Yes — according to Les Feldick, capital punishment is a God-appointed deterrent designed to restrain murder and keep civil government in authority.
Les teaches that before the flood there was no human government and no capital punishment, so 'violence filled the earth.' After the flood, God instituted human government and capital punishment so that lawbreakers would be afraid of the consequences of evil and human beings would stop killing one another.
Genesis 9:6 — God's command that a murderer's blood be shed by man is the textual basis for the death penalty as a deterrent.
Romans 13:3-4 — Paul describes civil rulers as God's ministers who carry the sword and are a terror to evil, which is the New Testament expression of the same principle.
Scripture establishes capital punishment as the consequence for deliberate murder. In Genesis 9:5-6 God says He will require the life of anyone who sheds another man's blood, 'for in the image of God made he man.' The wording 'Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed' is a direct command that the taking of a life must be answered by execution. In the New Testament, Romans 13:3-4 shows that civil government exercises this authority on God's behalf. Rulers 'are not a terror to good works, but to the evil.' The ruler is 'the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil,' and he 'beareth not the sword in vain.' Government's sword, then, is not purposeless; it exists to punish wrongdoers.
Les Feldick points to Genesis 9 as the place where God gave man the task of maintaining law and order. He says that in the pre-flood world 'there was no human government or a system of justice to maintain law and order,' and murder was so common that people were 'killing each other just left and right.' His conclusion is direct: 'Violence had filled the earth' because 'there was no deterrent. There was no capital punishment.' After the flood, Les explains, God changed that by instituting human government and capital punishment. In Romans 13, Les applies this to daily life: a policeman should not make a law-abiding citizen afraid, but a lawbreaker 'should skip a heartbeat' when he meets authority. That threatened punishment is what keeps evil in check. Les also faces the strongest objection to the death penalty — executing an innocent person. He says he shares that fear, but the Bible takes it into consideration. He is speaking of criminals 'who without a shadow of a doubt are guilty of murder,' and such offenders 'have to be dealt with.'
Les Feldick explains that before the flood there was no civil government and no law of capital punishment, and the result was rampant violence — 'they were killing each other just left and right.' God's answer after the flood was to institute human government and capital punishment so that the human race would be deterred from killing one another. Les calls this a responsibility given to man to maintain law and order.
Using Romans 13, Les teaches that rulers are 'not a terror to good works, but to the evil.' A police officer should never frighten a law-abiding citizen, but a lawbreaker 'should skip a heartbeat' when he sees authority. That fear is not accidental — it is the God-given reason civil government exists.
Les acknowledges that many people are 'aghast' at capital punishment because an innocent person might be executed. He shares that fear. But he says the Bible takes this into account, and he is talking about people who 'without a shadow of a doubt are guilty of murder' — such offenders 'have to be dealt with.'
The Bible's basis for capital punishment is not revenge but the value of human life. Because man is made in God's image, God requires the life of a murderer (Genesis 9:6). The death penalty is God's own standard for a deliberate murder.
Government's God-Given Fear
Les explains that the purpose of civil government is to be a terror to evil works; a lawbreaker should feel fear — even his heart should 'skip a heartbeat' — when he encounters authority.
Capital Punishment and Innocence
Les acknowledges the concern about executing an innocent person but says the Bible accounts for that; the death penalty applies only to those whose guilt is beyond any shadow of a doubt.
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No Government Before the Flood
Les shows the pre-flood world had no human government or justice system, and murder was rampant — people were killing each other 'just left and right.'
The Institution of Capital Punishment
Les teaches that after the flood God gave man the responsibility to maintain law and order by instituting human government and capital punishment, which was the missing deterrent that allowed violence to fill the earth.
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Rejected Pardon on Death Row
Les uses a death-row story of a man who tore up his pardon to illustrate that every person has been spiritually pardoned, and those who reject the pardon face judgment.
Genesis 9:5: And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.
God states that He will require the life of anyone who takes human life, establishing the principle behind capital punishment.
Genesis 9:6: Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
This is the direct command that murder is to be punished by execution, rooted in the dignity of man made in God's image.
Romans 13:3-4: For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
Paul teaches that civil government is God's servant who carries the sword to bring fear to evildoers — the New Testament picture of the deterrent purpose of punishment.
Les Feldick teaches that it does. He says the pre-flood world was filled with violence because there was no deterrent and no capital punishment. After the flood God instituted human government and capital punishment precisely to keep people from killing one another.
Les acknowledges this is a real fear, and he says he can be aghast at capital punishment for that reason. He also says the Bible takes that consideration into account, and he directs the death penalty to cases where the offender is guilty 'without a shadow of a doubt.'
Les tells about a condemned murderer who was pardoned by the governor but tore up the pardon and went to the gallows. The man said he was dying not for murder but for rejecting his pardon. Les uses the story to show that every human being has been offered a pardon through the gospel, and those who refuse it face eternal judgment.
In Genesis 9, after the flood, when God says, 'Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed.' Les connects this with the start of human government and the authority to execute murderers.
Watch the Teaching: Why God Established Capital Punishment | Genesis 9 Explained