In Genesis 9:6, God said to Noah, "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man." Immediately after Noah’s Flood, God authorized people to establish governments that would bring order and justice to society. Part of the authority given to a government is to execute its worse criminals with the death penalty.
Whether we like it or not, the Bible allows for the death penalty for certain crimes. Leviticus 24:17 says, "If anyone takes the life of a human being, he must be put to death."
God authorizes governments to use the death penalty on hard-core criminals. Numbers 35:16-21 affirms it. The Bible says the execution of a quick penalty serves as a deterrent to crime (Deuteronomy 13:11; Ecclesiastes 8:11). This same principle carries into the New Testament. In Romans 13:4, Paul says a policeman "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."
Paul said in Acts 25:11, "If I am guilty of doing anything deserving of death, I do not refuse to die." This shows that Paul believed in the legitimacy of capital punishment.
Absolutely, totally agree. Looked twice to make sure I hadn't written it myself!
Dan