True Christians should support the death penalty.

First allow me to point out that you completely looked over four of my NEW TESTAMENT scriptures. Since you have ignored them, they still stand as plausable arguments in my favor. These scriptures are: Rom. 13:3-4--- "For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he 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." Acts 25:11--- "If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I DO NOT REFUSE TO DIE. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!" 1 Peter 2:13-14--- "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well." Heb. 9:22--- "In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." Now to your arguments... "Eating habits and diets were very strict in those days, along with animal sacrifice, clothing style, ect. Most everything the old testament has to say about the "law of the land" was put to rest when Jesus came. Jesus did away with the law." Yes, times were very different back then. You could not wear mixed cloth, you could not play with pig skin, you could not touch a woman while she was on her period, and many more as such. What is the significance of these laws? In the Old tTestament times, these things made you UNCLEAN. If seomeone were to break these laws, they would become unclean, and would have to undergo a ritual washing or cleansing. After the cleansing, they would be clean again. It is laws like these that were abolished after the death of Christ and the institution of baptism. In the origional greek, the word for baptism is baptismos , and its translation is "ritual washing or cleansing". Baptism signifies dying with Christ and being raised up with him, and therefore being cleansed IN him. After the death of Christ, simple things like wearing mixed cloth no longer made people unclean, because the blood of Christ was the unltimate cleansing. Jesus even comes to Peter in a dream and tells him that all animals were clean from that point on. the same went for all the other laws concerning uncleaness. We come back to the verse I quoted in Matthew. Matt. 5:17--- "'Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.'" What laws did He not come to abolish? It was laws like the ten commandments, laws forbiding homosexuality, and laws commanding capital punishment. Why? because these had nothing to do with being "unclean". Capital punishment was a command to punish those who deserve death with death, as my verse in Romans 13 states. "So my opponet gives examples of the Old Testament and the idea of 'eye for an eye' punishment." Not really. People often quote this scripture as a reference against capital punishment, but thats not really what it is. If you look at "Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible", you will see it explaind how this is a verse against RETALIATION. God also says "vengence is mine". This verse has nothing to do with capital punishment. "I am using the King James Version of the Bible, and the scripture is: Thou shalt not kill." Who ever said the King James Version was the most accurate? My pastor (who is a scholar is greek and hebrew, by the way) prefers the English Standard Version, and that say "murder". Older is not necessarily better. You still have to explain what the "time to kill" is. The Bible says there is a time to kill, and it would not lie. "in which the only policing relied upon was clan vengeance." Which is exactly what Christ is refering to when He says "Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." Rom. 12:19--- "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.'" God no longer supports clan vengence, but He tells us to submit to our authorities; the people whom He has given the power to kill. This is stated in the scripture you looked over. Please give a response to my New Testament scripture in your next argument. Thanks! Renzzy