Capital punishment, as God ordained it, is the only way to reduce crime in a lasting way. Although many refute this statement, the Bible stands firm when it comes to the issue of capital punishment. The Bible has and will continue to defend capital punishment. Since God was the first to establish capital punishment, we should look to His Word to find its origin. Capital punishment was instituted when God told Adam and Eve, “…in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.” Genesis 9:6 also refers to capital punishment by stating, "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed." » Exodus 21:12 echoes this word: “He who strikes a man until he dies will surely be put to death. » According to the Bible, if a man kills another man, he must be put to death immediately. He must not be allowed to talk his way out of this. The Bible is very clear that the punishment for a crime must be swift and sure. Some will say that capital punishment can only be found in the Old Testament, and that the New Testament is all about love and forgiveness. However, in Matthew 5:17, Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets: I have not come to destroy, but to fulfill. » Jesus did not abrogate all the laws of the Old Testament to create new ones, but on the contrary, he came to fulfill the law and the prophets. Yes, Jesus came as a loving and merciful God, but He also came in submission to man's authority, which ultimately led to His death. But does man's authority really belong to man? Does the man have the authority to execute criminals? Jesus himself said in John 19:11, while speaking to Pilate before his crucifixion: "You could have no power... middle of paper ...... he is also a God perfect, righteous and holy that I can't even look at sin. He has the power to forgive, but the punishment for the crime must still be carried out. A good example of this is the thief on the cross next to Christ. In his last hours on this earth, he accepted Christ as his Savior, but God did not remove him from the cross because he believed. No, he still had to bear the punishment for the crimes he had committed. Jesus Christ is another good example. He didn't even deserve to die. He was innocent! Yet he submitted to the cross to pay for the sins of humanity. Sin will always have consequences, and just because God is willing to forgive sin does not mean He will also remove the consequences. What a criminal sows in crime, he will reap accordingly, whether those consequences come from the justice system or from a perfectly just heavenly God..