BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW 1
Biblical Worldview on Cybercrime Jurisdiction
Samantha Bellino
Liberty University
CJUS 550
Douglas Orr
02/13/2022
BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW 2
Abstract
Criminals have taken advantage of the fact the cybercrime cases are difficult to investigate and
prosecute due to issues of jurisdiction. Countries have responded to cybercrime with laws, and
policies, which have not been able to resolve the issue of jurisdiction in cybercrime
investigations. This is because cybercrime offenders are not required to be in the same
jurisdiction as the victims and are often times even in a different country, state, or jurisdiction. A
biblical perspective can offer a different method to work out is problem that is focused on the
fact that all jurisdiction is established by God. God has the highest ranking authority over the
earth, making Him the only one that can give and take away the right of jurisdiction.
Keywords: Bible, cybercrime, investigate, jurisdiction, prosecute, worldview
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Biblical Worldview on Cybercrime Jurisdiction
Criminals have taken advantage of the fact that cyberspace is the primary channel in
which people use to conduct activities (Wang, Hsieh, Chang, Jiang, & Dallier. 2020). Cyberspace
has offered a new industry for criminals to explore, forcing law enforcement to evolve the
manner in which they investigate these crimes (Kleijssen & Perri, 2017). Due to the difficulty of
determining the exact location that cybercrime occurred and the fact that the offender could be in
one country while the victims in another, jurisdiction has become an issue when investigating
and prosecuting cybercrime (Wang et al., 2020).
Countries have responded to the threat of cybercrime in various ways through statutes,
legislation, and policies but these have proved to be inadequate at solving the issue of cybercrime
jurisdiction (Wang et al., 2020). Nevertheless, a biblical worldview offers an alternative approach
to jurisdiction that can be applied to cybercrime jurisdiction. This perspective focuses on
jurisdiction that God has ordained and given to specific authorities (Bible Gateway, 2021).
Traditional methods of investigating and jurisdiction are not applicable to cybercrimes as they
are committed with telecommunication devices, malware programs, and the internet and these
crimes occur in cyberspace or the cloud (Wang et al., 2020).
Literature Gaps
God gave civil governments the authority and power to protect the liberties and represent
the rights of those in their purview. There is no man-made institution that has jurisdiction over all
people, as God made human authority limited. He did this because He kept the jurisdiction to
rule over humans for Himself (Bible Gateway, 2021). In traditional crimes the jurisdiction
typically goes to the agency or country that is linked to a location where the offence was
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committed, and the offender is at the scene of the crime (Kleijssen & Perri, 2017). This has
become an issue as cybercrime is not linking to a single geographic location and it can be
difficult to pinpoint the location of the offender at the time of the crime. This has made it
necessary for multiple jurisdictions to work together in cross-border investigation, sharing the
evidence (Kleijssen & Perri, 2017).
A biblical worldview can fill the literature gap in this issue as God knew that one
jurisdiction across all people would not work and gave jurisdiction to multiple entities, each with
their own purpose meant to work together in harmony (Bible Gateway, 2021; Wang et al., 2020).
Just as jurisdiction is not inherent in cybercrime investigations but delegated by location or
ability of the agency to handle such an investigation, God granted authority to man in order for
man to accomplish a purpose (Kleijssen & Perri, 2017; Bible Gateway, 2021).
God did not mean for jurisdiction to have overlapping purposes, as He never delegated
ruling authority to two jurisdictions for them to accomplish the same objective. God intended for
civil rulers not to be able to interfere with the performance of non-civil responsibilities but is to
protect the peoples’ liberty. Additionally in God’s plan, the church and family are to aid in
preserving civil order (Bible Gateway, 2021). Jurisdiction in cybercrime investigations often
overlaps, causing difficulties for the investigators when relying on other agencies to share
integral information, which is not the way that God had intended (Kleijssen & Perri, 2017; Bible
Gateway, 2021).
Action taken without jurisdiction in a criminal investigation invariably violates another
agency’s or country’s jurisdiction, but jurisdiction that is God ordained in a specific capacity
cannot violate another entity’s or individual’s jurisdiction (Wang et al., 2020; Bible Gateway,
2021). This is due to the fact that a biblically based framework for jurisdiction is not using a
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scale to determine authority, nor does it condone conflict over establishing authority, as God is
not the author of conflict (Bible Gateway, 2021).
Integration of a Biblical Worldview
According to Romans 13:1, every individual is under the authority of governors that God
has established, the verse says: “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is
no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been
established by God” (Bible Gateway, 2021). This verse recognizes that human government is a
legitimate authority that God put in place and has given jurisdiction. In reference to cybercrime
jurisdiction is often given to the agency that is best funded and equipped to investigate the case,
1 Timothy 5:8 embodied this saying, “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially
for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (Kleijssen &
Perri, 2017; Bible Gateway, 2021).
The perpetrators of cybercrime are typically motivated by the prospect of monetary gain,
which the Bible refers to as the “root of all evil” in 1 Timothy 6:10 (Gillespie, 2019; Bible
Gateway, 2021). Cybercriminals commit their crimes behind a screen and take precautions to
ensure that their location and identity say anonymous, though Numbers 32:23 warns that “your
sin will find you out” (Bible Gateway, 2021). In addition, Jesus makes the same cautioning in
Mark 4:22 saying, “Nothing is hidden except for the purpose of having it revealed, and nothing is
secret except for the purpose of having it come to light” (Bible Gateway, 2021).
There are many instances of jurisdiction in the Bible, in the Gospels Jesus claims
absolute jurisdiction over the hearts and minds of men, which is confirmed by the fact that God
does not measure by the same external standards of men. This is seen in the answer that Jesus
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gave to Pontius Pilate when questioned about His nature asking, “Are You the King of the
Jews?” to which Jesus answered saying, “It is as you say” in Mark 15:2 and “My kingdom is not
of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would be fighting so that I would
not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm […] You say that I
am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth.
Everyone on the side of truth listens to me” in John 16:36-37 (Bible Gateway, 2021). Jesus
denied civil government jurisdiction when determining what is true, denying governments the
authority to “testify to the truth” (John 16:27, Bible Gateway, 2021). Jesus claimed jurisdiction
exclusively over men’s minds, thusly the jurisdiction to judge and influence opinions (Bible
Gateway, 2021). This is also seen in 1 Corinthians 6:2: “Or do you not know that the saints will
judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest
law courts?” (Bible Gateway, 2021). This verse shows that God has given jurisdiction to His
people to deal with situations the way that He would (Bible Gateway, 2021).
Conclusion
Cybercrime jurisdiction is has become an issue that legislation, laws, and policies have
not been able to efficiently solve (Kleijssen & Perri, 2017). A biblical worldview on the issue
fills in literature gaps promoting jurisdictions to work together in harmony as opposed to arguing
over whose agency or country has the right to investigate and prosecute a cybercrime case (Bible
Gateway, 2021; Wang et al., 2020). The main issue of jurisdiction is caused by the difficulties of
locating the offender. As the use of cloud software and the fact that the offender does not need to
be in the same location as their victims (Kleijssen & Perri, 2017). God claims the highest
jurisdiction as He has authority over all individuals on the earth and He is the only on that can
award jurisdiction to people and governments (Bible Gateway, 2021).
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References
Bible Gateway. (2021). Retrieved from Bible Gateway passage: New International Version:
https://www.biblegateway.com/
Gillespie, A. A. (2019). Cybercrime: Key issues and debates. Routledge.
Kleijssen, J., & Perri, P. (2017). Cybercrime, evidence and territoriality: Issues and options. In
M. Kuijer & W. Werner (Eds.), Netherlands Yearbook of International Law 2016: The
changing nature of territoriality in international law (pp. 147–173). essay, T.M.C. Asser
Press.
Wang, S.-Y. K., Hsieh, M.-L., Chang, C. K.-M., Jiang, P.-S., & Dallier, D. J. (2020).
Collaboration between law enforcement agencies in combating cybercrime: Implications of
a Taiwanese case study about ATM hacking. International Journal of Offender Therapy
and Comparative Criminology, 65(4), 390–408.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624x20952391
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