“But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds, we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

This past week, a lost 22-year-old man took the life of a 31-year-old Christian father, husband, and political activist for what would seem to be the sole purpose of silencing his voice. What I believe we will see, instead, is a nation rising to talk louder, speak bolder, and forgive more audaciously than this single voice could have ever accomplished on its own.

On Wednesday, September 10th, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson fired a single bullet at the throat of Charlie Kirk – effectively ending the life of this influential founder of Turning Point, U.S.A. (TPUSA). Charlie started his organization at age 18 in his family’s garage, eventually growing his non-profit agency to be the nation’s premier conservative voice on college and high school campuses. With 900 college chapters and 1,200 high school chapters, TPUSA was already a presence to contend with. Since his death, the organization received 32,000 requests to establish new campus chapters, making Charlie’s goal to create a “Club America” in every high school nationwide (23,000) much closer to becoming a reality than Kirk could have imagined.

TPUSA aims to arm young adults with the fortitude to stand unafraid in demonstrating their “faith, freedom, and love of country.” His “American Comeback Tour” of college campuses put him at the center of large audiences of students who questioned his faith, political inclinations, and stalwart defense of our great nation. During these tours, Kirk allowed students to ask him questions during a segment he called “Prove Me Wrong.” It was at one of these events, with an audience of over 3,000 people at Utah Valley University, where Kirk was ultimately assassinated.

Ever the humble advocate of his faith, Charlie demonstrated profound patience and restraint as students yelled, berated, and spewed hateful rhetoric at this young man who famously spoke out against the institution of higher education. Kirk never attended college, himself, as he viewed today’s universities as  “centers of left-wing indoctrination that must be actively and aggressively fought.”

In his bestselling book, “The College Scam: How America’s Universities Are Bankrupting and Brainwashing Away the Future of America’s Youth,” Kirk argued that parents spend thousands of dollars to educate their children and turn them into productive members of society. Instead, today’s youth are consistently subjected to anti-American indoctrination by radical professors and ideological organizations, turning countless young people into angry citizens bent on violence and disruption.

As we learn more about Kirk’s alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, we see Charlie’s theories play out in an eerily profound manner. Raised in a formerly Mormon household, Robinson walked away from his family’s faith and conservative ideals to become an increasingly liberal youth with a penchant for guns. A stellar student with a promising future, Robinson earned a $32,000 scholarship at Utah State, yet returned home in just a few short semesters with a transgender lover and a vile hatred for Kirk that seemingly caused him to turn violent. In one fateful act of indescribable horror, Robinson chose to end the life of a man whose sole mission was to share his love of God and country with our nation’s youth.

How could this have happened? What kind of evil is this? And why are so many people celebrating the death of this man of God?

Only one name can explain all of the above: Satan. The father of all evil, chaos, and hate delights in every effort to silence the name of Jesus – the name that Kirk repeatedly called upon when speaking to young people. In every tour, interview, and speech, Charlie consistently urged everyone who would listen to celebrate their God-given genders, monogamous heterosexual relationships, and love of their Creator.

Kirk’s longtime friend, conservative activist Robby Starbuck, described Charlie’s love of God in the following manner: “Aside from being a father, perhaps Charlie’s greatest achievement is talking about God to young people during a time when too many were afraid to do that.”

TPUSA elaborated further on Kirk’s legacy in their online tribute:

“Charlie Kirk’s life was a testament to faith, courage, and conviction. From his earliest days, he believed America was worth fighting for, and he dedicated every moment of his 31 years to that cause. He lived with eyes fixed on eternity, grounded in the truth of God’s Word, and driven by a calling bigger than himself.

“Charlie was a servant of the Lord, a devoted husband to Erika, a loving father to two beautiful children, and a leader of uncommon clarity and strength. He did not seek influence for its own sake. Instead, he poured his life into others, raising up a generation who would be bold in their faith, steadfast in their love of freedom, and unafraid to defend their country.“

How do we counter this corruption of college campuses, this celebration of carnality, and this perversion of justice? We can only do so by demonstrating the love of Christ. Jesus demonstrated forgiveness as He hung on a cross, taking the place of all of us, even as we lay drenched in our own sinful natures.

In a prophetic interview Kirk gave on June 29th, he was asked what he wanted to be remembered for, “if everything else went away.”

“I want to be remembered for courage for my faith,” Kirk answered, without flinching. “That would be the most important thing. The most important thing is my faith.”

Faith cannot be demonstrated in a vacuum nor glean a harvest without planting seeds. John 12:21 tells us, “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”

Now is the time for all Christians to demonstrate patience, forgiveness, and love. I believe Christ will use Charlie’s death to enact a great awakening – not just in our nation but worldwide. It all starts with us. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

We have a profound opportunity to show forgiveness right now. We need to show that we, as Christians, are different from the rest of the world, which wants to show anger, vengeance, and violence when met with unjust hatred. As Christians, we are told to “turn the other cheek” (Matthew 5:39) and to forgive without ceasing (Matthew 18:22)

Christ demonstrated His love for those who hated Him enough to nail Him to a cross, even though He committed no sins. How can we, as Christians, do any less? Even as Jesus was hanging from a tree, dying an excruciating death, He forgave those who killed, mocked, and reviled him. It was from the cross that Christ uttered the words that should resonate in the heart of every believer when He said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

While we can’t fathom the level of evil that would compel someone to shed innocent blood, we don’t have to. Evil exists. “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” (John 15:18)

Despite the presence of evil in this world, love prevails. As the Apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 13:13, “And the greatest of these is love.”

As Kirk’s pastor and co-chair of TPUSA, Rob McCoy said, “Charlie did not die. Instead, he has begun to truly live. His life was secured eternally by His Savior, Jesus Christ. This truth allowed Charlie to face every threat with courage because he didn’t fear death.”

McCoy continued, “All evil knows is death, and they derive power from death. Charlie lived for life and will be remembered for this. Evil has not prevailed, and it will not win.”

We, too, can continue Charlie’s battle to overcome the forces of evil on this earth by continually sharing Christ’s forgiveness.  Instead of letting this break us with the senselessness of this violent act, let us, instead, demonstrate love. It is only then that we will prevail.

When acts of historic hatred take place, such as this one, we must continue to pray that God will allow us to demonstrate fearless forgiveness. As the Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 12:21, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”