Let’s consider some scenarios where killing may be justified.
1. Killing in War
When a soldier kills in the line of duty during the reality of war, where they must engage in combat to protect their nation against enemies internal or external. Throughout the Bible, we see examples of God’s people going to war, and soldiers acting under lawful orders were not condemned as murderers.
For example, in 1 Samuel 15:1-3, God commanded King Saul to wage war against the Amalekites and utterly destroy them. David, who is described as a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22), also engaged in battle many times, taking the lives of enemies, yet God did not hold him guilty of murder for acting in obedience and defense of Israel.
In Romans 13:4, Paul refers to governing authorities as God’s servants who do not bear the sword in vain. This means that civil authorities have the right to wield force when necessary, including in times of war or when defending against threats to the common good.
READ BEFORE: BIBLE CONTRADICTIONS (PART 6)
2. Capital Punishment
Before the giving of the Law, God established capital punishment for some offenses, including murder. This law was even applicable to animals!
Genesis 9:5-6 And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.
(Leviticus 20:2, Deuteronomy 22:24). God gave these legal structures under the law to ensure justice and send the matter to God, the Supreme Court of the universe. An executioner, in this case, would only be carrying out the sentence of the law, not committing murder.
Even in modern contexts, in instances where capital punishment is carried out under the authority of a civil government, is the executioner (firing squad or hangman) guilty of murder? Or can he be said to be serving the course of justice as prescribed by law? The one who sends him on the assignment is the one to give account.
READ ALSO: SPIRITUAL WARFARE
How about judges who sentence someone to death after lawful trial? Are they upholding justice or committing murder?
Proverbs 21:15 says, “When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.” Some form of justice must be administered for the protection of society, and judges have a crucial role in maintaining law and order.
Romans 13:4-5 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.
As long as due process is followed, and the judgment was passed after a righteous (or at most, a fair) trial, a judge is not guilty of murder but is instead fulfilling the God-given role of maintaining justice in the land.
READ NEXT: BIBLE CONTRADICTIONS (PART 8)
3. Self-Defense (except…)
Killing may be considered forgivable in some cases of self-defense. The Scriptures recognizes the need for ordinary individuals to protect themselves from harm. In Exodus 22:2, it says, “If anyone catches a thief breaking in and hits him so that he dies, he is not guilty of murder. Exo 22:3 But if it happens after sunrise, he is guilty of murder…”
This shows that defending oneself in the dark against what they cannot see, even if it results in the death of an aggressor, is not equated with murder. Once it is bright enough to ascertain that it is a robbery, not an attempt to murder you, you are not to take a life for the sake of mere property.
This is contrary to the practice of some constituencies and nations that support killing a thief by shooting or lynching. The thief can be made to pay back and is not deemed less important than the property.
Next, we will look at a major exception to the law of God against murder.
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