⁴ … for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.

Capital punishment: is this a legitimate form of punishment from a Christian perspective? For some this is a slam-dunk “yes,” mixing in conservative politics. For others, painted with a liberal brush, an emphatic “no” resounds. Our goal here in this limited space is not to wrestle with this fully but to point out a few scriptural assertions.

Paul seems to endorse the government’s legitimate God-given role for using physical force in enforcing the laws. To be sure, one cannot build a case on a single verse. If we had time, we could appeal to the Old Testament commands for using capital punishment, most often in the form of stoning—and the criteria were quite widespread, including for adultery (Lev 20:10), or childhood rebellion (Deut 21:18-21). But pro-death penalty advocates would not endorse such an extreme penalty for these offenses, would they?

What about cold-blooded murder (see Num 35:16)? The earliest applicable passage to this issue is found in Genesis 9:5: “Surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man’s brother I will require the life of man.” Certainly God reserves the right to take life, for He is the one who created life. This usually is interpreted as capital punishment carried out by humans against a murderer. The law, “Thou shall not kill” (in the old KJV), is best understood in the translation of almost every other English version, including the New KJV, as “Thou shalt not murder.” This is an injunction against premeditated, unlawful killing for vengeance, anger or other nefarious reasons, and does not negate the execution of justice in the case of murder. One must be careful about picking out murder as justification for capital punishment and not the other OT reasons for it. We must not be inconsistent.

The NT, as many point out, carries a contrasting message of loving one’s enemies. But does this supersede justice? In fact, nowhere in the NT are we instructed in a positive, definitive way to carry out capital punishment. However, Paul in our passage today acknowledges and apparently endorses the legitimacy of a God-ordained government using the “sword.” What good is a sword if it can never be used? And what is a sword used for, but to wound, cut, damage and ultimately kill? Whether or not this is justified, it is a reality that Christians must live with. The government can and does use physical means to exact obedience – regardless of how Christians feel about it.

Lord, help me be gracious toward those who hold a different view of this issue.