The Bible in a Changing World - Herbert W Armstrong - May 1976

Herbert W Armstrong

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT: Debate still goes on over use of the death penalty for certain criminal offenses. The earliest biblical sanction for execution of murderers is found in God's instructions to Noah just following the flood: "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for God made man in his own image" (Gen. 9:6). Under the theocracy of ancient Israel, capital punishment was carried out for a variety of crimes, including murder, kidnapping, and rape (see Ex. 21:12, 16 and Deut. 22:13-29). In the New Testament, Christ and Paul recognized the power of government to use capital punishment. In Romans, chapter 13, the apostle Paul wrote: "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.... - Information Supplied By: Herbert W Armstrong Library