Charlie Kirk was not shot because he was a Republican whom Democrats hated. Look essentially anywhere conservatives gather online right now, and that’s the message being spread: “those evil Democrats… this is their fault for calling us Nazis and racists for years.”

To be fair, there is certainly a level of truth to this; if you insist long enough that someone is evil and a threat to society, the logical effect is that people will eventually try to silence them, sometimes violently. Words matter. Dehumanization always bears the bitter fruit of destruction.

But in my understanding, it is one of the Devil’s greatest successes to convince humans that other humans are the enemy—when in fact, it is him.

Charlie was not killed because of partisanship. He was killed because he spoke the truth of God’s Word and of the gospel, and the Devil used a depraved human being to commit murder. To silence him and the truth he spoke. 

And here’s where Christians must pause. One of the worst things conservatives could do right now is to wage war against “the other side.” Because who are they, really? They are people—men and women made in the image of God—who have not yet come to faith in Christ or been transformed by the Holy Spirit. And truthfully, there are plenty on “our side” who are also unsaved and unregenerate; we just tend to ignore them because they’re “less wrong” than people on the side we dislike more.

But our battle is not against fellow image-bearers. This is a spiritual battle. 

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

If you, like myself, trust the Bible to tell you the truth about everything, then you already know this: if Scripture tells us who the enemy is, it will also tell us how to fight that enemy.

Paul continues,
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints…” (Ephesians 6:13–18).

If you’ve been online since Charlie’s murder, you’ve seen the reactions: “we have to fight more than ever” or “they’ve f**ked around long enough and they’re about to find out.”

I understand the grief and anger behind these statements—but I cannot agree with their sentiment. The most important thing we can do right now is this is not to enact vengeance and start a revolution. The most important thing you can do right now is this: know your Bible more than you know the headlines. Share the gospel more than you share memes. Speak truth in a way that does not shy away from the reality of evil, but yet gives grace to those who hear. 

“Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.  Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.  Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. 

(Ephesians 4:25-32)

Building higher walls of division will not honor Charlie’s legacy, nor will it advance the Kingdom. Jesus called evil what it was, but He also sat at the table with those on “the other side.” He didn’t mock them or write them off—He told them exactly where they stood before God in their sin, yes, but He also taught them, reasoned with them, and invited them into truth. Yes, Christ will eventually allow someone to reap the end of the path they insist on walking, but not without giving them the chance to accept life first.

This is not about “being nice” or staying silent. Christians must continue to speak truth boldly into a culture that is rapidly abandoning God. But let’s be clear: Charlie was not assassinated because of Democrats. He was assassinated because of the fallen human condition—sin—that can only be healed and redeemed through Christ.

And we must remember this: Democrats are not the enemy. Republicans are not the enemy. No political victory will fix what is broken. Only Jesus can. And our mission, even in grief, is to point people back to Him.

So what now?

We grieve. We lament. We name evil for what it is. But then—we fight the right battle, with the right weapons. We pick up the sword of the Spirit, not the sword of vengeance. We put on the armor of God, not the armor of political rage.

Let us honor Charlie and Christ, not by hardening our hearts in anger, but by softening them toward the lost. Let us respond to hatred with gospel courage, to division with gospel peace, and to despair with gospel hope.

The days ahead will not get easier. Scripture tells us plainly that evil will grow darker until Christ returns. But that is not a reason for despair—it is a summons to faithfulness. So, Church, rise up. Be watchful. Pray fervently. Speak truth boldly. Love relentlessly. Live as if Jesus really is the only answer—because He is.

The blood of the martyrs has always been the seed of the Church. May Charlie’s death not stir us to bitterness, but to deeper faithfulness. May it remind us that time is short, eternity is real, and the gospel is still the power of God unto salvation.

And may we never forget: our real enemy is already defeated.

-M