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Paul states, in his letter to the Christians in Rome, that authorities have the right and responsibility to retaliate against evil (Romans 13:1, 3 - 4). Was he teaching that the government of a nation had no right to punish evil? The Apostle Paul did not think so. Some people wonder about Jesus' meaning, in his well-known Sermon on the Mount, he stated, "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' But now I tell you: do not take revenge on someone who wrongs you.
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God's law delineates principles of fairness and a limitation of punishment that should be used by nations to govern their people. It is the responsibility of the governing authorities, not individual citizens, to carry out penalties for criminal offenses. The Bible prohibits people from taking an "eye" as personal vengeance upon another human (Psalm 94:1, Romans 12:19).
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Can you imagine the chaos in society that would occur if we allowed people to carry out such penalties based on their own will? Verse 16 of Exodus 21 states that whoever kidnaps a person should also be killed. These and other verses delineate a principle on how the nation of Israel (or any government) should administer justice for its people as a whole.įor example, also in Exodus 21, it states, "Whoever hits his father or his mother is to be put to death" (Exodus 21:15). In context, the meaning of the above verse is that justice should not be meted out by individuals based solely on their own authority. If she not only loses her unborn child, but is also injured, then the "eye for eye" principal of justice is stated.Īnd if any injury occurs, then you shall give life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth. If a pregnant woman accidently lost her unborn baby due to men fighting, but she herself was unharmed, the men would be liable to pay her an amount determined by the husband and the nation's judges.