Charles Dickens starts his novel David Copperfield with this line: “Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show.” The literal meaning of hero is “protector” or “guardian.” However, in everyday usage a hero is someone who in the face of danger and adversity, or from a position of weakness, displays courage and the will for self-sacrifice to achieve a higher good. The life of David Copperfield demonstrates that he is not the hero of his own life. Someone else is his hero.

There are people whom we do regard as real heroes. We think of men like Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Guido de Brès. In the face of terrible danger and at considerable risk to their personal lives, these men displayed courage as they strove to bring the Word of God back to the people. Guido de Brès did that at the cost of his own life. But even men like these would never have claimed to be a hero in the fullest sense of the word, as if somehow in their own strength they were the protectors and guardians of their own lives and the lives of others. Guido de Brès said on the day of his execution: “This morning I have been condemned to death for the doctrine of the Son of God. Praise be to him. I am happy. I never dared to think that God would do me such an honour.” Even heroes recognize that whatever they are and whatever they accomplish is only possible through Jesus Christ, our real hero.

The Real Hero⤒🔗

In the Bible God is clearly portrayed as our hero in the literal sense of the word: He is our defender, protector, and guardian. David writes in Psalm 23:

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

These words are fulfilled in our Lord Jesus Christ. He is our hero not only in the sense that He protects and guards us, but also in the sense that He faced terrific danger with courage and the willingness to sacrifice Himself in order to defend us. His heroism was not accomplished with great fanfare and the kind of swashbuckling bravado that our culture likes to see in its heroes. When Jesus Christ faced the great enemy Satan, He did not raise a fist or a sword, nor did He surround Himself with an army of disciples, but He became obedient to death. To all appearances, He was a quiet, low-key hero. He was obedient to his Father – both in keeping the law and being willing to pay for the sins of his people by death on a cross. His victory cry was “it is finished.” His heroism was confirmed in breathing his last and bowing his head in death. No greater sacrifice has the world ever seen. No greater suffering has any man ever endured. That was a real hero – a one-of-a-kind hero – that died on Golgotha. We read in Hebrews 2:14, 15:

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

Jesus Christ is the hero of our life: He has delivered us from Satan, sin, and death. He has also caused us to be born again through his Spirit. And even though we live in a world that is still the valley of the shadow of death, He remains our constant guardian and defender.

Heroes of Faith←⤒🔗

We saw that Charles Dickens starts David Copperfield with this line: “Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show.” To us the answer is obvious: only Jesus Christ is the hero in my life. However, when we genuinely believe that and live by faith in Jesus Christ, then we also become heroes. Think of Hebrews 11 where we read of believing men and women who are often called “heroes of faith.” Their heroism was not in the first place a matter of what they accomplished, but it was a matter of their undivided confidence in Jesus Christ. Looking in faith to Jesus Christ, they denied themselves, took up their cross and followed Jesus. And in Jesus Christ they began to do very courageous things. Some of them might not sound like heroes. We read of Abel offering a better sacrifice; Abraham prepared to offer Isaac as a sacrifice; Moses’ parents hiding him for three months; Rahab the prostitute welcoming the Israelite spies in Jericho. Of others we read:

Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated – the world was not worthy of them.

A hero of faith does not have to accomplish spectacular feats of strength and courage and sacrifice. A hero of faith does not have to receive accolades, trophies, medals, or a Nobel peace prize. He or she must hold on to Jesus and courageously live life to the praise and glory of God.

The Right Stuff←⤒🔗

Let us take an example from Scripture. In the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3, we read of regular everyday people who go to work at the local guild and are pressured to worship the emperor or the pagan gods of their particular guild. Failure to do so could result in loss of job, an inability to buy and sell, and even the loss of freedom, property, and life. Jesus Christ said to them:

To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Whoever denies himself, takes up his cross, and follows Jesus in all situations is more than a conqueror. He or she is a hero of faith. Such people could never do this in their own strength. But they can do it in Jesus Christ who leads them safely through the valley of the shadow of death.

Who is the Hero?←⤒🔗

Our concept of a hero really should not be shaped by culture and the entertainment industry. Even history skews the idea of what it takes to be a hero. Considering what we have said above, heroes are everyday men and women, boys and girls who live by faith in Jesus Christ. A hero is a teenager working at McDonald’s who refuses to work on Sunday or to get involved in the immoral lifestyle of fellow workers.

A hero is a college student who quietly but firmly states in biology classes a personal belief in God as Creator of this world. A hero is a young wife who dares to get pregnant and to raise children in the midst of a broken world. A hero is a business person who engages in fair business practices with everyone. Heroes are regular, everyday people who have experienced the joy of salvation in Jesus Christ and courageously use their lives to serve God and to build up the life of their neighbour.