Does God Kill?

Sadly, we live in a time where God is more misrepresented than well-represented.

There are two common ways this occurs.

On one hand, there are those who plainly slander His character, while on the other hand, there are those who, in their efforts to defend Him, either narrow, distort, or exaggerate His character.

The former is more prevalent in the world, yet not uncommon in the church, while the latter is more prevalent in the church. 

The former makes God out to be a bad guy, a grim reaper wielding a scythe, who's always baying for blood, while the latter compacts, twists, or over-hypes God and makes Him out to be this super nice guy who would never harm a fly. 

Both of these extremes, however, are a misrepresentation of God because they present versions of God that are contrary to Scripture and, therefore, versions of a God that does not exist.

There is also an ungodly tendency today to exaggerate or put a premium on those attributes of God we regard as good, such as love, kindness, grace, and mercy, to the detriment of what we may regard as His "bad" or "not so nice" attributes, such as anger, justice, vengeance, righteousness, and holiness.

Some have even gone so far as to take a single attribute of His character, such as love or grace, and made it the entirety of who God is.

This exaggerated, distorted and limited view of God's character, however, has done more harm than good, the greatest of which is to rob us of the fear of God.

It is evident that we live in a generation where the fear of God is at an all-time low, as reflected by the rise in ungodliness even among those who claim to be believers.

This, i believe, is a direct consequence of the "user-friendly" versions of God we have created and embraced, which are in stark contrast to the God portrayed in the Bible.

The reality, however, is that those who subscribe to these custom-made versions of God have, in fact, subscribed to idols.

Any depiction of God that does not align with Scripture is an idol; a figment of man's imagination. 

In truth, the God of the Bible is a multifaceted Being and must be recognized as such.

He is the sum total of all His attributes, not merely the ones we like.

For instance, the Bible describes a God who not only loves but also hates.

A God who blesses and also curses.

A God who is patient and long-suffering but whose patience has limits.

A God who forgives but also administers punishment.

A God of peace but also a God of war.

A God who is rich in mercy but One who also declares,"Vengeance is Mine; I will repay". (Romans 12:19)

A God who heals but One who can also bring sickness and disease.

A God who saves but also destroys.

A God who is both gracious and just.

A God who welcomes many into heaven but casts many more into hell.

Unlike a ham sandwich, where we can pick the ham and leave the bread, we cannot selectively accept only certain aspects of God's true nature.

We must accept His entire nature or none of it.

The Bible teaches a much needed balance in our understanding of God's character, which we must be careful not to ignore.

We must broaden and balance our view of God and be careful not to overstate or understate Him.

Failing to do so has consequences that extend beyond merely losing a healthy fear of God, though this may be the most significant.

Another serious consequence of holding a distorted, exaggerated, and one-sided view of God is the increased risk of falling prey to false doctrines.

It is well known that false doctrines remain a persistent issue within the church today.

Two common falsehoods arising from a distorted, exaggerated, and one-sided view of God are the beliefs that God does not send people to hell and that God does not kill.

It’s the latter that is the focus of this article.

There are many believers today that are convinced that God does not kill.

I have read numerous Christian articles by people attempting to argue that God has never killed and never will.

However, in their efforts to defend God or present a "user-friendly" version of Him, they inadvertently misrepresent Him.

One would need to twist Scripture to argue that God does not kill, as the Bible clearly indicates otherwise.

Infact, here are a few examples that demonstrate that God kills...

It is God who killed an entire Generation save for eight souls in Noah's day (Genesis 6:13).

It is God who killed all the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah and its environs save for Lot and his family (Genesis 19:13).

It is God who killed all of the firstborns of the Egyptians (Exodus 12:29).

It is God who drowned Pharaoh and his entire army in the Red Sea (Exodus 14:26, Psalm 136:15).

It is God who permitted Moses and the Levites to kill about 3000 men from their people (Exodus 32:26-28).

It is God who killed Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1,2).

It is God who killed Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas (1 Sam 2:34, 4:11).

It is God who sent venomous snakes into the camp of the Israelites that bit the people, killing many (Numbers 21:6-9).

It is God who split the ground that swallowed Korah, Dathan and Abiram with their entire households (Numbers 16:23-34).

It is God who sent the fire that consumed the 250 men who were offering incense (Numbers 16:35).

It is God who killed 14,700 of His people on one occasion (Numbers 16:44-49) and 70,000 on another occasion. (2 Samuel 24:15)

I could go on and on.

Now, someone might say, well, that was the Old Testament.

Well, the Bible is clear that God does not change (Malachi 3:6).

So here are a few more examples from the New Testament...

It is God who killed Herod (Acts 12:23).

It is God who allowed Annanias and Saphirah to drop dead (Acts 5:1-11).

It is Jesus who warned His disciples to fear God, who, unlike men who can only kill the body and that's all, can destroy both the body and the soul in hell (Matthew 10:28).

It is Paul who warns of a God who destroys (1 Corinthians 3:17; 1 Corinthians 6:13).

It is the book of Hebrew where we are told to serve God acceptably with reverence and awe because He is a consuming fire (Hebrew 12:28,29).

It is Paul who asks us to always keep in mind not just the goodness of God, but His sternness/severity as well (Romans 11:22).

So, it's evident that the portrayal of God's character in the Old Testament is picked up in full in the New Testament.

He has not changed.

He is still a consuming fire who killed, kills, and will kill again.

So according to Scripture, God, as the giver of life, can rightfully take the same and permit others to do so.

Why?

Because He is a righteous, holy, and just God, not merely loving, gracious, and merciful as some may inaccurately portray Him.

There is a popular hymn that speaks of a gentle Jesus, meek and mild, but those who often sing it overlook the fact that Jesus is not coming back as a gentle Lamb, meek and mild. Instead, the Bible says He is coming back as a Lion, the “Lion of the tribe of Judah", to execute judgment, destroy His enemies and reign on earth as King of kings.

Infact, the Bible says when Christ returns to earth, the destruction of the wicked will be so severe that blood will flow as high as a horse's bridle for about 180 miles in every direction! (see Revelation 14:20)

I don't know about you, but that sounds like a pretty grim picture.

Now, someone might ask, doesn't God killing make Him a murderer?

Well, there is a clear distinction between killing and murder.

Murder is the unlawful taking of life while killing can be justified or legally sanctioned depending on the circumstances.

So while all murders involve killing, not all killings are considered murder.

When God says, “thou shall not kill”, for example, He is talking about murder, not justified killing.

In fact, 28 sins in the Bible call for capital punishment, including homicide, kidnapping, idolatry, adultery, homosexuality, witchcraft, bestiality, and child sacrifice, to name a few.

God permitted those who did any of these to be put to death and rightfully so.

If we interpret "thou shalt not kill" as God prohibiting the taking of life in any context, whether justifiable or not, it would imply God contradicts Himself, which He never does.

The Bible endorses justifiable killing; it does not endorse murder.

God kills, but He does not murder.

He does not take life unjustifiably.

The stories of Noah and Lot serve as key examples of this.

This means that every time God takes a life or allows a life to be taken, they deserve it, which has implications for the discussion on capital punishment even today.

The truth is, God has not relented on His word.

Some crimes warrant the death penalty today, with divine approval.

Believe it or not, God is pro-capital punishment, especially when human life is concerned.

Homicide, which includes abortion, for example, is a terrible sin in the eyes of God.

God’s directive of "a life for a life" still applies today because He values life (Genesis 9:5-6).

A human court that sentences one to death for a capital crime is justified before God in doing so.

In fact, the Bible regards authorities, including police officers, as God's instruments of justice or "wash-pots" in the present day (Romans 13:1-5).

One of the aims of capital punishment is to serve as a deterrent. Unfortunately, many nations have abolished it, which has led to a diminished respect for human life and contributed, in part, to the rise in violent crimes.

Therefore, the more relevant questions are not "Does God kill?" or "Why does God kill?", but rather, "Why does God allow us to live at all?" and "Why doesn’t God kill more often?"

In truth, according to the Bible, we all deserve death, and in a violent manner, in fact.

The Bible says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), and the consequence of that, the Bible says, is death (Romans 6:23).

The only reason you and I are still alive today, even though we rightfully deserve death, is because Jesus died a violent death on the cross to take the place that was rightfully ours so that we may never have to experience the righteous and holy anger and justice of God that we rightfully deserve.

So the choice is really simple, you can choose life in His Son Jesus or a future eternal death, which you rightfully deserve.

Personally, I'm grateful for a God who is loving, gracious, and merciful but still righteous, just, and holy.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

What about you?

What kind of God do you believe in?