Heaping Hot Coals Upon Their Heads
Erika Kirk and the Courage of Forgiveness
At Charlie Kirkโs memorial service, his widow Erika did something shocking in todayโs culture:
She forgave Charlieโs assassin.
Other speakers spoke of or hinted at vengeance, but when it was her turn to take the podium, through tear-glossed eyes and a choked voice, she declared in the words of her Savior, โForgive them for they know not what they do.โ
Everything within us recoils at the thought. โCharlie deserves justice!!!โ we scream.
But thereโs a HUGE difference between justice and vengeance. Justice is the restoration of order, correction of error, and healing of wounds to promote a better tomorrow. Vengeance is seeking to sate bloodlust after being wronged or the perception of being wronged.
The former recognizes value in all humans, the need for righteousness, and goodness in selflessness. The latter recognizes pleasure in violence and wrath until the soul becomes numb and bitter. Entertaining vengeance is the way to pride and hopelessness.
Therefore, knowing which path to follow is the difference between life and death.
The Bible warns us repeatedly how bitterness and self-obsession lead to chaos and destruction:
Pharaoh craved power over his enemies and doomed his nation to terror
Eli refused to deal sternly with his rebellious sons and Israel suffered
Saul hated David, sought to kill him, and watched his kingdom crumble
David lost his son Absalom to vengeful troops who ignored their king
Countless Israelite kings picked fights they couldnโt win through selfish ambition
While not all the above cases involved vengeance, the same character was present. Bloodlust breeds sin and corrupts generations, producing a downward spiral of revolving catastrophes.
But there is a weapon against which bloodlust cannot prosper: Forgiveness.
Forgiveness is courageous and powerful BECAUSE it is counterintuitive, flying in the face of human thought and desire. Few, in the name of the greater good, will look their enemies in the face and say, โSin and death stop here.โ Itโs been that way since the dawn of time.
Until the cross.
You see, Erika was doing something you and I forget daily. She was looking into the loving eyes of the King of kings and Lord of lords, remembering the ultimate sacrifice where sin and death lost their sting.
She wasnโt condoning the actions of the shooter, she wasnโt calling for his release, and she certainly wasnโt expecting the government to go easy on him. Justice is due, and the government exists to uphold and protect the people and their God-given rights (Romans 13).
But for us personally, the cross serves our example. No one deserved more than God-in-the-flesh to wipe out his haters and enemies while they mocked, abused, scarred, and killed him. The epitome of perfection walked among us and could have sought justice for our crimes, but he chose a more radical option.
By choosing grace, Christ fused love and anger and accomplished what had only been advised through imperfect spokesmen. โBe angry and do not sinโ (Psalm 4:4) was embodied in his life, sacrifice, and resurrection, so much so that Paul demanded the church emulate the character of that psalm (Ephesians 4:26).
Allowing bitterness to invade is to open the door for the devil. His is a zero-sum game, and your soul stripped of joy and purpose is the prize.
Healthy anger longs for restitution while refusing to be swallowed in a bottomless pit of despair. Erika knew that. Which is why she refused to give in to spite and vindictiveness.
Next time you find yourself in impossible pain, remember that moment and choose the path to resurrection.
Itโs okay to mourn. Necessary, even. But as Paul says in Romans 12, vengeance belongs to the Lord, and by forgiving instead of seeking retribution, you heap hot coals upon the enemies of the Gospel.
They are so tormented by the Christian refusal to share their misery that they are driven insane or question the side theyโve chosen.
Fire not only stings. It also purifies. Recall the hot coal used to cleanse Isaiahโs lips in Isaiah 6. When you surrender to the King of kings and lay bare your soul, you enter the possibility of new creation, but when you resist, death, sin, and endless torture await.
Either way, Christ wins. Justice and truth always prevail in the end. Why sacrifice the sanctity of your soul when your King has beaten the darkness?
THATโs the challenge Erika Kirk offered to over 100 millions viewers and attendees, including you.
What will you choose?
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