Are State-Sponsored Executions Godly Or Sinful?
Word-of-the-Day: ‘<God said to Noah,> “Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind.’ (Genesis 9:6); ‘For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.’ (Romans 13:4)
There has been a recent surge in the publicity of state-sponsored executions, some that are making the news. Florida has executed seventeen inmates on Death Row so far in 2026, and with two more scheduled in October will match a record for given executions in a calendar year, and will likely exceed that with possibly several others before year’s end.
In Tennessee, the failed execution of Christa Pike gave her, at minimum, a temporary reprieve as the lethal injection she received did not kill her as intended. The US Army has assigned 3 December as the date former US Army Major Nidal Hasan is scheduled for execution by firing squad for the shooting of forty-five fellow soldiers in Fort Hood, Texas in 2009, killing thirteen of those he shot. The debate for Mr. Hasan’s execution is not so much as to him being executed or the method to be used, but whether the execution should be televised for Americans to witness.
There are some who argue that the execution of criminals is not Christian, or Biblical when applying the New Covenant of Jesus, who often quote Matthew 5:38-48 as the basis to stop the execution of criminals. In Matthew 5, Jesus gives a contrast to the Mosaic Law of Leviticus’ ‘eye-for-an-eye’ justice, providing instructions to ‘turn the other cheek’ and ‘love your enemies’.
What we must remind ourselves in the context that Jesus is providing His instructions, and that Jesus does not conflict or eradicate the Mosaic (or Levitical) Law, but fulfills it and enhances it, often clearing up the misunderstandings from centuries of man adding their own stipulations to it. Jesus did not intend for us to be ‘weak’ but ‘meek’; unassuming, quiet and gentle in nature, but also for us to be strong and courageous, and act in proper response. This includes defending ourselves up to and including lethal force, but only if necessary, and to mete out justice in proper measurement to those who commit crimes, up to and including capital punishment.
The context of Matthew 5:38-48 is to be forgiving to those who wrong us. ‘Walking the extra mile’ is in the context of a Roman soldier forcing an Israelite (or any of their subject people) to carry their equipment or provisions in order for the soldier to rest while continuing to move onward. Usually the person would only carry the items long enough for the soldier to gain some relief from his burden, perhaps to allow him to drink some water or snack on some food, before the soldier would regather his stuff and move on himself. Jesus’ example is to carry his items further than anticipated, to allow the soldier to have more time to rest and also provide him some semblance of God’s love.
By doing this, and ‘turning the other cheek’, giving more to the borrower or requestor than asked for, and other demonstrations of exceeding the request, the hope is for those who are doing the requesting will change their mind and attitudes upon their subjects and will be open to listening to them, where upon one can share the Gospel with those who are considered their enemies.
It is not a plea to turn a blind eye to crime or those who have done major wrongdoing. Jesus did not turn away from the moneychangers and solicitors of the Temple Courtyard; in sanctified imagination I am certain He asked them to pack up and leave in a respectful manner, gave them a more forceful ultimatum a second time, then turned to making the cord before whipping them and turning over their tables to drive them out (John 2:13-19).
In this case, the justice Jesus meted out was more of the Levitical ‘eye-for-an eye’; showing disrespect for God and His Temple meant Jesus would not respect them, their business or their property. He did not take from them anything that was theirs; He took back what was His, the ground of the Temple that He provided the people to worship Him.
The Apostle Paul understood this in Romans 13, when he writes of respecting the government that the Lord places over us. The laws of the Romans, who Israel was under, had to be respected, up to the point where it would have superseded God’s authority. Laws that outlined crimes, including theft and murder, and provided for punishment of those crimes, up to death, did not supersede God’s authority, and were in place and given by God to His people as far back as Noah, in Genesis 9:5-6, where God placed the demand of accounting for the lifeblood of every animal, especially the lifeblood of each human. God made it very clear that the punishment for indiscriminately killing another person would be for the calling of their death.
The Levitical Law was given to Moses by God, which codified for the Israelites escaping Egypt to live by, especially after they made their home in Canaan. Several laws had punishment that was to result in death, including murder, adultery, and deviant sexual activity outside the bonds of marriage. God himself proclaimed death upon those who disobeyed him, including Achan for keeping idols in Joshua 7, and death came upon Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 for lying about the keeping the proceeds for the sale of their property to the Apostles.
While execution should only be meted out as worst-case deterrent for crime, it is justified under God. Jesus never contradicts God and does not do so in Matthew 5. He is a God of second chances, always forgiving, including those who commit heinous crimes. But God is also a God of Justice, and God approves of capital punishment when great crimes are committed against others.
