Was It God’s Will That Charlie Kirk Be Killed?

Summary

Podcast Summary: Grace in Focus

Episode: Was It God’s Will That Charlie Kirk Be Killed?

Host(s): Bob Wilkin (C), Sam Marr (B)
Date: September 29, 2025

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Overview

In this focused episode of Grace in Focus, Bob Wilkin and Sam Marr tackle complex theological questions about the will of God, prompted by a listener inquiry following the recent shooting of Charlie Kirk. The discussion centrally explores the nuanced distinctions between God’s sovereign will and moral will, addressing how Christians should interpret tragic or sinful events in light of God’s character and plans. Additional listener questions draw connections to biblical passages and doctrines of free will, sin, and redemption, providing practical insights for believers wrestling with God's role in both suffering and human decision-making.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Distinguishing Between God’s Sovereign Will and Moral Will

• Starting Point: The hosts address the assertion that tragic deaths (like Charlie Kirk's) are simply "God’s will."
  • Listener Question: Is it correct to say it was God's will that Charlie Kirk was killed? (01:32)
• Bob Wilkin’s Insight:
  • Recommends Gary Friesen’s Decision Making and the Will of God, highlighting that not everything falls under a specific predestined “dot” of God’s will for our lives (01:32).
  • Quote:

    “There’s a difference between God’s sovereign will and his moral will.” (01:56, C)

  • Explanation:
    • Sovereign Will: What God permits in the universe—everything that happens falls within this, even acts He does not morally endorse.
    • Moral Will: God’s expressed desires—His commands, such as not to murder.

2. Was It God's Will That Charlie Kirk Was Killed?

• Moral vs. Sovereign Will Applied:
  • Killing is outside God’s moral will, but if it occurs, it falls under His sovereign will (02:51-03:53).
  • Quote:

    “He doesn’t cause everything to happen… That wasn’t God’s moral will. But that was God’s sovereign will. Whatever God allowed to happen is part of God’s sovereign will.” (02:53, C)

• No Presumption Beyond Scripture:
  • While tragic events are permitted, claiming to know God’s specific reasoning for any incident goes “beyond Scripture.” (03:53, C)

3. The Book of Job as an Illustration

• Sam’s Question: Is Job a good example of sovereign vs. moral will? (04:22)
• Bob’s Response:
  • God allows Job’s suffering but restricts Satan’s actions—clear boundaries set in Job 1–2 (04:35-05:06).
  • References James regarding God not tempting anyone; Satan must seek permission.
• Memorable Reframing:

  “I’m God, you’re little, I’m big. What’s the quote from Matilda? I’m big, you’re small. I’m right, you’re wrong, I’m smart, you’re dumb. He basically just expresses his sovereignty over creation.” (05:52, B)

4. The Mystery of Suffering and Divine Sovereignty

• Point: God’s reasoning is often withheld—He reveals His sovereignty, not His motives (05:52-06:40).
• Ultimate Assurance:
  • Believers may not understand suffering in this life, but eventual clarity is promised in eternity.

5. Biblical Allusions and Assurance of Righteousness

• Ezekiel Reference:
  • Ezekiel 14:14 names Noah, Job, and Daniel as exemplars of righteousness (07:16).
  • Even such individuals cannot save others from national calamity, underlining individual standing before God.

6. Was Adam’s Disobedience in the Garden “God’s Will”?

• Listener Question (Stephanie): Was Adam's voluntary act of sin part of God's will? (08:05)
• Bob’s Exploration:
  • God designed Adam with genuine free will, including the potential to sin (08:25).
  • God could have restricted Adam’s will (as in the glorified believers in the Millennium), but chose otherwise.
  • Adam’s sin was foreseen and permitted within sovereign will; but it was not God's moral will.
• Connection to Redemption:
  • Adam’s fall set the stage for Christ’s sacrifice, which was also within God’s sovereign will.
• Quote:

  “Even the death of the Lord Jesus Christ was in the sovereign will of God.” (11:24, C)

7. Human Freedom, Sin, and Divine Discipline

• Freedom with Boundaries:
  • Humans are not “puppets”—our freedom is real, but with limits.
  • Even persistent disobedience has boundaries; God disciplines and can “take us home early” if necessary (12:53).
  • Assurance:

    “The good news is God is in control. God is sovereign even when something terrible like an assassination takes place.” (12:53, C)

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “There’s a difference between God’s sovereign will and his moral will.”
  (01:56, C)
• “He doesn’t cause everything to happen... That wasn’t God’s moral will. But that was God’s sovereign will.”
  (02:53, C)
• “If we say we know, we’re going beyond Scripture.”
  (03:53, C)
• “He basically just expresses his sovereignty over creation, over the world, over Job himself, because he made him.”
  (05:52, B)
• “Even the death of the Lord Jesus Christ was in the sovereign will of God.”
  (11:24, C)
• “The good news is God is in control. God is sovereign even when something terrible like an assassination takes place.”
  (12:53, C)

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Key Segment Timestamps

• God’s Will and Tragedy (Charlie Kirk Example) – 00:53–04:22
• Job and Suffering: Theological Boundaries – 04:22–06:40
• Ezekiel and Individual Righteousness – 07:16–08:05
• Adam’s Free Will and Sin – 08:05–12:53
• Practical Assurance and Discipline – 12:53–13:06

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Conclusion

Bob Wilkin and Sam Marr address pressing questions about God’s relationship to tragedy and sin, offering listeners a robust framework for distinguishing between what God permits and what He desires. Using biblical narratives and doctrinal clarity, they remind believers of divine sovereignty, human responsibility, and the ultimate hope that God’s good purposes will be understood fully in eternity. The episode is thoughtful, scripturally grounded, and pastorally sensitive, aiding listeners in wrestling with some of faith’s deepest mysteries.

Transcript

[A]

The following is a listener supported ministry from the Grace Evangelical Society. Is it God's will when people like Charlie Kirk get killed? What is the difference in God's sovereign will and his moral will? Hey, welcome to Grace in Focus. That's what we'll be talking about today and we are glad that you're joining us. This is a ministry of the Grace Evangelical Society. Find [e-mail] lots of information there on our website about our Grace Focus magazine, our free online seminary and our bookstore where you can find Bob Wilkins latest book the Gospel is Still under siege. That's faithalone.org, go there today. And now with today's question and answer discussion, here are Bob Wilken and Sam Marr.

[B]

Alright Bob, we have a couple questions. Both of them are related to God's will. And the first question is related to the shooting of Charlie Kirk. But it's really more of an illustration because we can kind of substitute any heinous sinful act here. But this person's question is he's seen a lot of people saying after the shooting that the Lord called Charlie home or it was God's will for him to die a martyr, things like that. Greg is asking is it correct to say that it was God's will that Charlie Kirk was killed? And, and like I said, we could substitute any tragedy, any sin. Is that God's will?

[C]

We've talked about this on the show before but it's the whole question of what is God's will. There's a good book by Gary Friesen called Decision Making and the Will of God that I would recommend. And basically what he suggests is there's no dot out there where God says you're supposed to marry this person and you're supposed to take this job. You're supposed to have this parking space, you're supposed to wear this shirt today. You're supposed to have this pair of glasses, yada yada yada. No, Friesen's point is that God gives us inbounds areas and out of bounds areas. So God says don't take this kind of job, don't be a hitman, don't be a drug dealer, don't be a prostitute or a pimp. But if you want to be a doctor or if you'd like to be a lawyer or if you'd like to be a trash collector or if you'd like to be an architect or if you wanted to say mo yards, all of that is within the moral will of God. And Friesen points out that There's a difference between God's sovereign will and his moral will. So are you familiar with that, Sam, that distinction?

[B]

I am somewhat, but it'd be great if you could explain the distinction.

[C]

Basically, his sovereign will is whatever he allows to happen. He doesn't cause everything to happen. He didn't cause Hitler to kill 6 million Jews and another 5 million other people. He didn't cause Stalin to kill upwards of 100 million people. Or similarly, in China, Mount Zaytun killed a couple hundred million people. We're not sure how many he killed. That wasn't God's moral will. But that was God's sovereign will. Whatever God allowed to happen is part of God's sovereign will. So was it God's sovereign will that Charlie Kirk die or that JFK died? Yes, that was God's sovereign will, but it was not his moral will. God wishes that none should perish, but all should come to repentance. Second Peter 3, 9. And perish there refers to physically dying prematurely. So it wasn't God's will that Charlie Kirk be killed from a moral standpoint, but since it happened, God allowed it. Why did Trump get shot in the ear and Charlie Kirk got killed? I don't know. But God is sovereign, and God could have allowed Donald Trump to be killed and he could have allowed Charlie Kirk to get hit in the ear. So why all those things happen, we don't know. And if we say we know, we're going beyond Scripture.

[B]

Yeah. Is the Book of Job a good example of this? It was God's sovereign will that Job was, you know, went through every trial and tribulation, but it wasn't God inflicting harm or suffering on Job.

[C]

That's a good point. And the Book of James says God tempts no one, so God allows people to be tempted. And Job is a good example of this. Remember, in Job one and Job two, Satan comes before God when all of the sons of God, which sons of God There in Job 1 and 2, refers to the angels. They're coming before the presence of God. Evidently that included Satan and possibly fallen angels as well.

[A]

And.

[C]

And Satan asked for permission first to attack Job, and God gave him permission, but he couldn't touch Job's body. He couldn't touch Job himself. Then secondly, Satan says, well, he hasn't cursed you yet, because you haven't let me attack him. Let me attack his body. And so God says, okay, you can do that, but don't kill him. God allowed him to strike him with these very, very painful boils. And so yeah, I think Job is an illustration of God's sovereign will. But notice it had restrictions in each case. God restricted what he allowed Satan to do.

[B]

And that book ends with Job and God's dialogue. He doesn't end it by saying, you're going to be included in this great book that you're going to be read about for thousands of years so other believers can read your and they can understand your suffering. He doesn't tell them any of that. He says, I'm God, you're little, I'm big. What's the quote from Matilda? I'm big, you're small. I'm right, you're wrong, I'm smart, you're dumb. He basically just expresses his sovereignty over creation, over the world, over Job himself, because he made him. And he doesn't explain all of it. We have the blessing of that revelation being explained to us. We have God's written word. But once we are with the Lord for eternity and so many things that we question now are going to be revealed to us and it'll make sense why those things happen that way.

[A]

Did you know that the Grace Evangelical Society offers an M. Div. Degree through our online seminary and tuition is free to those who maintain a 3.0 grade average. It is a three year degree program and you can submit your application now to gain acceptance. Then stay apprised of our registration periods for upcoming semester terms. Program and application details can be found [e-mail] have a look at our M. Div. Become an approved workman. Find out how gesceminary.org there's an interesting.

[C]

Verse in Ezekiel chapter 14 and verse 14, God says through Ezekiel, even if Noah, Job or Daniel were here, they would only save themselves. They would not save the nation. Job is specifically mentioned by name as one of three people who were righteous enough so that they could save themselves if there was calamity coming. Like for example, Noah was saved when the flood came, right? And Job is listed along with Daniel. These are three people you wouldn't necessarily think were the greatest, holiest people in the Old Testament. And yet God singles those three out. The second person's also asking about the will of God, right?

[B]

Yes, the will of God. I'm sure you and Ken have talked about this before, but this lady's name is Stephanie and her question is, was Adam's voluntary act of personal disobedience in the garden the will of God? So is it God's will that Adam disobey him? Which sounds like an oxymoron a God will that someone do something against his will. But.

[C]

But that's actually not wrong. It's actually right what you just said. Because everything that happens is part of God's sovereign will. In other words, let's look at it this way. God could have created Adam in such a way that he had free will, but his free will was restricted to the point where he would never will to sin. In other words, he wouldn't have chosen to eaten the forbidden fruit and couldn't have done that because his free will would have excluded a desire to do anything wrong. It's like in the millennium we'll be there, right? We'll have glorified bodies and we will not sin at all. Now there will be people who sin in the millennium because there will be people in natural bodies, but we won't sin. But yet we won't be zombies. We're going to have free will. We're going to make choices. And some of the choices we make will be better than others. They'll all be good, good, better, best. But it doesn't mean everything we do is going to be equal. And in terms of Adam, God created Adam such that he could sin and so that Adam could choose to eat the forbidden fruit. There's other ways. He could have sinned. God told him to tend the garden. He could have refused and said, no, I'm not going to take care of the garden. When he says, be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. He could have said, no, I'm not going to have any children. I don't want any children. That would have been sin too. But he chose to do this. And by the way, it's interesting, it sounds like he was standing right next to Eve when she ate the forbidden fruit. And you have to wonder why he didn't urge her not to do that. Don't do that. What are you thinking? Satan's lying to you. Don't listen to this serpent. And then she takes it and she gives it to him and he eats. And according to Paul in First Timothy 2, she was deceived, but Adam wasn't deceived. So Stephanie's right. Adam knew what he was doing. And was that God's will? Yes, even though it sounds odd, it was God's will that he do that. And that led to the shed blood of Christ. So was it God's will that his only son would go through suffering? All these kangaroo courts, beating, scourging, having to carry his cross, having to be on the cross for six hours, being mocked at the cross was all that part of God's will. Jesus said, no, get behind me, Satan, because it was God's will that he go to the cross. His whole life ministry was pointed to the cross. And, and so yes, even the death of the Lord Jesus Christ was in the sovereign will of God. And so because God's sovereign will allowed Adam to sin, it became God's sovereign will that the Lord Jesus Christ would suffer and die on the cross for the sins of the world, that he would remove the sin barrier. And by the way, I think Stephanie's a part of Ken's online Zoom class. And so thanks Ken for having that class and Stephanie for being in it. I want to say thanks to Greg and to Stephanie for these questions about the will of God because they are very, very practical. So realize God doesn't keep us to where we're in a straight jacket and we're just puppets. God allows us to freedom, but our freedom fortunately is restricted. We may sin and we do sin, but if we're walking in fellowship with God and we're walking in the light, the Holy Spirit is convicting us and he's transforming us. Romans 12:2. And even if we get out of the will of God in terms of the moral will of God and we're walking in in darkness, even that is limited. At some point God is going to keep ratcheting up the discipline and he'll take us home early if we stay out of line. So the good news is God is in control. God is sovereign even when something terrible like an assassination takes place.

[B]

Amen.

[C]

All right, well, thanks. And what are we going to do? Keep grace in focus.

[A]

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