Taking Human Life

The first murder was in the first family. Cain killed his brother Abel. Why? “Because his own works were evil and his brother’s righteous” (I John 3:12). He killed him out of pure spite and envy. There is no need to psychoanalyze this tragedy. Cain didn’t do this because his genetics were flawed. He hadn’t been abused as a child or influenced by a bad crowd. The nature or nurture approach doesn’t work here. There was and is something deeper. It is called choice.

God gave the death penalty early in the Bible. Just after the flood, God said, “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man” (Gen. 9:6). Later Moses wrote, “The murderer shall surely be put to death” (Num. 35:16). The New Testament also sanctions the death penalty for murder. Paul wrote that governments are ordained by God to keep peace and warned, “If you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain” (Rom. 13:4). Capital punishment is authorized by God in every age of mankind.

What happens when murderers are not punished? Solomon wrote, “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil” (Ecc. 8:11). When sin goes unpunished, it only gets worse. Common sense and experience confirm this.

There were dangerous people in the New Testament. Jesus told of a man who was robbed and beaten half to death in the story of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30). Rulers sometimes literally got away with murder. Herod slaughtered children and Jewish authorities convinced Pilate to execute Jesus (Matt. 2:16; Luke 23:1-24). Paul said he encountered “perils of robbers” in his travels (II Cor. 11:26).

The Lord taught the disciples to protect themselves. He said, “He who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one” (Luke 22:36). A sword was used to kill. Anyone in the time of the apostles understood this. What He told the disciples is no different from telling someone today it’s a good idea to own a gun.

No society can eliminate all crime, but every government ought to punish criminals and protect law-abiding citizens. That is the purpose of government according to Romans 13:1-7 and I Peter 2:13-14. Also, governments have no right to tell people they cannot own weapons to defend themselves. The Second Amendment didn’t give us that right. God did. In increasingly dangerous times, these biblical truths need to be taught more.

Kerry

West End church of Christ • January 5, 2025