My Thoughts on the death penalty

This evening I was talking with one of my professors in his office and for some reason we started talking about the death penalty, because it was related in a vague way to our topic of conversation (Jurgen Moltmann and his Doctrine of God!). He then asked me what my position was, and I thought I would write this, because he was surprised at my position coming from a European. 

In Theory I am in favor of the death penalty

I am careful in saying that I am only for the death penalty in theory. I believe that it is the lowest form of logic. If I take an innocent man's life from him, someone ought to take my life from me. What argument would I be able to give? 

Man is created in the image of God

When we talk death penalty, we must look at Genesis 9:

“Whoever sheds human blood,
by humans shall their blood be shed;
for in the image of God
has God made mankind."

 The death penalty is often seen as savage or barbaric. This might sound counter-intuitive, but the reason I read in Genesis, is that God created man in his image. This is what gives man his value. God therefore cares so much about man. The punishment for destroying such a valuable being must fit the crime. The more God cares about man the higher the sentence. Man is priceless, the murder of an innocent man then must demand for the highest kind of punishment. Death.

What is justice

Take this scenario. Someone just bought a piece of cake. They are about to take their first bite and I decide to purposefully bump into them to make that cake fall. The minimum required for justice to be served is that I would have to compensate the person, to make things right. This would be done when I put a new piece of cake in their hand. A piece of cake for a piece of cake. Sounds pretty logical no? When my professor asked me why I supported the death penalty, I told him, the for me it was a mathematical issue. One life equals one life!

If it is mercy, don't call it justice

I believe that if I kill someone, I will deserve to die. If the judge decides to sentence me to 5 years in prison instead. I will be thrilled! But I would maintain that it is not justice, but rather, mercy! Mercy is not getting what you deserve.

Justice is only mercy in the Gospel

When someone does something wrong, you have a choice. Either you give them what they deserve, or you chose not to. Justice is giving someone what they deserve. Mercy is not giving them what they deserve, so by definition, we can never have both at the same time. Yet, watch this. because God is the ultimate judge of the universe, and he sent his Son Jesus, who lived a perfect life, to give his life for our lives. The ultimate judge paid to satisfy our judgment. God can be just and forgive us. 

What kind of message are you giving?

What kind of message are you giving the world when you go for a lesser sentence than the death penalty. Say I murdered someone, and am given 5 years. If we call this justice, then are we not saying that the life of the person who died is worth 5 years in prison? I would say that this is ridiculous, and nonsensical.

Can I take this theoretical stance on such a practical topic

 In practice, I see a few issues with the death penalty. First, and this is enough not to ever risk it, is that there is a risk of killing innocent people. Second, I do not view executing someone murder, I think it is different, but I do not yet see myself as executing someone, and so saying that I want someone else to do it for me is a bit hypocritical (but that could be said about us westerners who eat meat without having ever killed an animal before!!). Thirdly, the procedure in the US takes years a too much money, life in prison is a lot cheaper.

Keep them alive so they have more time to believe in Jesus?

I think - yes and no. On one hand sure why not! But on the other, I feel like being on death row, and actually demonstrating God's justice for their terrible crime is just as much gospel. Probably way more than showing mercy to one who is unrepentant. If he is repentant of his sins, showing mercy is pointless. Keeping them on death row might be what saves them, as God's justice is demonstrated, death was necessary to pay for the crime of all our sins, Jesus had to die. His murder will only be paid for in the eyes of the state when the person is killed. 

Death penalty is not an alternative to forgiveness

The Bible is clear that if we do not forgive others, our Father in heaven will not forgive us. I believe that we must forgive no matter what the crime. I am stating that as a fact, I would not go up to people who have gone through something big and tell them they must forgive straight away. But it is what is expected. Un-forgiveness has severe implications on how the forgiveness of Christ is viewed in our lives. If we do not forgive, we think that in some way what was done to us is worse than the sin Christ died for in our life. Christ forgives all, who would we be to hold something against someone, like we would be more important, or more righteous than Christ?

Why my opinion does does really matter!

I don't ever intend to be part of the government. I probably would not vote for death penalty. Also, this is all very theoretical for me. I do not know any murderers, and myself do not know anyone who was murdered, so it is not really a personal topic to me. I still hold everything I have written as true :)