What is a hero?

The Bible says,

Proverbs 16:32 “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.”

What is a Biblical hero? How is that different from today's modern heroes?

Today’s modern definition states, “a person noted for courageous acts or nobility of character:”

But is this really what a hero is? In one sense, yes, but would we use this definition throughout the Bible?

In the Bible, there were many heroes, but not all of them were what we would call heroes. Many in the Bible were thrown in jail and mocked for how they lived for Christ.

Is that different from today? In my opinion, heroes today are individuals that go against culture whether people agree with them or not. They stand on faith. This is similar to the Bible, as Christians were frequently the outcasts.

A modern hero might be someone who has a lot of money, starred in a movie or is a notable athlete. We might say, “This is my hero.”

However, I believe a better example is someone who is persecuted for their beliefs and stands firm on what they believe. That is a true hero.

Someone who does not care what people think about their faith is a hero.

Someone who doesn't care what may happen if they share the gospel, that is a hero.

In the past few years, we have individually had to decide who we will trust and what we believe. That is different for all of us. What would it look like standing alone, but doing the right thing? This is happening. A hero is a person willing to stand alone FOR God, even if they are doing it alone WITH God. Living for God must be modeled.

“Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.”