I have waited to add my thoughts to the swirling reactions to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. I have had plenty, believe me! But there was not a void that I needed to fill. My voice would have added nothing to the fray so instead I just listened and observed. And waited. But now I will chime in with thoughts on “What do we do now?”
As God would have it, I was scheduled to teach Bible study on Galatians 1&2 the week after Charlie Kirk was killed. He had already given me what to say a couple of weeks prior and it was amazing to rest in the fact that I should indeed proceed with that plan, especially now that I had a real life example for reference.
My two points (I only have limited time to teach so I have to be disciplined - it’s a struggle :) ) were 1) the Gospel alone for salvation and 2) we must choose to fear God or fear man. Specific verses: Galatians 2:16 - Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. Galatians 1: 10 - I am not trying to please man but God. If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
I’d like to start with those and from that will flow thoughts on what we do now…
1) The Gospel alone for salvation. We cannot earn God’s favor by anything we do (or don’t do) and attempts to do that are not only futile but actually destructive (in this case, trying to become more like a Jew by the act of circumcision). In today’s culture, we may not be tempted towards circumcision but don’t think we aren’t susceptible to legalism in a myriad of other ways! Countless times have I heard people express the sentiment that they need to somehow “clean up their act” before they can come to church. And I, who know that is not the Gospel, am still tempted to feel as though I can earn brownie points with God by certain behavior. NOT truth. We are right with God only through faith in Christ alone. For justification AND for sanctification. And ultimately, glorification! This point is the thrust, the foundation, the impetus for all else. And we are not only to proclaim it gladly, we must proclaim it boldly.
2) Fearing man or fearing God. This is where I want to camp out the most. What does it mean to fear man or fear God? It helps me to think of it this way - whose approval do I seek? Whose approval am I afraid of losing? Over the past several days, I have caught myself thinking twice before posting anything on social media. Now, thinking before posting is a good thing, of course. But what are we thinking about? Are we afraid of negative reactions if we post a certain viewpoint? Are we inclined to post if some reel is likely to gain likes and positive comments? In other words, are we concerned about how we will be perceived in others’ eyes and we let that determine our course of action?
I had thought I had been set free from the fear of man years ago but the assassination of Charlie Kirk and particularly the shocking reaction of so many who didn’t agree with him evoked in me a newfound anxiety about what some of my social media friends might think of me if I took a stand. By the grace of God, His Spirit worked in me a courage and a resolve to stand for truth and I pray that I will continuously walk by His Spirit in this same grace.
Charlie Kirk was a remarkable man but I am sure he would agree with me when I type that he was not the hero. Jesus Christ is. Jesus is love and hope and He is also TRUTH. If I want to fear Him and not man, then I , too, must be willing to agree with Him about what sin is. I must live out the purpose of pointing people to Christ and that includes not caving in to the culture about sin. Sin is not just another opinion, a different option - it is destructive. Sin separates mankind from the joy and peace of Christ - and deceiving people about sin (especially sexual sin) is the activity of Satan himself. We who know the TRUTH must be willing to be disliked, ridiculed, rejected, and even as Charlie Kirk was, killed because we refuse to fear man more than we fear God. We who follow Christ must be willing to engage people with opposing viewpoints and defend NOT OURSELVES but the TRUTH of God’s Word. We must continuously seek God for His wisdom to know when is the time to speak and when is the time to be silent.(And may I interject here that we have been far too willing to speak at the wrong time and be silent when we should have been speaking so we really need God’s wisdom!) We must joyfully risk our reputation (and our popularity) and much much more in our efforts to bring TRUTH to light and win some for the Kingdom of Christ. We must be knowledgeable about how His Word speaks to current culture and gently but boldly stand on that Truth. God’s Spirit is indeed moving and many unbelievers are open as never before. Sisters, expect this to get messy and to be hard. It will undoubtedly be stressful and uncomfortable as we join Him in what He is doing in our country but oh how worth it all it will be! Don’t miss out!
I will close with these warnings from Christ Himself - Matthew 10:28 - Do not fear those who can kill the body but not the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy both body and soul in hell. and Luke 6:26 - Woe to you, when all people speak well of you.
Let us take heed, dear sisters. May it not be our goal to receive approval from people. Instead, may we seek to fear The One who loves us the most!