First, God has the right to take life however and whenever He desires. Since God is the author of life, He can take life and give life at His whim. Life is a gift from God. Every moment we exist is a gift from our Creator (Acts 17:24-28). God is under no obligation to sustain the universe or our individual lives. Since God created the world (and everything in it) He can do with it as He desires. Humans cannot take another life because they did not create it. Since we did not give life, we have no right to take it. But since God is the giver of life, He can take it in whatever manner He chooses. It's His prerogative.

Second, God shows tremendous longsuffering and compassion before executing judgment. When God first told Abraham that his descendants would inhabit the Promised Land, God instructed him that the fulfillment would be significantly delayed until the sin of the Amorites (the people of Canaan) was complete (Genesis 15:16). Why the wait? God was allowing sufficient time for the Canaanites to repent of their evil ways. 430 years was more than enough time for the Amorites to turn to God. Moreover, God promises to spare any nation that turns to God in repentance and abandons its evil ways (Jeremiah 18:7-8). God gave them considerable time to repent, but eventually justice must prevail.

Third, Gods commands must be understood in light of His covenant with Israel. God chose Abraham to be the father of a nation through whom "all the families of the earth will be blessed" (Genesis 12:1-3). Israel was to be a holy nation, set apart from the evil and corruption of surrounding nations (Leviticus 18:30). God was preparing a nation as a vehicle for the coming Messiah, the universal savior (Ephesians 2:11-22). In direct contrast, the Canaanites were involved in witchcraft, divination, child sacrifice, and sexual perversion (Deuteronomy 18:9-11; Lev 18:1-24). Thus, they were the most serious threat to God's divine plan for Israel. Dr. Paul Copan rightly observes: "Although the biblical commands are themselves considered harsh, not carrying them out would have undermined the very theocracy and plan of salvation God had established" (That's Just Your Interpretation, Baker Books, 2005, p. 165).

When difficult challenges like this arise, it's important to remember what we know to be true about God: He is good, patient, loving, and worthy of our trust. We may not understand entirely why he called for the destruction of the Canaanites, but we can rest assured that He has a good reason.

Sean McDowell is head of the Bible department at Capistrano Valley Christian Schools where he teaches Philosophy, Theology, and Apologetics. He is the author of several books on apologetics. Visit his website at http://www.seanmcdowell.org/ . 

            It's impossible to underestimate the importance of this question. If Jesus survived crucifixion then He was just a false prophet, we are still in our sins, and there is no ultimate hope for the world. If Jesus didn't die and then resurrect we may as well "feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!" (1 Cor. 15).

So, how do we know Jesus really died by crucifixion? Let's consider three lines of evidence. First, the nature of crucifixion virtually guarantees death. Crucifixion was designed to cause maximal pain to victims. Cicero called crucifixion "the most cruel and hideous of tortures . . . the extreme penalty for a slave." The pain was so unbearable that a new word had to be invented: Excruciating literally means "out of the cross." Jesus was whipped mercilessly, had a crown of thorns placed on His head, carried His crossbar to his place of execution, and was ultimately nailed to the cross. Given the efficiency of the Roman guards, it strains credibility to think that Jesus survived the cross.

            Second, medical evidence proves Jesus died on the cross. After Jesus was observed to be dead, one of the Roman executioners thrust a spear into His side, and blood and water immediately came out (John 19:34). While the apostle John was an eyewitness to this event, he had no idea about the significance of his observation. In 1986 (at least 1950 years after the crucifixion!) the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association featured an article demonstrating that the release of blood and water from such a spear wound is a sure sign of death.

            Third, there is extra-biblical evidence that Jesus was crucified. Non-Christian sources also provide evidence for the death of Jesus. These include Cornelius Tacitus (A.D. 55-120), who is considered by many to be the greatest ancient Roman historian as well as the Jewish scholar Josephus (A.D. 37-97). Believing that Jesus survived the cross might make for an interesting movie, but it strains credibility.

            Why does this matter? The death of Jesus should motivate us to reach out in love to a broken and hurting world. First John 3:16 says that we know what real love is because of what Jesus has done for us. The sacrificial love of Christ is the greatest display of love the world has ever seen. It's up to us to put that love into action.