Rom.13:1-5 The Death Penalty

Rom.13:1-5 THE DEATH PENALTY 5-11-13

Today I want to talk for a few minutes about the death penalty and let me say that every one listening to this broadcast has their personal views and opinion about the death penalty.

According to the Gallup's annual Crime Survey, it found that 65% of Americans continue to support the use of the death penalty for persons convicted of murder, while 31% oppose it -- continuing a trend that has shown little change over the last six years.

The current 65% support level is roughly equal with what has been measured for most of this decade.

I also found that the death penalty is favored by most Republicans nationwide; the death penalty also receives the general support of a solid majority of independents.

Support for and opposition to the death penalty are roughly even among Democrats.

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Doubtless there have been innocent people put to death down through the years, and there have even been people sitting on death row that later have been proven innocent of the crime they were convicted of especially since the DNA analyses has been perfected, and on the flip side of the coin so to speak it has proven the guilty to be guilty without doubt.

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All of us have our own personal opinion on the matter of the death penalty, and my opinion on the death penalty is that if a person has been convicted of a capital crime without any doubt what so ever then the death penalty should be carried out, but if there is any doubt at all it should not be.

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The people of America have laws in place that call for the death penalty when certain crimes have been committed, capitol punishment is meant to be a deterrent to others who would consider such a crime.

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* LISTEN as I read today's text found in;

>> Romans 13:1-5 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

2Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

3For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? -- Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

4For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. 5Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.

The word "revenger" here means, (one who exacts a penalty from a person, - a punisher)

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So folks can say what they want to about the death penalty, but we find it here in the bible, in the N.T. and it's in the O.T. as well.

We'll come back to these verses in a few minutes Lord willing and say some more.

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Today we have people in government that speak out against the death penalty even if the accused are proven without doubt to be guilty.

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* LISTEN- The reason bible believers have no problem, or should have no problem with the death penalty is because God instituted the death penalty, how can we as Christians oppose something that God has ordained?

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* LISTEN as God is giving Noah the way of human government;

>>Genesis 9:6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

In our way of saying this today would be, if a man wrongly takes another mans life, that mans life is to be taken by man, that is, after rightly convicted by a judicial process.

>>Leviticus 17: 11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood:

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* But some will say that the bible says in;

>>Exodus 20:13 "thou shalt not kill"

And it certainly dose say that, but if people go ahead and purposefully take an innocent life then Gen. 9:6 is still there.

* God put Gen.9:6 before Exodus 20:13.

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Do you know why wicked people will still take a chance on getting by with murder? --- They think that if they should get caught that they'll sit in jail for decades appealing the death penalty verdict, or that they'll be sentence a number of years in jail, and then just maybe some liberal politician may set the prisoners free, their willing to chance it. -- And let me say that some prisoners in the recent past have been turned loose back into society under the pretense there was not enough room in the prisons, and of this number many have commit crimes again. If the death penalty was carried out swiftly there would be room.