Differing opinions have been expressed regarding the pardoning of prisoners on death row by President Biden. Three prisoners, who in recent years, were involved in violent group killings, have not been pardoned. For those who look to God for answers for living, we find these words in the Bible: “From each man, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.” (Genesis 9:6)

God spoke those words to Noah. When God created man, “Then God said, Let us make man in our own image, in our likeness…. (Genesis 1:26) The pronoun “us” refers to the Trinity of God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Man and woman would be created as holy beings, with a perfect knowledge of their Creator and Lord. (Colossians 3:10) Sin entered the world when the first man and woman disobeyed God.

God wants us to regard HIs gift of life as highly as He does. To governing authorities He gives the right to use “the sword” as “an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. (Romans 13: 1-5)

God also wants us to bring His message of forgiveness to all people, including prisoners. We can pray they will repent of their sins and so die, in the peace of knowing God still loves them. Many of us just celebrated the birth of God’s son, Jesus, born as a human being, to die in our place, to pay the debt we owed. Jesus resurrection from the dead assures us that we, too, will live again.

“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.” (Romans 26:23)

Trudy Madetzke

Marshall