Don’t Try to be a Super-hero Christian!

Don’t Try to be a Super-hero Christian!

I have to admit something, Captain America is my favorite super-hero. The Avengers are my favorite super-hero team and the Marvel movies which showcase them are some of my favorite movies. Captain America is particularly appealing because he is a very moral character, selfless, as well as a strong leader. In many ways I want to be more like Cap. But this isn’t reality. There’s no way I can be like Cap unless I become a comic book character. And he always makes the right decision, sacrifices himself for the team. Furthermore, there are people in my life that I consider “super-hero” Christians, pastors and professors who seem to do no wrong. Their sermons are eloquent, their lives are marked by true humility and grace. I certainly am guilty of putting these men and women up on a pedestal. Something God has been teaching me lately is that I can’t expect to be exactly like these “super-hero” Christians. God does not want me to compare myself to other believers all the time. His standard revolves around one person, Jesus Christ. After all, Scripture proclaims, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8).

Christ, Greater Than Any Superhero
Jesus is the perfect being, having both a human and divine nature. Neither one conflicts with or contaminates the other. He is God. He is the Son of God who came to earth on a rescue mission. Greater than any super-hero, he willingly laid down his life for his enemies. It would be like Batman giving up his life to save the Joker. What a vivid picture that is. On a much grander scale, God the Father sent his only Son on the bravest, most daring rescue mission this world has ever known. Satan, God’s arch-enemy had infected the world with evil and the presence of sin permeated everything. The picture was bleak. Hope was thin. The earth was dark. But God had a plan. In the most brilliant, yet humble fashion, Christ entered into the world. He was born supernaturally of a virgin and took on human flesh for the first time (Luke 1:26-38; John 1:14-18). He lived a sinless life, perfectly obeying God’s commands. He performed many miracles, including opening blind eyes, resurrecting the dead and causing a storm-tossed sea to be still. This paved the way for the gospel. The good news that Christ came to sacrifice himself to save sinners was on display like a neon sign in the night sky. Christ went to the cross, was beaten beyond recognition, nails pounded into his hands and feet, hung for hours and forsaken by the Father because of love (Isaiah 53). If we repent of our sins and believe in Christ we will be saved (Romans 10:9-10). The greatest super-hero was a real man and he was God himself, the God-Man Jesus Christ. We don’t have to compare ourselves to a fictional character when we have the real deal in Jesus Christ. Lord help me find my worth in you alone and seek to emulate your character and no one else’s, Amen!