THE ATHEIST'S COMPLAINT:
Does God approve of capital punishment? Genesis 9:6 says that whoever kills man must be killed, whereas Genesis 4:15 reveals that the killer must not be killed. Is there a contradiction?

RESPONSE:
The simple answer to this question is YES. God does approve of capital punishment. Throughout the law of Moses, we read of certain crimes which were considered to be capital crimes. That the Lord is in favour of capital punishment is evident by the words that are given in Genesis 9:6. In the New Testament, the apostle Paul spoke of the governing authorities in this way, “...he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him whom practices evil.” (Romans 13:4). Our governments have the right and the responsibility to punish evil doers, even with death, for crimes committed.

What should we make of Genesis 4:15 then? We serve a God of mercy and compassion. God did not kill Cain for murdering his brother Abel, but rather marked him as a vagabond on the earth. Cain feared that anyone who would find him might put him to death, and so the Lord afforded him the protection that whoever should kill him, vengeance would come upon that one sevenfold.

Even today, we have judges who wield a mixture of harsh penalty and compassion in judgments which are passed. Why should it be considered a contradiction for the Lord to do so?

There is no contradiction.

This article is a response to Skeptic's Annotated Bible, but original article is no longer listed

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