Why Did God Command Killing in the Old Testament—and Why Is It Not for Christians Today?

Why Did God Command Killing in the Old Testament—and Why Is It Not for Christians Today?

The Tension We Feel

The Old Testament records moments when God commanded Israel to kill: the conquest of Canaan (Deuteronomy 20:16–18), the destruction of idolatrous nations (1 Samuel 15:3), and capital punishments within Israel’s law. Many readers struggle with these texts, especially when Jesus teaches “Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44 NASB). The question is both moral and theological: How can the God who is love also command war and execution? And why are Christians today forbidden to do the same?

God’s Commands in Historical Context

To understand, we must first read these commands in their covenant and historical setting.

1. Divine Judgment on Nations

   • God waited centuries while the Canaanites filled up “the measure of their sins” (Genesis 15:16 NASB). The conquest was not ethnic cleansing but divine judgment on entrenched idolatry, violence, and child sacrifice (Leviticus 18:24–25). Israel was the human instrument of that judgment.

2. Theocracy and Covenant Law

   • Israel was a theocracy: a nation directly ruled by God. Its civil, ceremonial, and judicial laws—including capital punishment—were designed to preserve holiness and foreshadow Christ. Deuteronomy 19 and 21 set out those penalties not as random violence but as part of God’s covenant justice.

3. Temporary and Preparatory

   • These commands were never universal. They were bound to the Mosaic covenant and the land promise, anticipating the Messiah. Once Christ fulfilled the Law (Matthew 5:17), that theocratic structure ended.

Fulfillment in Christ: The Shift in Covenant

Jesus’ coming transforms the people of God from a geo-political nation to a global, spiritual kingdom. He declares, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would be fighting…” (John 18:36 NASB). The church is no longer an earthly nation-state; therefore, it wields no sword of conquest or execution.

Paul likewise forbids retaliation: “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God” (Romans 12:19 NASB). Peter echoes this: “Christ also suffered for you… while being abusively insulted, He did not insult in return; while suffering, He did not threaten” (1 Peter 2:21–23 NASB).

No New Testament Precedent for Killing

The New Testament contains zero examples of Christians taking life for religious reasons. Instead we find:

• Stephen’s martyrdom (Acts 7) received with forgiveness, not vengeance.

• James executed and Peter imprisoned (Acts 12) without any Christian uprising.

• Church discipline in Corinth (1 Corinthians 5) practiced for restoration, never execution.

• Paul, once a violent persecutor, forgiven and sent to preach, not put to death by believers.

The early church grew under persecution by prayer, witness, and suffering—not by the sword.

Addressing Common Objections

“But Romans 13 gives the state the sword—doesn’t that permit Christians to kill?”Paul describes the civil government’s authority to punish evil, not the church’s mandate. Romans 12 (addressed to believers) forbids vengeance, while Romans 13 (describing government) explains God’s common-grace restraint of evil. Christians may respect and pray for civil authorities but are nowhere commanded to carry out executions or holy wars.

“What about self-defense or just wars?”Scripture distinguishes personal ethics from the broader providence of government. Jesus’ command to love enemies and turn the other cheek applies to personal discipleship. Nothing in the New Testament authorizes the church to wage war or impose capital punishment.

Theological Reflection

God’s justice has not changed; what has changed is how it is expressed. At the cross, Jesus bore the full penalty for sin (Galatians 3:13). The violent judgments of the Old Testament foreshadowed the ultimate judgment poured out on Christ and finally at His return. Until that day, God’s people are ambassadors of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:20), calling enemies to peace with God rather than killing them.

Historical Witness

For the first three centuries, Christians consistently opposed killing, whether in war or judicial execution. Early church manuals like the Didache and writers such as Tertullian and Origen taught that followers of Jesus do not shed blood. Only after the church aligned with imperial power did Christians begin to sanction executions—a move widely recognized as a departure from apostolic practice.

Christ-Centered Conclusion

The Old Testament’s commands to kill were unique acts of divine judgment tied to a specific covenant and moment in salvation history. They pointed forward to the ultimate judgment that Christ would bear and that God alone will execute at the end of the age. In the new covenant, God’s people conquer not by the sword but by the gospel of peace. Jesus’ death and resurrection transform the ethic of His followers: we overcome evil with good, trusting the final judgment to God.