Capital Punishment—Relic for the Barbaric Past or Retribution for the Violent Present?

Capital punishment is a perennial debate. Is it essential for law and order, or is it a cruel hangover from barbaric times? Religions and denominations, and certainly religious leaders, differ widely in their views. The Bible, however, affirms this form of ultimate retribution as a legitimate form of justice for certain heinous crimes and assuming the process by which the decision is made is impartial and based upon moral values. While many if not now most countries of the world have rejected capital punishment, the United States still practices this form of legal, state response to the worst crimes. For more Christian commentary, see my website at www.rexmrogers.com or check my YouTube channel @DrRexRogers. #deathpenalty #capitalpunishment #justice #mercy 

Transcript

I would not want to witness the death penalty being administered to a person, but that said, if indeed the person was a murderer, then I still think this is moral justice. 

Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #209 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.

Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty – taking a life for a life – has been employed by virtually every civilization since creation. 

In the modern era, many countries have ceased implementing capital punishment even for the most heinous crimes because these countries have concluded the state should never take life. Yet, of course, it is interesting to note that many of these countries have also legalized abortion, and some have experimented with euthanasia. But those are issues for another day. 

The death penalty is an oft-debated ethical and legal issue, with arguments on both sides touching on justice, deterrence, morality, and religion.

Most recently, capital punishment once again rose to the forefront of international news, at least for a day, when Pope Leo XIV was appointed as successor to the recently deceased Pope Francis.

The late Pope Francis made statements opposing the death penalty, marking a significant development in the Catholic Church's stance. Pope Francis said, “The death penalty is unacceptable, however serious the crime... the Church is firmly committed to calling for its abolition worldwide.” And he criticized not just executions but also life imprisonment, calling it a “hidden death penalty.” 

Pope Leo has only been in office a short time, but he has publicly reaffirmed that the death penalty is “inadmissible,” emphasizing that it contradicts the Gospel's message of mercy and the inherent dignity of every person. He views capital punishment as incompatible with a truly pro-life ethic, stating that seeking “blood for blood” is not the proper path to justice.

My problem with these calls for abolition of the death penalty is that I believe they contradict biblical theology.

Now lest I be misunderstood, I am not arguing for capital punishment as the result of a summary judgment, kangaroo court, lack of evidence, due process, or conviction, or as a political statement.  

Capital punishment is not fun, not something to be celebrated, and not for the squeamish. It is, after all, punishment, death by lethal injection, the electric chair, or firing squad. It isn’t pretty and it isn’t trivial. But it is necessary and appropriate.

Taking human life in revenge is not the province of individuals. Taking human life as a form of justice is the province of government. The death penalty is extreme, but so are the limited number of crimes that demand it.

I have always supported the right of duly appointed governmental authorities to exercise the death penalty. I assume this position, not so much because I believe the death penalty is a deterrent to crime (though it might be), but because I believe crimes like murder and rape are an ultimate transgression of the law of God.  

In the Old Testament, Genesis 9:6, God said, “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God has God made man.” In the New Testament, Romans 13:3-4, God says, “For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.”  

God vested in governmental authority the right and responsibility to establish order and restrain evil. Nowhere in Scripture does he rescind this mandate. 

While it is true governments have done evil and that men and women in authority have at times acted arbitrarily, ignorantly, and cruelly, this does not change God’s design for human government. In most cultures, capital punishment for the most heinous crimes has always been the purview of government to protect individuals and preserve their civilization.

Yet in recent years public support for the death penalty has declined precipitously. As of 2025, capital punishment has been abolished in over 100 countries for all crimes, including almost all of Europe, seven countries in the Americas, and thirteen in Africa and the Asia-Pacific. In part, this is due to new technology and DNA testing that has demonstrated that a few innocent (at least of the crime in question) men have been consigned to death row.

I recognize this. My support for capital punishment does not mean that the criminal justice system through which we arrive at such ultimate sentences should not be evaluated or reformed. DNA testing is a significant advance in forensic science and should be used in every appropriate opportunity. Generous and thorough appeals processes, though often lengthy, should be made available in this most serious of decisions. Clemency, the legal means through which state governors may show mercy to inmates, is and should be exercised when extenuating circumstances warrant unmerited grace.  

All these lawful protections—guilt determined by evidence, opportunities to appeal, and potential clemency—were instituted to help assure the American criminal justice system is as fair, conscientious, and ethical as humanly possible. Capital punishment for guilty individuals only results after all these avenues of legal redress have been exhausted.

As of May 2025, 1,626 individuals have been executed in the United States since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, following the Supreme Court's decision in Gregg v. Georgia.

Capital punishment in the U.S. is generally reserved for aggravated murder, often with additional circumstances that make the crime especially severe. Each state has its own laws, but common aggravating factors include:

1.    Multiple victims

2.    Murder during another felony (e.g., robbery, rape, kidnapping)

3.    Murder of a child

4.    Murder of a police officer or public official

5.    Torture or extreme brutality

6.    Premeditation and planning

7.    Murder-for-hire

Some political leaders have recently called for harsher penalties, including the death penalty, for child pornography, child trafficking, and sexual abuse of adults. Life imprisonment is at times offered as a substitute for individuals whose crime warranted a death penalty. But does it make any sense that Sirhan Sirhan, the man who assassinated Bobby Kennedy, June 5, 1968, is yet in prison in San Diego? Or Mark David Chapman, the man who killed John Lennon, Dec. 8, 1980, is yet in prison in Beekman, NY? The average annual cost of maintaining a prisoner on death row is $60,000 to $70,000, about twice the cost of an inmate in a general prison population.

Arguments against capital punishment include wrongful convictions, injustice and bias. Opponents say race, class, or location can influence who gets sentenced to death, Then, cruelty and inhumanity, wherein opponents say it is degrading and violates human rights and the dignity of life, and finally moral objections: people claim killing is inherently wrong, even by the state. Arguments for capital punishment include deterrence, retribution as justice, closure for victims’ families, and prevention of reoffending. Christian perspectives on capital punishment often differ across denominations and individuals. While Christianity emphasizes forgiveness, mercy, and the sanctity of life (e.g., Matthew 5:38-39, “turn the other cheek”; John 8:7, “let him who is without sin…”), still, the Scripture is clear that murder is a violation of the Ten Commandments and other clear statements of Scripture about the value of human life.

All human beings are made in the image of God, so to take life wantonly, without due process of law or a duly appointed government agency, is, for me a debasement not only of human dignity but also of God’s sovereign will. I therefore consider capital punishment a morally appropriate response to particularly heinous crimes such as murder and rape, and I’d add kidnapping and terrorism.

The Bible consistently links murder with judgment and consequences, whether in the Old Testament's legal system or in the spiritual realm. 1 John 3:15 states that anyone who hates their brother or sister is a murderer, highlighting the seriousness of hatred and its consequences. 

The point here is not that a murder’s life is of no value. It is that the murderer took human life and thus directly affronted our righteous and sovereign God. While it is sad when a murder’s life is taken by capital punishment, it is nevertheless a community message that reminds all who care to listen that God is Sovereign, Holy, Righteous, Just, Merciful, Loving, and Immutable. 

Well, we’ll see you again soon. This podcast is about Discerning What Is Best. If you find this thought-provoking and helpful, follow us on your favorite podcast platform. Download an episode for your friends. For more Christian commentary, check my website, r-e-x-m as in Martin, that’s rexmrogers.com. Or check my YouTube channel @DrRexRogers for more podcasts and video. 

And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.

© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2025   

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