Truth Matters: The other day, shortly after Charlie Kirk was assassinated, I had some personal correspondence with a friend. In passing, I remarked that, whatever the reason, the LORD had removed him, for his work was done. This simple observation was somehow taken to mean that I was declaring Charlie Kirk a true believer in Christ. For this I was reprimanded, though in truth I had never even heard of Kirk until the day he was cut down by an assassin. My words carried no judgment of his eternal state, but rather a sober recognition that life and death are determined by God alone. “So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD… therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.” I Chronicles 10:13-14. The testimony of Saul’s end reminds us that men do not perish by chance, nor do they outlive the purpose of God. Saul’s work was done; his death came at the very moment decreed, for reasons the Lord Himself had appointed. Whether in mercy or in judgment, God numbers our days, fixes the bounds of our habitation, and removes us in His time. To acknowledge this is not to make pronouncements about a man’s ultimate destiny, but to confess the absolute sovereignty of God over life and death. Every life begins and ends at the Lord’s appointment, and no one departs this world a moment sooner or later than God has decreed! Job 14:5. Kings, rulers, and common men alike rise and fall by His decree. Saying a man’s course is complete is not to canonize him, nor to romanize him after the fashion of papal sainthood, but to simply acknowledge the sovereignty of God in these matters of life and death. “The LORD killeth, and maketh alive, he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.” I Samuel 2:6.
Additionally, and in harmony with these thoughts, I would add that our place in this world is not to enthrone ourselves as judges of who is saved and who is lost. That tribunal belongs to Christ alone, Romans 14:4, before whom every knee shall bow and every tongue confess. Our calling is of a different order, to discern truth from error by the light of God’s Word, to confess the name of Christ without wavering, and to hold fast the gospel entrusted to us. I Timothy 1:11. When all is said and done, the only distinction between those that “are of God,” and those that are “of the world,” I John 4:5-6, is mercy and grace alone. Not wisdom, not resolve, not conviction, but simply “the grace of God, and the gift by grace,” which is by Jesus Christ. Romans 5:15. “By the grace of God I am what I am.” I Corinthians 15:10.
As I have been affirming, we are not the arbiters of men’s eternal condition. That prerogative belongs to the Lord alone, who searches the reins and the heart, Jeremiah 17:10; yet at the same time, Scripture commands us to contend earnestly for the faith, Jude 3, to test the spirits whether they are of God, I John 4:1, and to separate light from darkness. This is not optional; it belongs to our allegiance to Christ, Matthew 12:30, and is nothing that we can treat lightly. To love Christ is to love His truth, and to love His truth is to stand unflinchingly for it. John 8:31. So yes, please excuse us, if we seem a little too intense or overly passionate about that which is more precious to us than life itself, Matthew 10:39, the truth of Christ’s person and work. If these words fail, then our whole hope collapses. I Corinthians 15:19. Likewise, please forgive us if we cannot treat the blood of Christ with contempt, whether by denying its power, or by shrugging at it as though it were just some bible concept, and what we believe or understand about it, doesn’t really matter. Hebrews 10:29. Additionally, pardon us if we cannot speak of the gospel as though it were one option among many, like choosing a brand of coffee or a political platform, as if eternal truth were a matter of preference. Do not be surprised if we appear a little narrow-minded when it comes to Christ, or a bit unyielding when it comes to His glory. “For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.” John 17:8.
This presses upon us a sobering consideration, can we truly divide a man from his teaching? The answer is no, it’s impossible. A man’s words reveal his heart, just as fruit reveals the tree, for out of “the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh,” Matthew 12:33-34, and the fruit cannot be split from the tree that bears it. “Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” Matthew 7:17-18. For this reason the apostles not only warned against false ideas but also identified those who spread them. Paul cautioned the church to mark those who cause divisions contrary to the doctrine they had learned, Romans 16:17; John wrote plainly, “if there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed.” II John 10. Such warnings show us that the man and his message stand together. To fellowship with one is to lend credibility to the other. And although we are not apostles, nor pretend to be, yet loyalty to Christ demands faithfulness to his words.
The apostles never shied away from naming those who denied the faith. Paul spoke of Hymenaeus and Alexander who had made shipwreck, I Timothy 1:19-20, and of Hymenaeus and Philetus whose false teaching was eating like a canker, II Timothy 2:16-18. John exposed Diotrephes for his pride and malicious words. III John 9-10. Faithfulness to Christ demands that we expose false apostles and deceitful workers, warning the flock of ravening wolves, whatever the cost, Romans 16:17; for when the gospel is corrupted or distorted, silence is betrayal, and to embrace those who deny Christ is to partake of this “evil deed,” II John 10-11, yet the Lord Himself will render the final verdict, for all authority is His alone. Our part is not to seize His throne, but to remain faithful to His truth, confessing His name without compromise, whatever the cost. MPJ
Postscript: I couldn’t help but notice that his portrait has been sitting on the front page of SermonAudio ever since his assassination. That, to me, is a tragic irony. Here’s a platform that claims to uphold “historic Christianity,” yet it highlights a man whose public voice showed little to no grasp of the gospel of Christ. With so many Calvinists backing that site, you’d think there would be greater discernment. But perhaps this only shows how easily even those who pride themselves on doctrinal precision can drift from the heart of the gospel when Christ Himself is not the measure. The world treats truth as negotiable, but the gospel is life or death. Truth does matter, it is life and death, heaven and hell, Christ or nothing. We do not consign men to hell, but neither can we separate them from their words. Error must be named, truth confessed, and Christ exalted. To tolerate lies in the name of charity is not love but treason against Christ.