📖 Biblical Definition
Scripture affirms the legitimacy of capital punishment. After the Flood: "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man" (Genesis 9:6). Paul affirms the civil magistrate "beareth not the sword in vain" (Romans 13:4). Capital punishment is grounded in the highest regard for life — the victim's life, made in God's image, is so valuable that the murderer's life is forfeit.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
The act of carrying out a sentence; specifically, the infliction of a death sentence upon a criminal.
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EXECU'TION, n. 1. The act of executing; carrying into effect a sentence of law. 2. Death inflicted according to the judgment of a court. Note: Webster understood it as the lawful carrying out of judicial sentence.
📖 Key Scripture
• Genesis 9:6 — "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed."
• Romans 13:4 — "He beareth not the sword in vain: for He is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath."
• Ecclesiastes 8:11 — "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Execution is either absolutized without mercy or absolutely rejected in defiance of biblical principle.
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Progressives reject all execution as inherently immoral, ignoring Genesis 9:6 and Romans 13:4. Some conservatives treat it with bloodthirsty enthusiasm lacking biblical sobriety. The biblical position affirms the legitimacy of capital punishment while insisting on just process and the recognition that the sword belongs to the state, not individuals.
Usage
• "Capital execution is legitimate because human life is sacred — precisely because the victim was made in God's image, the murderer forfeits His own life."
• "Ecclesiastes warns that when sentence against evil is not executed swiftly, hearts are emboldened to do more evil."