your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil from among you (Deuteronomy 13:5).
Does this mean that when a believer sees any of these things occur, the criminal should be killed? Even though each of these crimes was punishable by death, God extended mercy to each individual as shown in the case of David.
David had committed adultery with Bathsheba, but God did not order that David be killed. Instead, God showered David with mercy. David confessed his sin to God and expressed his need for God’s forgiveness (2 Samuel 12:13).
Believers today should extend mercy and kindness just as God did to David; however, believers must also be aware that there are consequences for sin even though God forgives the sin. God is merciful, loving, and forgiving, but He is also righteous, holy, and perfect (1 Samuel 2:2; 1 Peter 1:16; Psalm 99:9). Sin cannot coexist with God as sin separates us from God.
But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear (Isaiah 59:2).
The Argument Against the Death Penalty As stated by the FIACAT Representation to the United Nations, “The death penalty does not respect the right to life.” In addition to this main reason, other arguments include that the death penalty is not an effective deterrent, it is built upon a faulty governmental system, it does not truly protect society, and it does not give the opportunity for the criminal to repent.
Concerning the last reason, if a person is sentenced to death, they would never have time to accept Jesus into their lives. There are numerous ministries today focused on helping prisoners come to know Jesus across the world. Prison ministries emphasize forgiveness and redemption to the prisoners as all people can be saved.
A person is only given forgiveness because of placing faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). Even if a person’s past is filled with sin, God can still forgive them and redeem them. Nothing is too unforgivable for God if the person comes before God in genuine remorse. Paul was a persecutor of the faith, he strongly opposed the apostles’ message, and he was even a murderer.
And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison (Acts 8:1-3).
In 1 Corinthians 15:9, Paul states, “For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them — yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”
In the same way, God can redeem the lives of criminals, prisoners, and murderers today.
A Hard and Complicated Situation Each Christian has to choose whether or not they believe in the death penalty. There are strong reasons for each side of the argument. In the Old Testament, there were times when the death penalty needed to be enacted and it was carried out.
Even though capital punishment is a reality in the present world today, believers need to approach the subject with wisdom. Galatians 6:6-7 tells us, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
God does not desire anyone to die; however, there are consequences for our sins. God can forgive any sin, but the government and authority figures have created their own human system for justice. It is fully possible for criminals, prisoners, and murderers to place faith in Jesus and receive forgiveness.
As Christians, we need to study the Bible and come to our own findings on the death penalty. Praying for God’s guidance, direction, and wisdom will help believers make good decisions for all areas of life, including taking a stance on the arguments of capital punishment. God promises to give us wisdom if we ask for it.
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you (James 1:5).
Several years ago Dan Van Ness, then president of Justice Fellowship wrote A Call to Dialogue on Capital Punishment. It was not meant to take sides on the death penalty, but rather explore some of the important issues raised by the various sides. This article is excerpted from Dan’s monograph. Dan now works with Prison Fellowship International.
Does Scripture mandate, prohibit, or permit capital punishment? Christians are divided on this issue. Let’s summarize the arguments for each position:
SCRIPTURE MANDATES CAPITAL PUNISHMENT The principal argument is that because life is sacred, those who wrongfully take another human life must lose their own lives. This is a form of restitution; a matter of justice— the state purging itself of those who shed innocent blood. Proponents of this position cite three scriptural arguments:
ARGUMENT 1 Genesis 9:6 says, “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.” This is part of the larger covenant that God made with Noah after the flood. It not only reflects the great value of human life, but also gives the reason for that value: Man is made in God’s image.The absolute language of Genesis 9:6 suggests that all those who kill another human being must be killed. And since this mandate was given long before the Mosaic Law to all who survived the flood, it apparently has universal application.
ARGUMENT 2 The Law, as given to Moses on Mt. Sinai, ordained execution for several offenses: murder (but not accidental killings), striking or cursing a parent, kidnapping, adultery, incest, bestiality, sodomy, rape of a betrothed virgin, witchcraft, incorrigible delinquency, breaking the Sabbath, blasphemy, sacrificing to false gods, oppressing the weak, and other transgressions. (See Exod. 21, 22, 35; Lev. 20 & 24; Deut. 21-24.)
ARGUMENT 3 While no New Testament passage expressly mandates capital punishment, several imply its appropriateness. For example, in Romans 13:1-7 Paul calls his readers to submit to the authority of civil government, reminding them that “if you do wrong, be afraid, for he [the authority] does not bear the sword for nothing.” In its ultimate use, the word sword implies execution.
SCRIPTURE PROHIBITS CAPITAL PUNISHMENT Old Testament Law clearly calls for capital punishment. So those who believe Scripture prohibits capital punishment argue that the developments of the New Testament era supersede the Old Testament Law.
ARGUMENT 1 Israel was a theocracy, a nation ruled directly by God. Therefore, its Law was unique. Executing false teachers and those who sacrificed to false gods are examples of provisions that sprang from Israel’s unique position as a nation of God called to be holy. When Israel ceased to exist as a nation, its Law was nullified.Even the execution of murderers stemmed, in part, from God’s special relationship to Israel. Numbers 35:33 says that the blood of a murder victim “pollutes the land,” a pollution that must be cleansed by the death of the murderer. If the murderer could not be found, an animal was to be sacrificed to God to purge the community of guilt (Deut. 21).
ARGUMENT 2 Christ’s death on the cross ended the requirement for blood recompense and blood sacrifice. The sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb of God, replaced the sacrifice of animals. His death also made it unnecessary to execute murderers to maintain human dignity and value because the crucifixion forever established human value. Hebrews 9:14 says, “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”
ARGUMENT 3 Christ’s teaching emphasizes forgiveness and willingness to suffer evil rather than resist it by force. This may not be definitive on the issue of the state’s authority to execute, but it does demonstrate a different approach to responding to evil than that established on Mt. Sinai. Christ’s example in not demanding death for the adulteress supports this argument (John 8).
SCRIPTURE PERMITS CAPITAL PUNISHMENT Those who argue that the Bible permits capital punishment see strengths in both the pro and the con arguments, but disagree with the conclusions of both.
ARGUMENT 1 As noted previously, Scripture includes many provisions for capital punishment. The Mosaic Law significantly limited the scope of Genesis 9:6. For example, individuals guilty of manslaughter or accidentally causing another’s death were exempted from the death penalty.
ARGUMENT 2 Perhaps the most compelling arguments against capital punishment are the examples of capital criminals who were not executed, such as Cain, Moses, and David. And not only did Jesus refuse to condemn the woman caught in adultery, but He also suggested that only those without sin were qualified to perform the execution. Jewish interpretation of Old Testament Law reflected a great reluctance to impose the death penalty. For example, circumstantial evidence wasn’t admitted. The two eyewitnesses (Num. 35) had to have warned the accused he was about to commit a capital crime. If the two witnesses’ testimonies differed, the accused was acquitted. Men presumed to lack compassion could not rule on a capital case.
ARGUMENT 3 New Testament passages assume the existence of the death penalty but don’t take a position one way or the other. Romans 13 comes closest to speaking of the state’s authority to execute, but significantly it refers to the state’s authority, not obligation, to execute. This is consistent with the position that states are permitted, not mandated or prohibited, the use of this sanction.
UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS? Those who believe that Scripture mandates or permits capital punishment must move on to another question: What conditions does Scripture give before the state may exercise capital punishment? The Old Testament Law did not simply address the “whether” of capital punishment; it also spoke of the “how.” These provisions need not be literally carried out today for our death-penalty statutes to meet biblical standards. For example, Deuteronomy 17 required the condemning witnesses to throw the first stones. This is impossible today, because stoning is not a current method of execution. However, the principle is that witnesses were held responsible for the consequences of their testimony, encouraging truthfulness. Here are some other principles drawn from the Mosaic Law’s procedures:
PROPORTIONALITY Exodus 21:23-25 establishes that punishment must be proportional to the offense. The extreme sanction of death should be considered only in the most serious offenses. CERTAINTY OF GUILT Before a murderer could be executed, two witnesses had to confirm his guilt (Deut. 17:6; Num. 35:30). This was a very high standard of proof. The Bible says nothing of circumstantial evidence. INTENT Numbers 35:22-24 established that capital punishment could not be imposed when the offender did not act intentionally. DUE PROCESS Several provisions of the Law ensured that executions took place only after appropriate judicial procedures (see Num. 35; Deut. 17). The issue was not simply whether the accused was guilty, but whether he also had a fair chance to prove his innocence. RELUCTANCE TO EXECUTE Although the Law may sound bloodthirsty, it was applied with great restraint. In Ezekiel 33:11 God laments, “As sure as I live . . . I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.” The Lawgiver Himself was reluctant to impose the death penalty, preferring that the wrongdoers repent.Reluctance is not refusal. But it does imply that execution should be a last resort, and, as Ezekiel 33 suggests, repentance or contrition could commute the death sentence.
This is my personal collection of thoughts and writings, mainly from much smarter people than I, which challenge me in my discipleship walk. Don't rush by these thoughts, but ponder them.
Milo 