The very first test of Solomon’s wisdom concerned the respect for life. This is the fundamental test of all true wisdom. Life, in itself, is the ultimate gift, and is greater than any treasure. This is why the right to life, and euthanasia issues are so crucial. Once doctors who have sworn to protect life, and do all that they can to save life, begin to twist their vows in order to take life, the slide into the most tragic and diabolical forms of injustice has begun. When these begin taking other people’s lives at the discretion of those who have set themselves up as judges, deciding who is worthy of life, human beings have been made into automatons, not lives.

The One who gave life is the only one who has this right. Life and death are the ultimate issues, and in the end these are what the ultimate conflict will center around. True wisdom, true righteousness, and justice will always be found with those who esteem life itself as too precious to ever take needlessly.

So how does this relate to the death penalty? First, to adequately address that issue would take far more room than we have in this Word for the Week format. However, let me state that God, when He established His law, the standard of righteousness and justice, also established a death penalty. He alone has this right, and He thought that it was right in some circumstances. Jesus, who established the even higher law of liberty, also established that He was willing to forgive at least some who were deserving of death under the law.

So what is my conclusion? This is still an issue that needs Solomon’s wisdom to decide, and I feel that every case must be decided on its own merit. I think that those who conclude, on the basis of a humanistic philosophy of human goodness, would be the first to also turn their backs on “the useless eaters” and let them be killed. Human goodness based on humanistic philosophies is that whimsical, and that irrational.

I am personally very thankful for the American system of justice which so esteems the taking of a life that it has the involved, exhaustive appeal process which does all it can to insure that any execution is indeed just. When I watched the Timothy McVeigh execution, the unrepentant Oklahoma City bomber who had himself murdered so many innocent lives, I confess to still feeling sorrow at his death. However, that does not mean it was not just, or the right thing to do.

I think if any judge who has the power to decide such an issue loses his or her sense of sorrow over a life so taken, they should resign their position. Doing even the right and just thing to someone who truly deserves it does not mean that we still should not feel sorrow at any life lost. The Lord Himself said in Ezekiel 33:11, “As I live!' declares the Lord God, 'I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live.”

I personally do not want to lose the sensitivity where I would take pleasure in the death of anyone. I have prayed for the souls of Saddam Hussein and Osama ben Laden, for years. I pray that they will be converted and trust in the cross of Jesus for their salvation, and be with us in eternity. Would that not be the ultimate victory of good over evil?

If I was the Commander in Chief, and had the opportunity to take out any terrorist who was threatening innocent lives, I would do so without having to think about it. It is the mandate of those who are in positions of civil authority, according to Romans 13:4, “... for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil.”

As the apostle made clear, it is the responsibility of civil authority to avenge evil. I am thankful for a government that is trying to do this. However, I am not in civil authority, and my responsibility is for souls. To understand the will of God on earth, we must understand this distinction between the responsibilities of civil and spiritual authority. They are different. A civil government that did not avenge evil would be rebelling against its mandate. The church would be rebelling if it did. We need to give to Caesar what is due to Caesar, and to God what is due to Him.

We must also understand this distinction between civil and spiritual governments if we are going to understand the times. In Romans 13 we are told to obey all authority because it has all been given by God. Does that mean we should have obeyed the Nazis? How about the antichrist? These are valid questions, and we will address them. These are issues that we may very soon be facing, and the wise will have resolved them before they are upon us.