Capital punishment has become an increasingly popular sentence and is seen on the news and in the media frequently. Ever since I was a little, and could comprehend what capital punishment meant, it has never settled well with me. Personally, I feel it is extremely hypocritical and contradictory. We are punishing someone, usually for killing one or multiple victims, and we say, “That’s bad, don’t do that,” but then we turn back around and do the exact same thing to them. We could talk about how our intentions are good and how we are deleting one less problem for society or what not, but the truth is, the death penalty is an excuse for us as humans to decide whether someone deserves to live or not. And simply put, this is not our decision to make, but God’s.
If you believe in God, then you know God is the ultimate one who decides our fate in this world and our life after. You also know that as Christians, we put our faith in God that he will make the right decisions. Even if someone isn’t given the proper punishment in this lifetime, they will in the next. Matthew 5:21 says, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.” Revelation 21:8 states, “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” There are countless other verses that state that any who kills will be put to death by the Lord. Therefore, we must trust in the Lord and know that those who seek evil, will be punished by Him.
“Thou shall not kill.”
When we choose the death penalty, we give ourselves the power to decide if people get to live or not. When we give ourselves this power, we become the punisher, therefore we also become the killer. Think about that. We may not be the ones physically doing the killing, but we allowed it to happen, we gave our consent for it to happen. Therefore, we are guilty of killing, just as much as the one being punished. The only person that should have the right, and can handle that right of deciding the fate of someone other than ourselves, is God. Why should we put this liability on ourselves? If we believe in God, and trust in God, then we know He is the rightful one to make such a decision and will take care of us.
When we decide to kill we give the one being killed no chance at redemption. We take them out of this life with no opportunity or time to realize their actions and attempt to make up it for it. Of course, no one could ever fully make up for taking a life, and many won’t want to take that chance, but God calls upon us to give them that. We feel someone like that doesn’t deserve a chance, but the truth is, they are the ones that need God the most. Ezekiel 33:8 says, “If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.”
It is easy for us to get caught up in our anger and disgust for those who do such awful deeds but we have to remember to trust in the Lord and remember He is the rightful one to make decisions on the fates of others. Capital punishment is taking God’s power and putting it in our own hands but we should not put this responsibility on ourselves, and God never intended us to. Remember; “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” -Proverbs 3: 5-6
