Question: I am confused about the death penalty in the Old Testament. If a person was unaware of the teachings of the Law of Moses, and he committed a sin punishable by death, was there room for forgiveness? Why did God require the death penalty? If human sacrifice was an abomination to God, why were people put to death for certain sings? Did their death act as an atonement for their sins?

I hear all the time about animal sacrifice and burnt offerings being replaced by Christ’s atonement, but what about assurance that Christ’s atonement covered sins that required the death of the sinner?

Stacey

Answer: Dear Stacey,

The old covenant under which Israel operated as the people of God, and as a nation, included capital punishment. Awareness of the specific law that was violated is not addressed as a provision under that law, or indeed of many laws requiring capital punishment today (the old adage, "ignorance of the law is no excuse").

However, Paul argues in Romans 1 that natural law exists in all of our hearts ("conscience") and that this natural law is very much a part of being made in the image of God. All men and women are said, by the Bible, to be created and to come into this world bearing the image of God. Paul believes that no one is without excuse with regard to the fundamental moral laws which anthropologists and historians have found common to 99% of human civilizations and cultures (things like murder, lying, theft, etc.).

If one accepts that God is creator, and that he has given life, then he has the right to take life – the Torah (law) states that categorically. We may not believe that such an act is moral, but our belief that taking life is immoral does not make that act, on its face, immoral.

Christ’s atonement does cover the death (often called the second death) that is eternal – but not the first death. All who accept and believe Jesus Christ, and who accept his saving work on the cross on our behalf, will die. Some Christians have been executed by courts – others have been murdered, die by accident, disease, old age, etc. All Christians, just as non-Christians, die. That is fundamental to humanity, and our fallen state.

Several years ago a notorious serial murderer said that he came to believe in Christ while on death row. He counseled with a pastor many times – eventually he was baptized. Not too many months later he was executed for his horrific crimes. Some debate whether or not God forgave him, and whether he genuinely accepted Christ (but how can someone know another person’s heart?). A few feel that his conversion should have been enough to stay his execution. But by the same token, if his conversion would have been accepted by state authorities as a reason for canceling his execution, then how would they objectively demonstrate the claimed conversion of others on death row?

Christians differ about capital punishment – and that is fine, for there is no such thing as a Christian country on earth whose laws are in 100% accord with the Bible. We cannot know what God’s will for a civil law in this matter is, given the new covenant in Christ’s blood. And thus we have no one dogmatic answer for this thorny topic. We are free to differ, but should realize that it should not divide us, for there are many other more fundamental issues about the gospel of Jesus Christ which have a higher biblical priority.

Hope this helps, Stacey.

In Christ,

Greg Albrecht