“You have heard it said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 5:43-45a
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
Matthew 5:9
The murder of Charlie Kirk has dominated the news for days now. I was not very familiar with this man before yesterday but have clearly come to see his earnest Christian faith and courage to speak basic truth about the world to people that don’t want to hear it.
His murder was a shocking and gruesome event. It was premediated, done with malice, hate, and forethought. This is the very definition of murder. Let us all remember clearly that prohibition against murder is one of the basic ten moral commands of God Almighty (Exodus 20:13). Murder is never ever justified before the Lord. It is always wrong and takes life. It is the opposite of what we stand for as Christians, which is the preservation and cultivation of life.
Charlie was murdered while he sat in a chair answering questions from college students. Dialogue of ideas is supposed to be one of the main reasons for university education. Regardless of what people may think of his responses, Charlie was not antagonistic, just plain spoken and clear. This right to free speech is one of the basic constitutionally enshrined rights of all American citizens. The right to speak freely and debate different perspectives is one of the basic pillars of a free society, and it must be protected and exercised for freedom to remain. This dialogue must also carry on in the church. We must be able to speak respectfully and peaceably with each other when it comes to issues we disagree upon.
Dialogue and peaceable debate have broken down in our fully post-modern and post-Christian day. The post-modern world does not recognize ultimate truth claims or objectively real truth. Because of this, there is no final ground for debate. People claim to generate their own realities and their own personal “truth.” Such “truth” is, in reality, nothing more than personal opinion. In a situation like this there is no connection to think clearly about anything. The only ground for “winning” the argument is by power – an actual display of power to overcome your adversary. The post-modern world does not revolve around truth or seeking truth, but around getting and maintaining power.
When non-Christian people feel they are losing a debate they often lash out with anger and threatening. The ultimate end, the final desperation move of power, is to attempt to kill one’s enemy to overcome him. This is also moral evil. This is murder. It is as old as Cain who did not want to submit to God and humble himself to admit that Abel was right and he was wrong. So, Cain killed his brother to win the day. But in the end no murderer will enter the Kingdom of God (Revelation 22:15).
As Christians we must hear the call of Jesus in His sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7) to be peacemakers. Remember that this sermon is addressed to those who are already disciples of Jesus, those who have already been born again. Those who are not reconciled to God cannot be reconciled to each other. Once we have new spiritual life from Jesus (born again), we must be those who pursue peace and make it wherever possible.
As John Stott states, “To return evil for good is of the Devil. To return good for good is human. To return good for evil is divine!” It is our role in culture to be peacemakers in the name of Jesus Christ. We must exert strong effort and much prayer toward breaking the cycle of vengeance that is accelerating in our day. When evil is done to us, we must return good and earnest prayers. We can only do this by the transforming power of the salvation of Jesus. The Holy Spirit must help us here. We are not called to be “culture warriors” defeating our enemies, but evangelists praying for and seeking the salvation of the lost. We are calling people to follow Jesus as His disciples.
We are called to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. Light illuminates and drives out darkness. Our God dwells in unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:13-16) and we are sons and daughters of light (John 12:35-36)! It is our role to speak the truth of Almighty God and His eternal salvation into the public square. We must speak with the same mercy, compassion, and love as Jesus, but also with the same courage, perseverance, and authority. Salt was used in the time of Jesus as a preservative. Christians cannot remake the world or rid it of evil. Only Jesus can do that on the last day, but we can act to preserve good institutions and relationships in a decaying world. With integrity and purity, we can hold onto what is good and fan it back into flame. But salt loses its saltiness when it is mixed with other things. The more we are diluted and mixed with the world, the less effect we have.
To walk this different life of truth we must learn the will of the Lord and walk in it. Much of what Charlie spoke of was plain Bible truth. We are commanded to learn and obey all of God’s commands. If you would know the will of the Lord for Christian living, read and dwell on the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). You will not be able to accomplish these commands with all the effort of the rest of your life, but as you run this direction you (by God’s grace) become more and more like Jesus. This is what it means to hunger and thirst for righteousness! This is what it looks like to push back, and hold back, the darkness of this world.
A few more things. It is reasonable to ask, “How could I possibly have prayerful compassion toward a person trying to kill me?” This question takes us directly to the cross. Luke 23:34, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” This divine statement of mercy also speaks to the blindness of the lost heart. Same as today, the lost sinner cannot know God apart from a work of grace in the heart. Even in bleeding death, Jesus prayed for His persecutors.
Last, we must not give way to fear. Psalm 23, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me.” As Christians we must never give way to fear. God is with us! We must be a people filled with the Holy Spirit, thus a bold people for the Lord. We must act with courage and never give way to evil! We must act with grace but also with truth. The end of the Gospel is eternal life in Jesus Christ. Though we die, yet shall we live! Because of Charlie’s clear faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, he has gone on before us to heaven. His faith has become sight.
The idea of a man sitting on a chair and truthfully answering questions need not be a rare thing. Let us now take up where Charlie left off. Let us continue the dialogue. May we go forth and say something about Jesus. Let us speak the truth with courage. Let us encourage each other in these things! Let us overcome evil with good!
Jesus will win the day!
Pastor Vic