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Editor’s note: This article first appeared in Evangelical Times, a UK Christian publication. You can try ET Premium membership free here.

The decision of a Utah judge to clear the way for the man accused of murdering Charlie Kirk to face a capital murder trial has inevitably reopened debate about the death penalty.

Tyler Robinson has pleaded not guilty, and the judge has ruled that there is sufficient evidence for prosecutors to pursue an aggravated murder charge carrying the possibility of capital punishment.

Christians should approach the wider question of capital punishment carefully. We should neither demand execution because we are outraged by a particular crime nor reject the death penalty simply because it appears incompatible with our modern sensibilities.

The fundamental question is: does God give the civil magistrate authority to impose the death penalty?

The Bible and the Death Penalty

There is a strong biblical case that he does.

After the Flood, God told Noah: “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image” (Genesis 9:6).

The reason for capital punishment is significant. Human life is precious because human beings bear God’s image. Deliberate murder is therefore not merely an offence against another individual but an assault upon the dignity God has given human life.

The Old Testament subsequently makes careful distinctions between murder and accidental killing, providing cities of refuge for those who killed unintentionally (Numbers 35). Capital punishment is not presented as uncontrolled vengeance but as measured justice.

The principle carries into the New Testament. Romans 13 teaches that the civil magistrate is “God’s servant” and “does not bear the sword in vain”. Government has a God-given responsibility to restrain evil and punish wrongdoing.

The historic Reformed confessions therefore had no difficulty recognising the legitimacy of capital punishment. The Westminster Confession and the 1689 Baptist Confession both affirm the God-given authority of the civil magistrate to punish serious wrongdoing.

There are, however, sincere-held arguments against capital punishment which Christians should acknowledge. Scripture places enormous emphasis on mercy and forgiveness. David was guilty of murder yet experienced God’s mercy. Christians are commanded not to take personal vengeance but to leave vengeance to God (Romans 12:19). Furthermore, courts are administered by fallible human beings, and a wrongful execution cannot be undone.

Nor does the New Testament give the church authority to wield the sword. Christ’s kingdom is not advanced through political coercion. The church’s weapon is the gospel, and our fight is spiritual not physical.

Differences in Responsibilities of Church and State

These considerations should make Christians cautious, but they do not overturn the biblical distinction between the responsibilities of the church and those of the state. Christians must forgive their enemies; the magistrate must administer justice. The gospel offers forgiveness to the murderer who repents, while the state may nevertheless have a responsibility to punish murder with the ultimate temporal penalty.

The Christian argument for capital punishment, therefore, is not “I hate this person and want him dead”.

It is that God has entrusted the civil magistrate with the administration of justice, and that the sanctity of human life means that deliberate murder may warrant the ultimate penalty.

Charlie Kirk and “Christian Nationalism”

The discussion surrounding Charlie Kirk also raises another important issue. He was frequently described by his critics as a “Christian nationalist”.

His response was more nuanced.

He regarded himself as a Christian and a nationalist in the sense that he loved his country and believed Christians should seek its welfare. He appealed, among other passages, to Jeremiah 29:7: “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile.”

There is an important biblical principle here. Christians should not be indifferent to how their nations are governed. Jeremiah told God’s people to seek the welfare of Babylon. Paul urged Christians to pray for kings and those in authority (1 Timothy 2:1–2). Romans 13 teaches that government is ordained by God. Peter commands believers to honour governing authorities (1 Peter 2:13–17). Paul speaks in Acts 17 of God determining the times and boundaries of the nations.

We can therefore legitimately care about our country’s moral and political condition. Christians should pray for rulers, seek justice, defend the vulnerable, value marriage and family, protect religious liberty and oppose laws which contradict God’s revealed standards. But we must also be careful. Britain is not Old Testament Israel. America is not Old Testament Israel. No modern nation is the kingdom of God.

The danger comes when national identity becomes confused with Christian identity, when political allegiance begins to resemble Christian discipleship, or when preserving a Christian culture becomes more important than proclaiming Christ. That is particularly relevant to the growing interest in cultural Christianity.

There are gospel opportunities with those people expressing a greater interest in cultural Christianity, but there are also dangers.

Baptist pastor Stephen Rees has written two particularly helpful articles on this subject. In the first, he emphasises that in Scripture the word ‘Christian’ describes people — disciples of Christ — rather than countries, cultures or buildings. Read his first article here.

In the second, he develops the dangers of attempting to ‘Christianise’ society and contrasts cultural Christianity with the message of the cross. His central warning is one we urgently need to hear: no one is saved by Christian heritage, morality or culture. Our only hope is the crucified and risen Christ. Read his second article here.

That distinction is vital. We can love our country without confusing it with Christ’s kingdom. We can seek the welfare of our nation without imagining that legislation can regenerate its people. We can defend Christian morality without reducing Christianity to morality. And we can welcome a renewed interest in Christianity while insisting that the only Christianity which saves is the Christianity of the cross.

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Republished with thanks to Evangelical Times. Image via Wikimedia Commons.