Glenn Beck on Justice, Mercy, and Erika Kirk's Christlike Forgiveness After an Unthinkable Loss
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Glenn Beck on Justice, Mercy, and Erika Kirk's Christlike Forgiveness After an Unthinkable Loss
Glenn Beck addresses the tension between justice and mercy following a tragedy that took an innocent life. He examines Erika Kirk's powerful act of forgiveness, drawing on biblical principles to explain why true victory isn't found in hatred or revenge, but in denying evil what it wants most. Kirk argues that while justice must be served through lawful consequences, it must be balanced with mercy and a soft heart. He challenges listeners to recognize the real enemy isn't flesh and blood, but the spiritual forces that thrive on hatred and division. This message explores how Christians can seek accountability while maintaining compassion, even in the face of devastating loss.
I want to talk to you a little bit about what I believe is coming in our society, what you need to prepare for. Hopefully I'm wrong. Generally speaking, you know, gross exaggeration here, but I'm right on a lot of these things. I'm just really bad at timing. I talked to you three, four years ago that I thought the year that we ended up doing BLM, I thought that was the year that assassinations were going to come. And we're here now. And I pray that this is wrong, but we're not done.
Why Public Execution Is Not the Answer
I also want to talk to you a little bit about putting the killer to death. There are people that are really very excited about putting this killer to death. A public execution in front of the White House televised for the whole world to see. A sign that the right is no longer just messing around. Okay, that's a really bad idea. First of all, that's not justice. If anyone deserves the death penalty, it would be someone like this. Took an innocent man away from his wife and kids forever. It is the state law that matters, and the state of Utah has the death penalty, and they use it. But should we be crying for the death penalty? I mean, is that an eye for an eye? Would that be a victory?
Erika Kirk's Powerful Example of Christlike Forgiveness
Yesterday I saw a second version of what justice looks like, but it's not one what I just said about executing people in front of the highest that maybe that's some kind of justice, but it's all justice. No mercy. Yesterday I saw justice mainly mercy from Erika Kirk and I want to share what she said.
My husband Charlie, he wanted to save young men just like the one who took his life. That young man on the cross, our savior said, "Father, forgive them for they not know what they do." That young man, I forgive him. I forgive him because it was what Christ did and is what Charlie would do. The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the gospel is love and always love. Love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.
What an amazing, an absolute amazing example of being Christlike.
Understanding the Real Enemy
So let me take this a step further. The man who killed Charlie deserves death. I mean, I think we all have the right to hate him. Especially the wife that will never see her husband again. But that's not victory and that's not what we're supposed to do. It's natural for us to want revenge. And that's what he wanted. He wanted revenge. He wanted to stop the man who he believed was spreading hate. Except he didn't. This always works in the opposite way. Always. But Erika just showed us what true vengeance, if you will, looks like. Because she knows who the real enemy is.
The real enemy doesn't care about the killer at all. At all. The real enemy used that kid and is done with him. Okay. If he would die right now, it wouldn't matter. Maybe the real enemy would rejoice, but it doesn't matter. Just another soul lost forever. Another member of God's family ripped away from him. And all those who follow God, well, they're too busy cheering on his death to realize what just happened.
Wrestling Against Principalities and Powers
So, I want to be very, very careful here because I'm going to make the point for the death penalty in this case as well. Paul the Apostle put it really plainly. He said, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Want to take real revenge? Deny evil what it wants. Do good instead."
The real enemy shrieked in pain when she said that. That's not what the real enemy wants. He wants hatred. He needs hatred. You make them shriek when you pray for the redemption of everyone. And everybody is now seeing how Christians are reacting to Charlie's death, even his killer. We haven't burned cities down. We're not screaming in the streets. We are denying what evil wants.
The Difference Between Forgiveness and Justice
But forgiveness, forgiveness is different, isn't it? Isn't forgiveness different than justice? Forgiveness is absolutely required of Christians. But justice and mercy, those are the scales. Justice and mercy.
Justice is about order, accountability, and the consequence of choices. But if you just go for justice that hardens into deep and profound cruelty, it leaves strict law without compassion, leaves no room for growth, no room for redemption. The human condition of weakness. It punishes, but it never heals. A world with all justice and no mercy is just a cold tribunal where even the small mistakes are crushed under the weight of total imperfect law.
But justice must be satisfied. One of the problems that we're having right now is justice is never paid by anybody. They get away with anything. And we are crying out for justice, which makes it harder because sometimes mercy is confused with no justice.
Why Mercy Without Justice Fails
Mercy by itself is compassion. It is forgiveness. It is second chances. But mercy without justice loses its meaning entirely. It just becomes indulgence. There are no boundaries, no consequences, no standards of right and wrong anymore. None of it. It devolves into the society that we have right now. And wrongdoing just remains unchecked. Victims are forgotten. Society erodes and there is no accountability whatsoever.
So which one do you want? Which one do you want? Justice protects the innocent, but mercy redeems the guilty. Order and love. I want both. God's law demands justice, yet his character demands mercy.
Justice Served With a Soft Heart
You know, I think Utah has the firing squad, and if they go for the death penalty, I would hope that everybody on that firing squad is weeping, that they are providing justice that must be served, but they are doing it with a soft and gentle heart and mercy.
Looking to Christ's Example
If you're struggling with this message, I get it. I don't blame you. Hate is really natural and it's justified at times. It really is. But it also weighs us down. That's why we're supposed to look to Christ. That's why we're supposed to look to God.
You know, Jesus has nails in his body. Can you imagine what that was like? Imagine what it was like for him to even breathe, let alone talk. And the reason why usually those who were crucified, they had to break their legs was because they could use their legs to pull themselves up. Because hanging in that position as you would sag more and more, it's not only ripping the nails, but it's also causing your lungs to collapse. You cannot breathe. So imagine nails in your feet and you are pushing yourself up to be able to breathe and to forgive someone to say out loud, "Father, forgive them." Wow. Wow.
And he had every right to come back from the dead and go, "All right, you want to play that way? Let me show you what I can do." But he didn't. Instead, he came back and told his followers, many who abandoned him, to go into the world and try to save those who put holes in his hands and his feet. And they knew that they would die. They knew that they would die. But Christ knew that no matter how evil men can become, that's not the real enemy.
What the Real Enemy Wants
The real enemy needs hatred because with hatred, we can lose our first citizenship. We lose the kingdom of God. And that's all he wants. That's all the real enemy wants. Hatred to separate us from our father and separate all mankind because he's mad at dad.
Why Justice Must Be Served
I happen to believe that justice needs to be served. I believe that we are in such chaos because justice hasn't been served in quite some time. The laws of Utah are for a murder like this. It is the death penalty and that is the law. I don't want the laws changed to make a point. I don't want him having the exception and not paying a price for this. I believe the death penalty is the right thing because I believe that there has to be punishment. It has to be punished especially when it is so egregious.
But it must be done with mercy. Love them. Forgive them. Give justice. But pray that they go back home.
