The Biblical Response to Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
By Rev. Jim Harden
Charlie Kirk was first and foremost a Christian. His faith in Christ was not private. It not only motivated him but also informed the moral and political positions he espoused. He was killed for his Christian faith, not his politics. But Charlie understood the dangers of sticking his head up above the atheistic Marxist propaganda blanketing America. He was willing to cut through legacy media, social media, public education, government bureaucrats, and elected official talking points, exposing the lies that weaken and dehumanize society.
But how will this tragedy impact and empower Christians? What does Jesus and the Bible say about how Christians should respond to persecution?
First, Jesus warned this would happen. In His Sermon on the Mount He said, “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me…. For in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Mt. 5:11-12). A Biblical prophet does not so much foretell the future as much as fortetell the truth, revealing the disparity between what should be and what is. Charlie was a modern-day prophet.
But the difficulties do not stop with people merely speaking evil against us falsely. Jesus described in His Mt. Olivet Discourse how the nations (people groups and political bodies) will treat Christians as the world teeters to the end of the age saying, “Then they will deliver you to tribulation and will kill you” (Mt. 24:9).
So here we are. But what should a Christian think about this tragedy and how should we act going forward?
There are at least three things God gives us to do when calamity strikes: Repent, Be Alert, Endure Courageously.
When Jesus was asked about tragic events and injustices in His day (Lk. 13:1-8), He said our first response ought to be, “Repent.” This simply means that we must reconsider our lives in light of the revelation of God in Christ. Take stock of who we are, what we are doing, in order to realign ourselves with God. We do not know when our hour will come, but it is coming. Are we stewarding our lives and resources in service to God and sacrifice for our neighbor so as to be unashamed to meet our Maker?
Secondly, when we begin to see these kinds of tragedy happening, Jesus calls us to “Be alert” (Mk. 13:33-37) because it is a sign of the societal demise He predicted before His return. Being alert affords us the ability to see the big picture. Understanding what is really happening keeps our hearts from growing cold due to the lawlessness (Mt. 24:12). Being alert also affords us the clarity and creativity to be what Jesus described as “wise as serpent yet innocent as doves” (Mt. 10:16). We must never deploy the tactics of the devil, for “the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God” (Jm. 1:20).
And third, confronted with tragedy and the prospect of more, we must courageously endure. When Jesus told us to “turn the other cheek” (Mt. 5:39) it was after being insulted by a back-handed cheap shot. How many men do you know who would hold their ground and say, “Why don’t you try that again?
Here is my other cheek.” No. Don’t back down. Stand tall. When we begin to see and experience this level of persecution Jesus says, “But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Lk. 21:28). Scripture goes on to say, “But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul” (Heb. 10:39).
The keynote in every Christian’s life is endurance. Endurance presumes pressure, obstacles, trials, tribulations. In fact, endurance is so critical a trait in these times that Jesus says, “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved” (Mt. 24:13). It is this kind of endurance with eyes wide open to the dangers and the hate, that must be coupled with courage. We stand to lose our reputation, our worldly belongings, our friends, even our lives. But we ought not fear those who can only kill the body. For Jesus said, “I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him” (Lk. 12:4-5)!
Courage is key to endurance. In fact, cowardice is a sin that will keep us from inheriting eternal life in Christ. As Scripture says of those in the end times, “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Charlie Kirk is an example of enduring courage for His faith. He was not a victim of political violence. He was a modern-day prophet killed for his faith. Jesus warned that more is coming. And as these Christian persecutions continue to unfold, God will use them, as He is doing now, to preach the Gospel of the kingdom of God “as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Mt. 24:14).
Friday evening, Rev. Harden asserted that we must be a people of courage and faith, as Charlie Kirk was, during an interview with news anchor Riley Lewis on The Real Story, on OAN. Watch the interview here.
