As I wait day by day to see if I’m called for jury duty this week, I think upon what justice is all about. That makes it good timing for me to write about this topic:
The biblical principle of eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, is grossly misunderstood by almost everybody. That’s what happens when one looks through the flip side of rose-coloured glasses and is blinded by his human nature. It actually proves an evil heart is misinterpreting what God is saying. Its beyond mostly everyone’s comprehension to understand how anyone can intentionally kill another human being [by capital punishment] without the motivation of malice; plus, to do it in a spirit of love and charity! Human beings, without the Spirit of God abiding within, will interpret everything from their own self-centered perspective. This is why God warns mankind in Isaiah 55:8, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD,” and in Ezekiel 20:44, “And ye shall know that I am the LORD when I have wrought with you for my name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.”
Until the genuine experience of learning what God’s grace is becomes a personal one, it will be impossible to grasp a proper understanding of what forgiveness is. Forgiveness does not automatically mean eliminating the consequences. Godly forgiveness comes from the heart and its what brings peace. Eliminating capital punishment and/or war is not the way to achieve peace, because those things are symptoms of corruption; not causes.
Most who know the bible will debate what is being said here by referring to Matthew 5:39, “But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” That verse has also become twisted. There is no contradiction between not resisting evil by turning the other cheek and applying Exodus 21:23-25, “And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.”
In chapter 5 of Matthew, what Jesus is saying about loving your enemy has to do with living life in the Spirit of God. Personal revenge (with hatred towards your enemy) is sin, but God’s vengeance can be accomplished through man’s actions without it necessarily being sinfully done. The Holy Spirit is not intellectually driven, but rather a heart condition. Mankind by nature (using his own will power disconnected from God) cannot accomplish what’s said in Matthew 5:44, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”
Subconscious guilt creates ungodly fear. This is usually buried so deep that it’s impossible without God to even be aware of it. People mistakenly think sparing the lives of dangerous criminals (terrorists included) is an example of mercy and is what will bring peace. That kind of thinking brings comfort to those who fear seeing mankind the way God does.
To enforce law by way of death should be done with the humble spirit of therefore but by the grace of God go I. All people should have the same spirit as those who survive a plane crash that kills most others aboard. Survivors like them usually feel guilt for living when they know they could have been among the dead passengers. Imagine how hard it would be for them to execute criminals!… but change the perspective a little and suddenly it isn’t so difficult to imagine. Think about United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11th, 2001. If you were on that flight with your family, would you appreciate it if those courageous men, who were willing to apply deadly force to stop the Islamic terrorists, succeeded to rescue that flight from destruction? It’s possible (by way of a miracle ONLY) an Islamic terrorist might repent and never again attempt an attack like that, but think about the risk and odds. If and/or when one does repent (in the way God demands¹), death is no longer the horror imagined; instead, death becomes a state of sleep where one awakens to eternal life. A dead terrorist is 100% safe, but a live one can live to repeat murder.
All murders are killings, but not all killings are murder. Would you call a chicken farmer a murder because he kills his chickens for others to eat? Maybe if you’re a PETA person (not all who endorse PETA are against the eating of meat). Temple Grandin is an animal lover, but yet she has made a career out of helping those who slaughter livestock. She would not think of cattle ranchers as being murders.
There is a reason why punishment must fit the crime. When it no longer does align properly, justice can no longer exist. The whole bible is a law book. Trash (or misinterpret) God’s word and expect chaos. This world was created in perfect order. I doubt too many people would think our world is in perfect order these days.
¹John 12:24, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” (If you don’t understand this parable, most likely you’re not that corn of wheat which fell to the ground and died, at least not yet anyhow.)
