Death Penalty

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  REGARDING           re: Death Penalty






>>Lastly, grace is for the saints.  Grace is not for fools and criminals.  God

>>extended mercy to this fool when he said he believed.  God then gave me
>>the faith and only then did God extend grace to me.  God extended it, not 
>>someone with a better scheme.  :-)
>>
>How easy it is to be Mr. tough guy now that you are saved.

Toughness has nothing to do with it.  I took my punishments as a sinner
without mewling as I figured I just 'unlucky' or that 'I'll get over the 
next time.'  The difference now is salvation and understanding.  Enough
understanding to know that the mirror of death is a powerful tool for 
repentence.  Brother Masoner is right when he says that it isn't applied
often enough to have a chastening effect on the general population, but
I suspect that many a 'dead man walking' has been fully chastened and
call upon his Lord for salvation.

Could it be that the Lord is using the law as an instrument of obedience?
(perhaps 'deterrence' isn't the best word).  I repeat Prov: 26:3,
"A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back."

>All of your scripture is OT.

Meaning what, precisely?

>Adultry was punishable by death. Jesus said if we look at another person
>with lust we commit adultry. Ever been there? If you say no - you lie.

So, my sin (apparently adultery and lying,at least) precludes anyone else 
from being punished for their crimes?  That doesn't compute, does it?
Of course we all warrant spiritual death for our sins, that's what grace is
for.  It will allow us pardon.  We still have to deal with the consequences
of that that sin here on earth though.  We still have to render to Cesar
what is Cesar's.  That is, the civil government has been given the charter
to keep order and that's what they're supposed to do.  By not punishing,
they're going against their own mission and what God designed for it.  

>My point is we are all eligable for the death penalty.
>I believe in tough justice,
>        castrate a rapist
>        remove hands from thiefs
>        beat someone who has beaten

Where did you get the idea that the above punishments are more 
biblical (much less NT) than the death penalty?  Forgive me if I can't 
find the reasoning in the bible, but the above punishments sound 
more like human response to a problem.  Please make me aware if
I'm wrong.

>None of these punishments rob them of a chance at salvation, but they
>certainly would help deter crime and empty the prisons.

The death penalty is not robbery.  It's the Lord's justice.  Someone
sitting on death row really does have an awesome chance to repent
and be saved.

One last thing about grace:  like brother Jeff Arnold has said, "Grace is
not a formula for loose living."  There's some great truth in that.

In Him (I pray),
Brother Steven