At various times in my Christian life, I have been urged to “git [sic] myself a hero” because “we all need heroes”.  As I’ve grown in Christ, I am learning more and more to test everything I’m told by the Word of God. If the Scriptures back it up, then great!  If what is said goes against the Scriptures, then it is wrong…. and, if the Scriptures are silent, we ought to give liberty one to another.

So, let’s consider this topic of heroes. As with many things, definitions are important; I want to define my “hero” as Someone whom I admire and want to be like.

I can see two problems with having a hero as I’ve defined it… first is the last part of the definition: …and want to be like — this inherently wrong. Christians are supposed to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, not “Bro X”. God created us as unique individuals; he wants each of us to submit to His will so that He can grow us into the best version of ourselves.

I have no problem with admiration (there are a number of people I admire for various reasons), but I don’t think admiration is sufficient to merit “hero” status; there are many people I can admire  for their achievements, but that I don’t want to be like.

The other problem is that we are sinners, and have a tendency to sin. If we have a “hero”, it is so very easy to worship that hero, and worship belongs to God alone.