What God says about the evil that killed Charlie Kirk

Like you, I learned that Charlie Kirk had been murdered — assassinated — on Sept. 10 at an event in Utah. Dead at 31 years old, shot while answering a question about gun violence.

I’m so disturbed by what happened and so furious about it all.

We should pray that we will grow to love what God loves and to hate what God hates.

Political violence on a college campus made a lasting impression on countless eyes and ears. People who were present at the event, as well as millions of other people, have videos seared in their minds that depict the horror of what took place in Orem, Utah. And a precious wife and children are deprived of their husband and father.

On that tragic day, we were reminded, once again, of the real and palpable presence of wickedness.

Besides being a widely known commentator on political and social issues, Charlie was an outspoken Christian who was bold about Jesus. He spoke unhesitatingly about Jesus being his savior, about the historicity of the resurrection, about the truthfulness of the Bible, and about the need people have for salvation. Truly, Jesus is the hope of the earth.

The biblical authors are crystal clear that God hates evil. On the appointed day of judgment, He will administer His righteous wrath with holy and unimpeachable justice. In the meantime, since believers are image-bearers who are being restored and renewed in Christ, we need to hate what God hates and to love what God loves.

Solomon gives us a list of things God hates. Proverbs 6:16-19 says:

There are six things that the Lord hates,
seven that are an abomination to him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that make haste to run to evil,
a false witness who breathes out lies,
and one who sows discord among brothers.

Notice these three expressions: “hands that shed innocent blood” (v. 17), “a heart that devises wicked plans” (v. 18a), and “feet that make haste to run to evil” (v. 18b).

These three expressions are things God hates, and all three were on display on Sept. 10 in Utah. A life was unjustly taken in a scene of unfolding horror and panic and disorientation. Not only should such a thing disturb and horrify us, we should hate it.

We should hate it because God hates it. We should be disgusted and indignant. We should identify evil, evaluate it biblically, warn others about it, and oppose it. And we should, with renewed resolve, commit ourselves to what is good and true and wise and beautiful and righteous.

All truth is God’s truth, and it is worth staking everything on.

Sometimes our cultural landscape seems to have not only a famine of biblical literacy but also a famine of common decency. I recognize that broad-brush statements don’t tell the whole story, for there are plenty of civil people who are equally weary of the escalated political rhetoric that vilifies and demonizes and condemns. But our digital age gives us immediate and constant awareness of human depravity.

The nasty fruit of secularism and materialism have brought such damage to our discourse.

RELATED: Grieving Charlie Kirk: How to cling to God in the face of evil

MELISSA MAJCHRZAK/AFP via Getty Images

If you’re like me, you’ve been aware in the past month of enough tragic stories that your mind feels overwhelmed by the sheer sadness and sorrow of it all. A comforting thought, from Proverbs 6:16, is that such evil is “an abomination” to the Lord. He “hates” the things listed in Proverbs 6:17-19.

God is not indifferent, not remote, not neutral. And He will deal with what is abominable. He is wise and good and righteous, so the wicked should tremble.

The assassination of Charlie Kirk was a major societal event. We should pray that the person (or persons) involved in the plot would be swiftly brought to justice. We should pray that, as a society, truth and sanity would prevail over delusion and deception. We should pray that we will grow to love what God loves and to hate what God hates. And we should pray that the ministers of the gospel would be bold heralds in our churches, unashamedly proclaiming the word of God in its fullness and grandeur.

Our days are numbered, and our lives are brief. We live as earthly citizens with a heavenly identity. And our earthly citizenship is a stewardship, so we must be faithful. Being courageous for truth, pursuing virtue over vice, pointing people to Jesus, getting involved in a local church that’s committed to the Bible, investing in and caring for your family — these are good and God-honoring things. These are things God loves.

Rest in peace, Charlie Kirk.

This essay was originally published at Dr. Mitchell Chase's Substack, Biblical Theology.