I grew up in the 60’s and early 70’s. This was a stressful time in our nation. The Vietnam conflict was raging with daily news reports of the number of soldiers who were dying in the jungles of Asia. At home, people were rioting and protesting everything, including the war. Even my little hometown in Michigan was impacted. I remember riding my bike into town and finding an extremely dangerous situation brewing as a large group of motorcyclists entered downtown and it was clear they had trouble on their minds. Fortunately, it calmed down without damage, but the tension and fear were very real.
To deal with the turmoil, people sought out any distraction they could find. One of those was a daredevil named Evel Knievel. Some may remember that he was a motorcycle stunt man who would jump his bike over about anything. Unfortunately, he did not always make it. He is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most bones broken in a lifetime with a total of 433. Yet he continued to attempt bigger and bigger stunts.
The reaction of people in this chaotic time is what I what to highlight. Mr. Knievel drew large crowds of adoring fans with many of his performances becoming television specials. He was lauded in the media and by his followers as being a very courageous man. At the same time, there were men who faced death every moment of every day as they fought a war against an enemy that did not always play by the rules. These men, returning from a war they did not start, who were simply obeying the laws of their country, were treated with disdain and hatred.
My point is not to discuss the rightness or wrongness of the responses in these two situations, but to point out they represent quite different definitions of courage. Is courage best demonstrated by creating danger and facing it fearlessly? Or is courage more about standing up to those life situations over which we have no control and dealing with them with confidence?
The question is relevant because of the admonition of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.14 Do everything in love. This passage is near the end of a letter Paul wrote to a church who found themselves in some very deep distress. Satan had gotten a foothold and had caused chaos. The church we overwhelmed by sexual immorality, including incest, a situation Paul declares even the pagans did not practice. There was hatred and division over things that had little eternal consequence. After these issues are addressed with some very pointed instructions, these men are reminded to be on their guard, stand firm in the faith, and be men of courage.
I do not see in this any way Paul is telling them to courageously become daredevils to impress the people around them. No, he is defining courage as the ability to stand against the persistent attempts of Satan to pull them away from godliness. He is reminding them of the dangers of Satan’s traps. In the Bible’s definition, genuine courage begins with attentiveness, watching for the enemy before he has a chance to get a foothold. This leads to a firm stance of faith that defeats the attacks when they do come, and it results in a renewed strength that prepares us for the next battle to be faced.
The true hero in God’s eyes is the man willing to do whatever is necessary to stand firm in his commitment to godliness and consistency in his life. The true hero is the man who will stand in the gap for his family and model the courage necessary to say no to temptation and yes to the power of God’s Holy Spirit. The true hero is the one who will someday here “Well done, good and faithful servant.”