Repent & Believe the Gospel: The Christian Response to Charlie Kirk’s Assassination

I did not know Charlie Kirk; I never had the opportunity to meet Charlie Kirk; and, to be quite honest, Charlie didn’t rank highly among the conservative voices I find myself regularly listening to. I’m not even American. Though, I did frequent his content more than occasionally and I respected him deeply. All that to say, Charlie Kirk and I were not friends; but as two souls united to Christ through faith, he and I were and are brothers. I say are brothers because Charlie is now more alive than he ever was—the past-tense does not apply to the man or woman who dies in Christ. Indeed, a mere bullet could not stop this man from living—for Christ Himself said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). And though I never met him, I have full confidence that one day I will.

Charlie was a giant in American politics, and in my opinion, one in the faith as well.

And for all the good that Charlie did in his short thirty-one years, both politically and culturally, it is because he is my fellow brother in Christ that I feel a particular weight in my chest as I write these words. Indeed, a weight that has slowly nestled itself into my heart ever since my wife broke the news to me that he had been shot, only to die very shortly thereafter.

As soon as it was confirmed that Charlie had passed into the embrace of our Lord, the One whom he loved so dearly, I must admit that a fire broke out within me; a white-hot, righteous indignation at the wicked soul who could commit such a monstrous act in front of Charlie’s wife and children, and countless others; a loathing for the ideology of those who could possibly celebrate such a heinous sin—but perhaps most of all, a deep sense of aching and sadness over the fallen world around us and the crippling consequences of death that still linger in the vestiges of even redeemed souls.

And then, even as the anger was still rising within, a sort of pity overcame me; a pity for those so blinded by the darkness that they would cheer the death of a young husband and father for simply committing the crime of disagreeing with them; and a pity for the warped image-bearer who, though they surely deserve justice, was driven by their sin to such a degree that they murdered another image-bearer. In that moment—and since then, series of moments—I repented of the loathing and hate that was clawing a foothold in my heart, and sincerely asked the Lord for a heart to consider these matters in a way that reflected His own.

This morning I opened my grade eleven Law class with a heartfelt and distinctly Christian discussion about yesterday’s events. Having had last evening and most of my morning dedicated to thinking through Charlie’s passing, there were some things on my mind that I wanted to share with my students. I had the opportunity to contextualize Charlie’s death not as a matter of political right verses political left, but as a matter of good and evil, a matter of light and dark. As I considered my brother in Christ before these young students, I was able to do just that: by God’s grace, to reorient their perspectives away from the noise of this world towards the Kingdom of Christ, towards the very real evil we do battle with in this world—an evil that Jesus alone has the answers to.

Some of my students engaged in this morning’s conversation with maturity and kindness, for which I am thankful; and a few others, not so much. However, it was within these conversations that a remarkably simple truth struck me, a truth so simple yet so profound that I should have settled on it the moment I heard the news of Charlie Kirk’s assassination: the political right and the political left, or so-called ‘Third Way-ism’, scarcely have more answers for yesterday’s tragedy than the other. If politics could save the world, God would have sent us a politician—instead, He sent us His only Son. What this world needs most is the Gospel. Indeed, that’s what Charlie was preaching all along.

The assassination of Charlie Kirk was a tragedy, one that will undoubtedly scar the American nation for generations. However, even in the midst of such darkness, let us not forget the Gospel—Charlie never did, for it was upon his very lips only minutes before he died. Let us pray for the loved ones of the man who was shot and for the one who took the shot itself. Make no mistake, once the murderer is captured and tried in a court of law, they should be swiftly executed. For, “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in His own image” (Genesis 9:6). Indeed, that is justice. The State bears not the sword in vain and we bear not the image of God in vain. State-sanctioned execution is God’s good gift to a fallen world, a fallen world in which He considers His image-bearers as having the utmost worth. If you draw issue with that, look not to me but to God’s word. However, to pray for the justice and the salvation of the wrongdoer is not to engage in contradiction, but rather a reflection of the Lord’s very own heart. In this way we follow not the right path or the left, but the narrow way laid out by our Savior.

What our world needs most is the very thing it’s always needed most. Not the fumbling moral machinations of either right or left, or anything in between, but rather the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, which “is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). At the very end of this article I have included a short Gospel tract that I wrote several months ago. If you feel so inclined, please feel welcome to share it, whether in print or digitally, with those whom the Lord has put on your heart. Or, as I often do, simply print off several copies and leave one or two wherever you might find yourself throughout the day—for as you know, the Lord often works in small and unexpected ways. Do not be overcome by evil, brothers and sisters, but rather overcome the very real evil in this world with good and share the good news of salvation through Christ alone to our fallen world.

And for those of us who have fled to Christ for refuge from the wages of sin,—being death—rest in the truth that we do “not grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). And yet we still have freedom to grieve, the command to grieve; for death is no small foe and it inflicts no small wounds. In Christ the sting of death has been removed, and yet was it not the Lord Himself who wept at the grave of His friend Lazarus? As Christians, we should both weep and grieve; not as those without hope, but as those with hope who rightly recognize the deep brokenness and disorder than sin and death inflict upon the world. As God’s people, we have the language to express our grief and hatred over wickedness because of the truth that is in Christ Jesus. So, then, let us grieve for Charlie as those who hope in Christ and share that hope with a world that needs Him more now than ever before. After all, that’s what Charlie would have done. And of course, continue in prayer to our sovereign Lord and God on behalf of Charlie’s dear wife, young children, and the many loved ones who mourn his passing.

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

—1 Corinthians 15:55-57

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A Great Savior For Our Great Need

“When evening came, [Jesus] was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, ‘It is a ghost!’ and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.’

And Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, ‘Lord, save me.’ Jesus immediately reached out His hand and took hold of him, saying to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’ And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshipped Him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’”

—Matthew 14:23-33

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The Gospel is the Good News of Jesus Christ; it is the very backbone of all that Christians believe and the sum and substance of all that the Bible preaches. Every religion and man-made philosophy under the sun instructs mankind on how we are to work our way to God; Christianity tells the story of how Jesus, God Himself, came to us in human flesh. Jesus Christ died for our sins on a Roman cross 2,000 years ago and prepared the way of salvation for all who call upon Him and believe in His name alone for justification. Perhaps you’ve never heard the Gospel before, or what I’m saying to you is completely foreign from what you thought Christianity was all about, so here is a quick summary of the Good News about Jesus Christ:

God is good and we are not (Romans 3:10); God is morally perfect and cannot even look at sin, much less be in the presence of sinning humans. The Bible makes clear that everyone—you, me, and every human that’s ever lived, except Jesus—has sinned against this holy and good God. What is sin? It is a hatred of God and His laws; it is to prefer anything over true worship, heartfelt obedience, and loving fellowship with the One who made us—all murder, adultery, theft, lying, and hate stems from a human heart that does not want to submit to and obey God. And because we are not good, we rightly deserve death and justice from the hands of a perfect and holy God, just as a judge would rightly punish a criminal in a court of law (Romans 6:23a). But God, being rich in mercy and steadfast love (Ephesians 2:4), sent His one and only Son to die for sinners (John 3:16), such that all who despair of themselves and their empty deeds, repent by turning from their sin, and believe that Jesus Christ died for them will not perish by eternal judgement in Hell, but have eternal life and unending joy in the presence of God Himself in Heaven—forever (Romans 6:23b).

In the account of Jesus walking on the water towards His wind and wave-beaten disciples, we see a clear image of the Gospel. The roaring crescendo of rain, wind, and waves is howling all about the disciples, and they are gripped by an otherworldly fear—little do they know that the One with them, the One going about the storm unseen and unphased, is to be feared above all.

Out from the doom and darkness of the raging deluge came the Lord, “who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea” (Job 9:8). The disciples, adrift in their fear and unbelief, could not see Him whose “footprints were unseen” through the great waters (Psalm 77:19). In the midst of near destruction, it took only the soft cry of Peter—“Lord, save me”—to stir the Lord to action. There was no delay or deliberation on the part of the Lord; within an instant, as the words were upon Peter’s very lips, “Jesus immediately reached out His hand and took hold of him, saying to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’” (Matthew 14:31).

My dear friend, let not the long years and many troubles of this life cloud your sight so as to forget this simple truth: the God who made you loves you. His hand and His heart are ever extended out towards those who call upon Him for forgiveness from their sins, ready to draw them in and guide them towards home where all winds and waves will have finally ceased—“For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). We have a most tender and immediate Savior. Great is our need, but greater still the great Savior to serve our need!

Because God is good and just, sin must be punished. On the cross as Jesus died, He was punished by God the Father on our behalf: “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1 Peter 2:24-25). By putting your faith in Jesus alone for salvation—not your understanding, church attendance, moral deeds, or good intentions—you are then united to Him, so much so that when God looks at you, He now sees the righteousness of Jesus His Son. Your sin and guilt are taken away in Jesus Christ when you put your trust in Him; through Christ, we are adopted into the family of God Himself, given the family name, and granted unending fellowship with Him now and in the world to come.

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ, you need only to recognize your great need for salvation from the just punishment for your sin and to recognize His great ability and desire to save. It took only the soft cry of Peter, “Lord, save me”, to stir the Lord to action. It is the Lord’s great desire to forgive you, to cleanse you from all your sins—past, present, and future—so that you can be with Him in Heaven forever. Indeed, this is why Jesus, God in human form, came to earth all those years ago—to seek and to save that which was lost. If you hear His voice calling you this day, call upon Him in response, for Jesus Himself said, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never cast out” (John 6:37).

“Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

—Matthew 11:28-29