09/17/2025
September 13, 2025, 11:26 am
I have been asked to offer some perspective on the assassination of Charlie Kirk. I am not in a position to offer a eulogy because I had never heard of him until after he was murdered, but I still want to offer some thoughts on how the Bible teaches us to think in the wake of an injustice like this.
One lesson we learn from Habakkuk 3:18 is that evil should not shake our trust in God to do what is best for human history. If you find yourself tempted to despair when evil happens, check you heart to see whether you have started to trust people and organizations more than God. In the midst of a national catastrophe, Habakkuk said, “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD.” If you can trust that God “works all things together for good for those that love Him” (Rom. 8:28) then you can “rejoice in the LORD” with Habakkuk rather than letting perplexity at God’s providence – and frustration at the failure of human hopes – lead your emotions into depression. Jesus commanded us, “Have faith in God!” (Mark 11:22)
Fear is another natural response. If a lawless extremist can kill Charlie, they could kill you or me with impunity too. But that’s what you signed up for when you became a Christian. Jesus said, “Blessed are you when men hate you... for the sake of the Son of Man” (Luke 6:22). Jesus also said, “don't start being afraid of those who kill the body but do not have the power to kill the soul, but fear rather the One with power to destroy both soul and body in hell!” (Mat. 10:28) So, although there may be reasonable precautions recommended by sound wisdom (such as perhaps wearing a bulletproof vest when speaking publicly to a hostile audience), retreating and hunkering down in fear is not a Christian response to terrorism; we should care more about what God thinks. Jesus commanded us, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel…” (Mark 16:15).
Another natural reaction is vengeance, but once again, trust in God redirects us. Romans 12 and Hebrews 10 quote from Deuteronomy 32:35 where the LORD declares, “Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near…” We do not have jurisdiction to take the law into our own hands. The Bible is clear that vigilante “justice” is a rebellious usurpation of the authorities ordained by God. Only the executive of a lawful civil government has the God-given authority (and responsibility) to put criminals to death, according to Romans 13:1-4, and so we must trust God by trusting the civil authorities which “He has established” to deal out civil justice to criminals. And if our civil magistrates fail to obey God in this, God Himself promises to hold them accountable for their sins (Rev. 17:4); meanwhile we can hold them accountable through our votes on election day. We are not authorized by God to violate His justice by taking revenge personally; instead Jesus commands us, “Love your enemies... and pray for the ones who are persecuting you…” (Matt. 5:44).
Earthly life is not ultimate; it is just a temporary circumstance to learn to “glorify God and enjoy Him forever” (Westminster Catechism #1). By all accounts, Charlie is enjoying the ultimate life in heaven; he is not feeling sorry for himself as a victim, but blessed as an “overcomer” (Rev. 2:7,11,17,26; 3:5,12,21). 1 Corinthians 2:5-16 “...that your faith might not exist in the wisdom of men, but rather in the power of God... we are uttering GOD'S wisdom which has been hidden in a mystery, which God predetermined before the ages for our glory, and which none of the rulers of this age have known (for if they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory), but rather, just as it is written, ‘What eye did not see, and ear did not hear and what did not come upon the heart of mankind,’ what God prepared for those who love Him, Yet to us God revealed through the Spirit… Now, a natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are stupidity to him. He is not even able to know because it has to be figured out spiritually... Yet we, we have the mind of Christ!”
Pastor Nate
Christ The Redeemer Church of Manhattan, KS
