Clayton
Lockett was loved by God as a sinner like every one of us. Jesus Christ died on
a cross for him and took the judgment he deserved. He rose from the dead so all
mankind can be redeemed through His shed blood if we repent and put our faith in
Him as our Lord and Savior. At this point, we do not know if he placed his full
trust in Jesus to save him. Most likely a chaplain counseled him prior to his
scheduled execution and we hope that he humbled himself to receive God's mercy
prior to his death.
Something
we do know is that Lockett and his accomplices abducted two teenagers plus a man
and his baby. He shot the young girl with a shotgun and when she did not die he
directed his partners to bury her alive.
Here's
the summary of his crimes:
- First-degree murder
- First-degree burglary
- Three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon
- Three counts of forcible oral sodomy
- Four counts of first-degree rape
- Four counts of kidnapping
- Four counts of robbery by force
Clayton
acknowledged making the young woman watch as her grave was dug and killing her
in this heinous way. There was no question of his guilt or of his sanity.
The
full story to this botched execution helps bring things into perspective. What
if 19-year-old Stephanie Nieman was your daughter? Would you shrug off the crime
and desire leniency or do you think you would cry out for justice with every
fiber of your being?
Sweeping
aside any gut-wrenching, emotional reaction to a crime such as the above, let's
deal with the question from a Biblical worldview. "Does God mandate the
execution of a convicted murderer?"
While
individual Christians are called to forgive those who repent and refrain from
vengeance, governing authorities are entrusted with the responsibility of taking
the life of an individual who has been convicted of murder. Whether it is
individuals at the Boston Marathon, terrorists on 9/11, serial killers, aircraft
hijackers, deranged people using weapons of mass destruction or espionage that
jeopardizes countless citizens, God directs the taking of life when a criminal
is found guilty. The same holds for the average man or woman found guilty of
pre-meditated murder.
In
Genesis 9:5-6 God's directive in this matter does not cheapen but rather
elevates the dignity of human life. Why? Killing another human being is a direct
attack against God Himself for every person is created "in the image of
God."
"And
from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man.
Whoever sheds the blood of a man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the
image of God has God made man."
The
divine decree is that if an individual takes the life of another human being, he
or she must pay the ultimate price – forfeiting one's life as punishment.
Whom
does God entrust to carry out this act of justice? In the New Testament, in
Romans 13:1-5, we discover it is the civil authorities.
"Everyone
must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority
except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been
established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is
rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring
judgment on themselves. 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. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only
because of possible punishment but also because of conscience."
These
two sections of scripture are foundational for understanding the Biblical
worldview on the death penalty. The Greek word for "sword" is used repeatedly in
the New Testament to speak of the instrument by which people are put to
death.
1
Peter 2:13-14 reinforces this Biblical principle. "Submit yourselves for the
Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the
supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by Him to punish those who do
wrong and to commend those who do right."
The
primary functions of righteous and legitimate civil government are simple: 1.
Promote good 2. Punish evil.
And
for those that might object saying that this is taking revenge on people rather
than demonstrating Christian love, we need to remind ourselves that discipline
is an expression of God's love (Heb. 12:6). Let's also remind ourselves of what
Scripture tells us clearly in Romans 12:19, "Do not take revenge, my friends,
but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge, I will
repay…' "
Clearly
stated, we should never seek to take personal revenge on others when we have
been seriously wronged, but we should pray and seek justice be administered
through the workings of civil authorities.
In
the last book of the Bible we have the account of individuals who were free from
any trace of sin and yet they looked to God to avenge those who had murdered
them. "When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those
who had been slain because of the Word of God and the testimony they had
maintained. They called out in a loud voice, 'How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and
true, until You judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?' "
(Rev.6: 9-10)
Even
Paul the apostle understood the reality of capital punishment, if he deserved
it, when he stood appealing to Caesar for justice. "If, however, I am guilty of
doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges
brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me
over to them. I appeal to Caesar!" (Acts 25:11)
Some
people falsely believe that the death penalty is not a deterrent to murder. They
produce scant evidence to support their argument.
The
reality is this: most criminals know their chance of being put to death is
minimal so they rationalize they can get away with their crimes. Appeals drag on
for decades instead of governing authorities dealing swiftly and decisively with
capital crimes.
What
does God warn about slowly administering punishment to the guilty? "Because the
sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the
children of man is fully set to do evil." (Eccl. 8:11)
From
the grave we should listen afresh to the founder of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover,
who once said, "Experience has clearly demonstrated, however, that the
time-proven deterrents to crime are sure detection, swift apprehension and
proper punishment. Each is a necessary ingredient. Law-abiding citizens have a
right to expect that the efforts of law enforcement officers in detecting and
apprehending criminals will be followed by realistic punishment."
While
Jesus wanted the men He discipled to carry a weapon for self-defense (Luke
22:36-38; Matt.26: 52) and deter a criminal, He taught them certain things are
to be "rendered unto Caesar" such as we've laid out in this commentary.
Were
there botched executions in the time of Jesus Christ? Who knows? We do know He
would have been faithful to divine revelation as long as we live in this fallen
world.
Maranatha.
Come quickly Lord Jesus!
Larry
Tomczak is a best-selling author and cultural commentator with over 40 years of
trusted ministry experience. His passion is to bring perspective, analysis and
insight from a biblical worldview. He loves people and loves awakening them to
today's cultural realities and the responses needed for the bride of Christ—His
church—to become influential in all spheres of life once again.
Read
more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/a-botched-execution-is-no-reason-to-banish-capital-punishment-119548/#LXVrOSzhsDIQZG8I.99
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