CAPITAL PUNISHMENT IN SCRIPTURE, Chapter 6 of Blood Atonement by Ogden Kraut.

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT IN SCRIPTURE, Chapter 6 of B L O O D
A T O N E M E N T

by
OGDEN KRAUT

Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. (Ezek. 18:4)

Men’s laws should conform with the laws of God, but they seldom do. There have been but few times in history that God has been able to convince man to obey His laws. It would do well for society to look into the scriptures to understand the reason, the evidence, and the purpose for many of God’s laws especially those relating to capital punishment. Perhaps it might be asked, “Who has the right to dictate or administer capital punishment But by the same reasoning we might ask, “Who is truly authorized to set free a murderer?” The answer is evident in the scriptures; hence, their value as a guide for the establishment or abolishment of capital punishment.

OLD TESTAMENT LAW

There is an abundance of references to the law and the practice of capital punishment in the Old Testament. That law was instituted from the very beginning and continued throughout to the New Testament. One of the first laws that God instituted among men was capital punishment. It read:

Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made he man. (Gen. 9:6)

This law was reiterated by Moses, and it never was repealed by divine decree because it is an eternal law.