Ask a Pastor Column

Q. If the Bible says that those who kill should be put to death (Genesis 9:5-6), wouldn’t that mean that those who put them to death would have to be killed themselves?

A:  Well now, that would cause quite a problematic chain-reaction, wouldn’t it? While there is plenty of room for sanctified common-sense in understanding Scripture, it is also okay to examine its moral teachings more closely on occasion. When we do, we discover that the moral code of the Bible does in fact rest upon a rational basis, and teaches just and consistent ethics for life.

The basis for the Bible’s teachings on murder is the sanctity it places on human life. You see, the Bible teaches that human life is uniquely valuable because we alone were created in God’s Image (Genesis 1:26-27; 9:6). This is why God permits the killing and eating of animals while forbidding the independent taking of human life (Genesis 9:3-6). In other words, the human race has not been given the right to decide who lives and who dies.

Even though God forbade man to take life on his own initiative, God Himself still bears the right as Creator to remove the gift of life He gave us (Deuteronomy 32:39; Job 1:18-22; etc.), and the Bible records Him delegating this responsibility to man in certain situations. The most fundamental of these circumstances is in the punishment of a murderer. The Bible teaches that taking the life of another leaves a blood debt that must be balanced by the life of the perpetrator (Genesis 4:10; Numbers 35:33). God gives society (and more specifically, civil governments) the responsibility of carrying out that sentence; life for life (Genesis 9:6; Romans 13:4; etc.).

So then, we can understand that murder is the independent taking of human life outside of God’s delegated responsibility. By this definition, a person who executes justice upon the murderer, under the authority of civic government, as instructed by God is not a murderer but His instrument of correction and balance (incidentally, the Bible does not justify taking vengeance into your own hands, it is the responsibility of God and government; Matthew 5:38-42; Romans 12:19; etc.). Thus, he has done nothing deserving of death. The responsibility for the murderer’s death is upon the murderer himself.

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Let us know what you think of the ask a pastor articles! If you’ve found them helpful in any way, been blessed by an article or have any thoughts on how we could make it better, let us know by sending an email to [email protected] or by mail to Formoso Church; P.O. Box 66; Formoso, Kansas 66942. And, as always, feel free to send us your Bible questions!