Justice, Revenge, and Greater Good: What is the appropriate Christian response?

Before I delve too deep into this, I want to mention one other article, written by someone wiser than me, who has also given his thoughts on this issue. You can read his writing below. My hope was to have more, but out of a good size list of people that I would look to for a word on this issue, most are silent at the moment.

Al Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary: http://www.albertmohler.com/2011/05/02/the-trial-that-still-must-come-the-death-of-osama-bin-ladin-and-the-limits-of-human-justice/

Now, as far as our response, some of the questions that I am hearing are questions like these:

How much joy is appropriate in this, and do I have any right as a believer to be happy about this?

Are we endorsing murder to rejoice in this man's downfall?

Aren't all sins equal, and are we hypocritical to desire this man to have justice done to him, while we ourselves don't want justice done to us?

Can we as believers think that someone's killing (execution) is the right result to go for?

What is my response to this supposed to be from a Biblical perspective?

This issue is full of emotion, and charged on all sides. I have seen Christians upset about the apparent partying in the streets by other believers who seem to be reveling in the death of someone who needed Jesus' salvation. I have also seen Christians who are rejoicing in what the death of this man could potentially mean for the status of human freedom, and the possible downfall of a certain strain of evil that has had overwhelming consequences in the world in the last 10-15 years. There seems to be this struggle between believers on this issue, which is quickly heating up, and for at least the folks in our faith community, I would like to respond to this issue the best that I can.

1. Are we endorsing murder to rejoice in this man's downfall?

Some have stated that what was carried out against Osama Bin Laden is essentially murder and it would be wrong to give any support to that as believers. However, that doesn't quite fit a Biblical definition of the word. As God relays to His people in the book of Exodus "you shall not kill (literally murder)" he is giving a commandment to individuals, and there are several aspects of that command. First, human life is sacred, and no man has authority over another person's life to take it away. Second, individuals are not to take upon themselves the role of God, or of their society, in giving out justice. It's interesting that while God commands every individual that they are not to kill, He then gives numerous directives to the government of Israel as to when someone earns the death penalty. He distinguishes between someone personally trying to take someone's life, and a society levying justice against an individual.

In the case of Osama Bin Laden, it would not be appropriate to use the word murder, since I believe it would be more appropriate to see this action as a matter of justice that was brought about by a government against whom numerous crimes (which claimed thousands of lives) had been committed.

2. Aren't all sins equal, and are we hypocritical to desire this man to have justice done to him, while we ourselves don't want justice done to us?

On the first question of are all sins equal, the answer is yes and no. All sins are equally effective at causing us to be guilty in front of a Holy God, and need His saving grace alone for salvation. In the work of salvation, God needs to bend over no further to redeem a man like Osama Bin Laden, than He needs to bend over to redeem a man like me. As the Bible states clearly - all fall short, all have sinned.

At the same time it would also be wrong to not recognize a level of injustices committed, and see that in a way God also sees on this level as well. We mentioned Levitical law in the Old Testament already, and you will see by the different punishments that God Himself gives to different crimes that there is a recognition by God that greater wrongdoing needs to carry with it a greater punishment. In the New Testament we see several illustrations of this as well. One of the greatest offenses that the people of Jesus' hometown committed was refusing to believe in Him. He says to them that it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on judgment day than it will be for them. While there is an equality in sinful separation from a Holy God, there are numerous examples in Scripture to point to there being levels of wrong that point to appropriate levels of retribution.

3. Can we as believers think that someone's killing (execution) is the right result to go for?

I think this is something that it seems like Christians have been more hesitant to answer. Certainly, Christians are not called to rejoice in simply the fact of life being taken from someone. To rejoice in the fact that Osama suffered death, that he is facing eternal judgment, or in any of the facets of how he was taken out, would be wrong for a believer to take joy in - because that is what each of us deserve apart from Christ (death, eternal judgment, wrath, and the revenge of God).

But can we say that somehow even a Christian could say that killing Osama Bin Laden was an appropriate goal? I was reminded amidst some of the discussion on this topic of a man named Dietrich Boenhoffer. He has become widely popular in evangelical circles in recent years, and was a pastor, theologian, and is held by many to have been an incredibly dedicated follower of Jesus Christ. He was one other thing as well, an assassin. Dietrich planned an attempt on Adolf Hitler's life, in order to shorten the war, prevent further death by soldiers and in concentration camps, and to remove someone who by his very living was causing death to thousands, even millions of people a year. His attempt was unsuccessful, and he was executed, but it seems that Evangelical Christianity has had no problem in seeing that Dietrich's thought process here was correct.

Osama Bin Laden has been responsible for thousands of innocent lives lost, and not even those of simply the victims of these attacks. Outside of embassy bombings, the USS Cole, and even the September 11 attacks, Bin Laden (along with others) systematically brainwashed people to believing that the very mission of God was they themselves destroying their own lives. He gave them false hopes about their rewards for strapping bombs to themselves, and killing others. This had influence on young and old, male and female. Besides even the victims of the attacks, which were overwhelmingly innocent people of all ages and walks of life, Bin Laden poisoned people of his own culture to in essence murder them. This was all while he was protected, had multiple wives, and enjoyed at least in some form the luxury of being powerful and provided for.

I hold Dietrich Boenhoffer's logic to be correct. When it is clearly identifiable that someone is the perpetrator and instigator of senseless and brutal deaths, one must make a choice to either allow that person to continue killing (and in essence by doing that, take part in the slaughter), or to seek to bring that person to justice through just means. For this reason, I do not think that it is carefully thought out for a believer to simply say "well, it's wrong to kill." You are right that it is, the problem is that you have death on either side of the equation, and the choice becomes deciding on what is just and right. Should we allow innocent people to die, or levy justice against those who freely take lives, even if it involves taking their life?

How much joy is appropriate in this, and do I have any right as a believer to be happy about this and what is my response supposed to be from a Biblical perspective?

This has been one of the major issues at play here, and I have appreciated those who have posted verses like "I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his ways and live. Ezekiel 33:11"

There is nothing appropriate for a believer to rejoice in simply in death, revenge, or any similar statement. The Scripture speaks about our greatest hope for one another being in Christ, no matter what that person has done. Jesus tells those listening to love their enemies and to pray for those who persecute them. Would there be rioting in the streets for joy if Bin Laden had come to Christ and became an avid follower of Jesus? I was forced in this scenario to think about the Apostle Paul, and the way that God changed his heart, and the way that the early church (though hesitant at first, understandably) brought him in to their fellowship, though he was responsible for the death of many of their members. Think about what kind of an understanding of the gospel that takes! And yet, it's the understanding that we have been called to.

I remember in 2006 when a man entered an Amish school in Pennsylvania and barricaded the doors. He was a child molester, with plans to molest school children that day. He tied up and fatally shot 5 girls, before taking his own life. I was not yet a parent at that point, but even navigating through how terribly tragic, and embittering, a tragedy like that would be for a parent, now that I am one, made me stop and take pause. The thing that I remember about that incident was how quickly afterward people from that community and even some of those girl's parents began to reinforce their need for forgiveness of this man amongst one another, and not take joy in the eternal punishment he was now facing. That is the kind of radical understanding of the gospel, that we are called to have. That people's souls are held in incredibly high esteem, and our desire for them is not that they burn, but that they come to Christ. Easier said than done.

That being said, I think it is appropriate for Christians to rejoice at what this could possibly mean in terms of both quelling terrorism around the world, and weakening the strength of groups like Al-Qaida. It is appropriate to find closure in events like September 11th, and see that those who are guilty do not go unpunished (regardless of whether or not we ever found Bin Laden). It is appropriate to see this event as a reason once again to find hope in freedom, and the worthy cause of not allowing bullies and powerful extremist minorities to have a free pass at conducting evil.

As Christians though, we need to be very careful in what we are celebrating, and not forget the gospel of Jesus Christ - that each of us deserves a fate worse than death, but God through His love and grace to us, gave His only Son so that anyone who trusts in Him will not meet that end, but instead receive the free gift of eternal life.