Death Penalty, Abortion, Homosexuality
Pastor Jerry Wilhite, and Associate Pastor John Hellem,
author I have put this one off for a long time and I am sure some of you will agree with some of what you will read and some will think I have lost it or that I am a liberal. So let's get it out of the way right off the bat; I do not believe in the death penalty for any reason. It does not bring the dead back to life and it does no real good to the moral standings of a country that does still have the death penalty. Now, with that said, I do not believe in the criminal institutions we have and I do not believe in letting murderers, rapists, or any violent criminal out on the streets. I believe a person who commits a crime should pay for it, not be rewarded for it. They should still have to work, to pay for the victims family, their own family, and to support their own costs of living. Some of you are thinking ok this sounds good but it will never happen. This is what is sad about our country today it is not ok for a murderer, rapist, or child abuser not to have the comforts of home in prison. On the other hand we have made abortion acceptable and not only acceptable but a right. No one has the right to take a life no matter whether it is in prison or in the womb. It should not be done even to improve medicine for others. I would agree that if a mother's life is at risk then it should be up to her. When someone commits an abortion it is murder. Some people try to say, "It’s only a fetus" to justify what they are doing. A fetus is another name for a very young human child. God knew us and formed us in the womb. We are not supposed to murder according to Deuteronomy 5:17. Deuteronomy 5:17. ` `You must not kill. (NJB) We were made in our mother’s womb. Life starts in the womb. Psalm 139:13, 14 13. You created my inmost self, knit me together in my mother's womb.
14. For so many marvels I thank you; a wonder am I, and all your works are wonders. You knew me through and through, (NJB)
Why am I expounding so strongly on this when the Bible says, "an eye for an eye" and the Ten Commandments say nothing about killing just murder? First of all that is the law and we are of Grace.
Ephesians 2
8. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
There are many reasons why there should be no death penalty. Let’s take a look at the following Bible passages.
When we are saved our body becomes the temple of the Holy Ghost. If you kill someone who is born again you have destroyed the temple of the Holy Ghost.
1 Cor 6:19What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghostwhich is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
God does not want anyone to perish. He wants everyone to come to him and have everlasting life.
Matt 18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. 12How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? 13And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of thatsheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. 14Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
John 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish , but that all should come to repentance.
Let say for instance that someone committed a homicide and they were convicted and sentenced to death. If this person was not a Born Again Christian and they were executed they would have died in their sins and gone to Hell eternally separated from God. This would serve no purpose. It would not bring the person they killed back to life and the person who was executed could not make a difference in this world. This would only help the devil because he would have one more soul (person) that he took from God.
I will give you a real world example. Take for instance the David Burkowitz formerly known as the "Son of Sam". He killed a number of people in the 70s, was caught, and sentenced to prison. When he was sent to prison he was not Born Again. When he was in prison he became Born Again and now preaches the Gospel. He was known before as the "Son of Sam" but now goes by a new name, the "Son of Hope". If you would like to read more about this check out http://forgivenforlife.com/index.htm . If David Burkowitz were executed he would not have had time to repent and become a Born again Christian and subsequently be used by God to touch others.
James 5:20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
David Burkowitz’s soul was saved from death and his sins were forgiven. God wants to forgive all people of their sins but they must accept the gift of his Son Jesus and what he did on the cross. See the following web page for more information about salvation http://www.godsgiftforyou.com/bible/slns.html
Matthew 5
38. Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
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.
Also in the Old Testament it was law to stone a homosexual and a child that was disobedient, etc. If you are of one part of the law you are of all the law, but under grace we are to love our neighbor? What about something like what happened 9-11-01?
Homosexuality is a sin.
Romans 1:27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. 28And even as they did not like to retain God intheir knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
That does not mean we are not supposed to love the person who committed the sin. We are supposed to love our neighbor. If you are a parent and you have a child that sins, you still love them even if you do not like what they did. God does not want anyone to perish. He wants us to repent and come to him.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Matt 9:13 But go ye and learn whatthat meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
That is why we have a government; even in the New Testament we are told about supporting the government.
Jesus said:
Matt 22:21 They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them,Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.
Basically what is of the government give to the government but what is of God give to God.
What if the government is against God or the Bible? As long as the government does not infringe upon the church, dictate policy or what can or can not be said ,and is operating to protect then it is up to each one of us to support it. If the God tells us to do something either by the Bible or spoken to us through the Holy Spirit and it is against what the government says we should do as God says.
Acts 5:29 Then Peter and theother apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
We should always obey authority as long as it falls in line with what the Bible and God say.
Heb 13:17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for thatis unprofitable for you.
Romans 13:1 Let every soul to the higher authorities be subject, for there is no authority except from God, and the authorities existing are appointed by God, 2so that he who is setting himself against the authority, against God’s ordinance hath resisted; and those resisting, to themselves shall receive judgment.
3For those ruling are not a terror to the good works, but to the evil; and dost thou wish not to be afraid of the authority? that which is good be doing, and thou shalt have praise from it, 4for of God it is a ministrant to thee for good; and if that which is evil thou mayest do, be fearing, for not in vain doth it bear the sword; for of God it is a ministrant, an avenger for wrath to him who is doing that which is evil.
5Wherefore it is necessary to be subject, not only because of the wrath, but also because of the conscience, 6for because of this also pay ye tribute; for servants of God they are, on this very thing attending continually; 7render, therefore, to alltheir dues; to whom tribute, the tribute; to whom custom, the custom; to whom fear, the fear; to whom honour, the honour.