Becoming Someone's Hero Series

Babe Ruth had hit 714 home runs during his baseball career and was playing one of his last full major league games. It was the Braves versus the Reds in Cincinnati. But the great Ruth was no longer as agile as he had once been. He fumbled the ball and threw badly, and in one inning alone his errors were responsible for most of the five runs scored by Cincinnati.

As the Babe walked off the field after the third out and headed toward the dugout, a crescendo of yelling and booing reached his ears. Just then a boy jumped over the railing onto the playing field. With tears streaming down his face, he threw his arms around the legs of his hero.

Ruth didn’t hesitate for one second. He picked up the boy, hugged him, and set him down on his feet, patting his head gently. The noise from the stands came to an abrupt halt. Suddenly there was no more booing. In fact, a hush fell over the entire park. In those brief moments, the fans saw two heroes: Ruth, who in spite of his dismal day on the field could still care about a little boy; and the small lad, who cared about the feelings of another human being. Both had melted the hearts of the crowd.

Anyone can be a hero, despite the unlikelihood of it being true. Heroic acts show up every day in the most obscure places, and heroism manifests itself in the most improbable of people. The world has never been without heroes; unfortunately, the world always seems to choose heroes with no heroic qualities.

A poll conducted a few years ago revealed that 60% of American adults have no heroes. In an aforementioned poll, middle-schoolers chose celebrities and athletes most often as their heroes. But what of the daily heroes we behold daily? How about hardworking moms and dads who strive to keep their families together? What about the men and women in service jobs who struggle every day to make our lives better? Are there any who still consider the spiritual heroes who endeavor to touch the spirit of man with God’s grace and mercy?

BACKGROUND

To conclude our series on Unlikely Heroes, we must once again consider a Scripture passage from the writings of Paul. Yes, we did look at him as one of our unlikely heroes, but we must realize that in his many writings there aren’t too many subjects about which he didn’t write. The passage for our consideration today is no different.

Paul understood what it was like to be a hero, and often encouraged Christians in that regard, though he never used those words specifically. What he comprehended were two facts concerning the followers of Christ.

First, Christians need spiritual heroes in their lives. Spiritual heroes inspire us by both their conduct and their words. They not only provide an example for us to follow, but they also speak words of life to us that assist us in living out our own spiritual journeys. I believe that regular fellowship with believers through church attendance, small groups, one-on-one discipleship, etc., places us in contact with fellow believers who will invest themselves in us.

Second, every Christian should be a hero to other believers. The New Testament is permeated with scriptural advice on how we are to serve and assist fellow believers. Just as you need heroes, so does every other Christian, and you are a hero to someone.

It is great to look at heroes of times past, such as Paul and Peter, Polycarp and Ignatius, Martin Luther and William Tyndale, John Wesley and Charles Spurgeon, and Dwight Moody and Billy Graham. But we need live heroes to which we can look to provide not only an example but advice and counsel as well.

So, the passage we will consider for this study is Romans 12:3-21. In it we will uncover advice on how each of us can become someone’s hero. As per his usual style of writing, Paul writes doctrinally in the first part of this letter (Chapters 1-11) and then practically in the second part of the letter (Chapters 12-16). This chapter begins the practical part of Paul’s letter to the church in Rome.

I. Know Who You Are (vs. 3-5)

Some comic book heroes have a double identity. For instance, Superman is the mild-mannered reporter, Clark Kent; Batman is the persona of billionaire playboy, Bruce Wayne; and Spiderman is the guise of the nerdy teenager, Peter Parker. Their ability to keep both identities helps to protect their loved ones as well as give them the ability to live a somewhat normal life.

I love Southern Gospel music and especially Bill Gaither and the old Cathedral Quartet, featuring bass singer George Younce. Years ago, George asked Bill to write him a song, which resulted in the now-classic “Sinner Saved by Grace.” While I respect Gaither’s songwriting, I believe that, theologically, he got this one wrong.