Question: Please explain why the Church of God does not believe in capital punishment. I have always believed the Bible plainly taught capital punishment and I would like to know your views concerning the same.
Answer: In the time of the Old Testament and the law dispensation capital punishment was not only taught but was required. There were a number of crimes for which the death penalty was required. Murder and adultery were punishable by death; also blasphemy, the doing of any work on the Sabbath Day (Exodus 35:2), a son who cursed (reviled) his father or mother was to be put to death, (Exodus 21:17) and if he smote his father or mother he was to be put to death (Exodus 21:15), a worshipper of strange gods (sun, moon, or any of the hosts of heaven) among the Israelites was to be put to death (Deuteronomy 17:2-7), a false prophet who enticed the people in idolatry was to be put to death (Deuteronomy 13:1-11), a stubborn, rebellious, disobedient son was to be put to death (Deuteronomy 21:18-21). Also various other sins and crimes were punishable by death as required by the law.
But when we pass the line into the New Testament dispensation, we read no more of such things. We have a case in the 8th chapter of John, verses 3-11, of a woman taken in adultery being brought to Jesus by the scribes and Pharisees. Now adultery was one of the crimes for which the death penalty was required under the law (Leviticus 20:10) and the scribes and Pharisees pressed this point with Jesus and inquired of Him what should be done with her. He never pronounced death upon her, but freely forgave her sin and told her to go and sin no more. This incident proves that Jesus was not going by and advocating the death penalty as required by the old law. Jesus Himself said in Luke 9:56 that He came not to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And according to the rule Jesus gave these scribes and Pharisees for executing a death sentence “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her” it seems certain that no one out there in the world who supervises these things would be eligible to execute a death sentence.
In the biggest majority of cases a person who is executed is dropped right off into an eternal hell. Many of them are not prepared to go. I know how it makes me feel personally when I hear of people being snuffed out into eternity in accidents or shootings, disasters, etc., and know there is an overwhelming chance that they were not prepared. It makes me feel very bad and sends a shiver over me to realize that beyond all probability souls have just arrived in hell to never return back again. Then if I endorsed and supported a law or helped by my vote and sanction, a law to execute men and beyond all probability drop them into an eternal hell, I would feel badly indeed to know I had that much personal responsibility in such a thing.
Also, there have been different cases of the wrong person being executed for a crime and it was later proven that someone else committed the crime and the one who was put to death was innocent of the crime for which he paid. Only God knows the hearts of all men and is qualified to judge righteously, and He says, “…Vengeance is mine; I will repay,…” (Romans 12:19.)
