Is It A Sin To Kill A Thief?

Is it a sin to kill a thief

  • Yes

    Votes: 8 53.3%
  • No

    Votes: 2 13.3%
  • Not if it was an accident

    Votes: 5 33.3%

  • Total voters
    15
My brother killed a thief who stole $800 from him. The thief drove away with his wallet and my brother chased after him. My brother then hit him from behind and the thief crashed and died. The thief was speeding at about 60mph and was not wearing a seat belt. My brother says he did not mean to kill the thief, but some people accused him of killing the thief in the heat of the moment. Is it a sin to kill a thief? Is it a sin to accidentally kill a thief? My brother says if he could take it back he would. Does that make him remorseful?
 
My brother killed a thief who stole $800 from him. The thief drove away with his wallet and my brother chased after him. My brother then hit him from behind and the thief crashed and died. The thief was speeding at about 60mph and was not wearing a seat belt. My brother says he did not mean to kill the thief, but some people accused him of killing the thief in the heat of the moment. Is it a sin to kill a thief? Is it a sin to accidentally kill a thief? My brother says if he could take it back he would. Does that make him remorseful?
Contrary to the current abuse of the scriptures, no, he did not sin. He attempted to secure the future of those he loves and is Biblically responsible to care and if required, to die for. Assuming he is a Saved Man, tell the accusers to show him where God has said this in the scriptures and 99% of them will be dumb-founded. For those that hand him a New Testament or maybe an Old Testament scripture, tell him to force them to read the chapter for context and to explain to them that the New Testament is the best and the only God ordained Life Application Commentary on the Bible Jesus and all of the disciples taught from and the first 39 books are the basis for all the 27 books of the New Testament, including the 4 gospels.

When challenged because he includes the gospels, direct them to Isiah's gospel, the 53rd chapter. Tell him a man that has killed more men than he ever hopes to recount said God bless and I pray he does not suffer the dreams that are so common to those of us that kill.
 
I would agree with your post if it was self defence Bill, but a thief? Are you sure?

Luke 6:30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.
 
My brother killed a thief who stole $800 from him. The thief drove away with his wallet and my brother chased after him. My brother then hit him from behind and the thief crashed and died. The thief was speeding at about 60mph and was not wearing a seat belt. My brother says he did not mean to kill the thief, but some people accused him of killing the thief in the heat of the moment. Is it a sin to kill a thief? Is it a sin to accidentally kill a thief? My brother says if he could take it back he would. Does that make him remorseful?
Jesus would certainly not have done that. All we have is from Him. If we hold onto what we have like its from us, we are living in pride. Now we are all guilty of that. We can be forgiven for it since we work so hard for our money and feel it is all ''us''.

As for murder, no, its not murder. It is just a temper and moment of hatred. We are all capable of that. Still not right though. We 'should' offer our shirt as well.

There is a reason God was not protecting Him...he needs to think about that. There is no 'random' event for a Christian. We walk with angels.
 
I would agree with your post if it was self defence Bill, but a thief? Are you sure?

Luke 6:30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.
1 Timothy 5:8 ESV
But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Galatians 1:10 ESV
For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Psalm 146:9 ESV
The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

Proverbs 17:19 ESV
Whoever loves transgression loves strife; he who makes his door high seeks destruction.

Psalm 82:4 Rescue the weak and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.

Ezekiel 33 "... 6 'But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require from the watchman's hand.'

There are more but I believe this will do KJ. It is always important to use the New Testament for it's intended purpose and that is to give us Life Application for the Bible, Jesus taught from. The scriptures have never taught us not to protect our wives, children, and parents. He did not pursue the man to kill, in the first place, he needed the money to care for his responsibilities, whar ever they be.

May God bless.
 
The thief is responsible for his own death.
He was the author of this tragedy by stealing in the first place.
Your brother apparently tried to recover his money (or at least track the thief), and
was it not the thiefs' erratic driving that caused his death?
Did your brother attempt a Pitt maneuver? If so, he was trying to stop the thief, not kill him.
It is sad that a man died in his sin, but he was the author of his misfortune, nobody else.

We are each responsible for our own actions, and all the results thereof.
 
1 Timothy 5:8 ESV
But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Galatians 1:10 ESV
For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Psalm 146:9 ESV
The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

Proverbs 17:19 ESV
Whoever loves transgression loves strife; he who makes his door high seeks destruction.

Psalm 82:4 Rescue the weak and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.

Ezekiel 33 "... 6 'But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require from the watchman's hand.'

There are more but I believe this will do KJ. It is always important to use the New Testament for it's intended purpose and that is to give us Life Application for the Bible, Jesus taught from. The scriptures have never taught us not to protect our wives, children, and parents. .

May God bless.
Bill, I agree with all the above and amen to the underlined! ;).

He did not pursue the man to kill, in the first place, he needed the money to care for his responsibilities, whar ever they be
This statement is where we are missing each other. There is a fine line. The scripture you mention (my favorite 1 Tim 5:8) is talking about a man who doesn't work. Not working and suffering a loss are different in that the latter God can help with. Hence Luke 6:30 and Rom 12:19 (vengeance is God's) have to apply to this situation.
 
Last edited:
Bill, I agree with all the above and amen to the underlined! ;).

This statement is where we are missing each other. There is a fine line. The scripture you mention (my favorite 1 Tim 5:8) is talking about a man who doesn't work. Not working and suffering a loss are different in that the latter God can help with. Hence Luke 6:30 and Rom 12:19 (vengeance is God's) have to apply to this situation.
No argument on your point but the point is deeper than you're considering. God also protected the U.S. until we turned from Him, particularly in WW II and He used the tools available to Him for the purpose. I, you, Glomung and everybody not, following Satan, are the tools He uses.

God has commanded us not to fear for a reason and this youngster prevailed because God saw to it. I am not the Traditional Calvinist Baptist but there is a good deal to be said for the Predestination taught by God in His Word.
 
Kurt,
I'm not a mod here and would love to answer you inquiry but to do so here would be to approve of your hijacking this subject.
And just how is this a hijack of the subject, Bill? Everyone is offering reasons for why killing a thief is or is not justified. This was not an inquiry. I only wished to add that raw actions are not enough to determine whether a person has sinned; a person's state of mind matters.
 
Last edited:
And just how is this a hijack of the subject, Bill? Everyone is offering reasons for why killing a thief is or is not justified. This was not an inquiry. I only wished to add that raw actions are not enough to determine whether a person has sinned; a person's state of mind matters.
WOW! When I mess up, I do it big. You have my apology and it comes from my heart. I could cry about my MS doing this to me but in all honesty I do not know where my comment came from... it certainly came out of left field.
 
WOW! When I mess up, I do it big. You have my apology and it comes from my heart. I could cry about my MS doing this to me but in all honesty I do not know where my comment came from... it certainly came out of left field.
No problem, Bill. I should have been more clear.
 
No argument on your point but the point is deeper than you're considering. God also protected the U.S. until we turned from Him, particularly in WW II and He used the tools available to Him for the purpose. I, you, Glomung and everybody not, following Satan, are the tools He uses.

God has commanded us not to fear for a reason and this youngster prevailed because God saw to it. I am not the Traditional Calvinist Baptist but there is a good deal to be said for the Predestination taught by God in His Word.
Just been thinking on it more. He has a right to attempt to recover his money. He doesn't have to just write it off and leave it in God's hands if he has a vehicle and can pursue. It comes down to what kind of knock it was. Was it a knock to disable or a knock to kill. I guess from behind and as was explained it is not with intent to kill but just disable. He also has remorse. I stand corrected. It is not revenge or eye for an eye. It actually is as you said.

I think the title threw me off ''is it a sin to kill a thief'' ...yes of course. Is it a sin to try recover your money from a thief and accidentally kill him in the process, no.
 
Last edited:
My brother killed a thief who stole $800 from him. The thief drove away with his wallet and my brother chased after him. My brother then hit him from behind and the thief crashed and died. The thief was speeding at about 60mph and was not wearing a seat belt. My brother says he did not mean to kill the thief, but some people accused him of killing the thief in the heat of the moment. Is it a sin to kill a thief? Is it a sin to accidentally kill a thief? My brother says if he could take it back he would. Does that make him remorseful?
Yes it is a sin what your brother did, a deliberate sin, most likely not. Most people don’t even know that Jesus told us not to try to retrieve property that has been stolen from us.


(Luke 6:30-35) “Give to everyone who asks you, and do not ask for your property back from the man who robs you. Treat others, as you would like them to treat you. If you love those who love you, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks can you expect? For even sinners do that much. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive what thanks can you expect? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount. Instead, love your enemies and do good, and lend without any hope of return. You will have a great reward, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.”
 
Well I don't know about the laws in the Sates but where I am from it is clearly not murder, it is manslaughter. The distinction is that it was not premeditated and remorse is felt afterwards, basically it was not intentional. He did not mean to and would take it back if he could, sounds like remorse to me.

"Where a person kills in a situation in which it is reasonable for some force to be used in self-defence or in the prevention of crime but the defendant uses excessive force, he should be liable to be convicted of manslaughter not murder, if, at the time of the act, he honestly believed that the force he used was reasonable in the circumstances."

As for whether manslaughter is a sin or not, I personally believe that killing another person is a sin, however it is done. Judgement should be left to God, and we are called to turn the other cheek. However if someone were to accidentally kill a person, or be remorseful over the act, then they can be forgiven, that is the greatness of what has been done for us. I agree with KingJ, Jesus never killed and did not condone death as a punishment (John 8) and his is the example we should follow first. It seems to me the advice given in Luke 6 v 27-36 is meant among other things to prevent just this sort of situation. Especially Luke 6 v 30 "Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don't try to get them back." Seems pretty clear to me.

As for the argument of trying to recover your money to provide for those who depend on you, I believe the intent in those verses is to take care with your money and not to be lazy or careless in earning it. Thefts can and do still happen, but this is a separate case and falls under being unable to provide for those who need it despite trying. In this case the Christian community is called to provide the support.
 
In modern law there is a fine line between 'self defense' from imminent danger and defending ones 'rights' to property. In most cases; it is illegal and considered a felony in many places to 'pursue' and harm someone who has turned away-no longer posing an imminent threat or is no longer in commission of a "felony". There are certain instances that pertain to police officers and groups like farmers to be able to defend "property". Any time there is a loss of life either during or after the commission of a crime-the law is often scrutinized to the fullest to present a clear cut case-which is an impossibility.

Our founding fathers understood this and that is why we have the Bill of Rights in the USA that applies to securing "individual" rights.

Hint #1: if you are ever in a tight spot with cops-guilty or not-SHUT UP! 5th amendment. Because the 'law' will be used to try and condemn you one way or the other. Even during a traffic stop-the power of our words -like "yes officer I know I was speeding": is #1 acknowledgment of the contract with the posted speed limit in that municipality and #2 a confession of breaking that contract. Hence-instant ticket.

May be a bit off topic but....
 
My brother killed a thief who stole $800 from him. The thief drove away with his wallet and my brother chased after him. My brother then hit him from behind and the thief crashed and died. The thief was speeding at about 60mph and was not wearing a seat belt. My brother says he did not mean to kill the thief, but some people accused him of killing the thief in the heat of the moment. Is it a sin to kill a thief? Is it a sin to accidentally kill a thief? My brother says if he could take it back he would. Does that make him remorseful?

Jesus has higher standards than the common brethren. If you read the gospel you will know the truth. What your brother did may be lawful. But consider the Master's words on this scenario and there are quite a few examples. I won't quote him. But I will ask, can you find any quote from the Master that would justify this behavior? I'm talking about red ink examples.
 
Back
Top