The news broke Wednesday concerning Michael Vick and the federal indictment with regards to dog fighting in Virginia. Without making any reference to his guilt or innocence (I cannot do that, as I have no way of knowing if he is guilty or not), there are some lessons that leap out to all of us as we hear, and will continue to hear, all of the allegations, the comments and the hype regarding Mr. Vick.

First, as the news broke, we had to hear about all those who believe he is guilty, and those who will give him the benefit of the doubt because he is the Atlanta Falcon’s quarterback. We will continue to hear this for the weeks and months ahead. Everyone has an opinion, and everyone wants to share their opinion about the matter. It will probably be that justice will once again be thwarted simply because this will be tried in the media, not in the courts where it is supposed to be tried. God, in his word, has set up government for the purpose of dealing with lawbreakers, and for meting out justice (Romans 13). The rightness or wrongness of actions should never be based upon public reaction, or public opinion. It must be based upon law. We have gotten so far away from that in this country, where God’s laws, his will and his ways are totally ignored on the basis of what people’s opinions are.

Second, simply because Mr. Vick is a well known football player, and because so many love football, many will declare him “Not Guilty” simply because he is a star quarterback. We have made heroes in this country out of star athletes, and they can do no wrong. We excuse their actions and their sins, and hold them up to the youth of America as those to whom they should look as role models. Yet many of these same people are breaking laws with impunity, and daring anyone to say anything about them. Should it surprise us that many of our young people, as well as many older people, think that they can get away with breaking the law for the same reasons?

Who are we setting up as heroes in our country today? Those who are popular, flashy, dressy, and on movies and television portraying characters that are against all God stands for? Those who are athletes who flaunt the laws of the land and dare anyone to say anything about it?

Our heroes need to be those who exemplify the Christian life. It was Paul who stressed that he was to be imitated as he imitated Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). It was Paul who stressed that Jesus should be our hero, as we look at the Philippians 2:5-11. And, as further evidence of those whom he set up as examples, later in the same chapter Paul stresses that Timothy and Epaphroditus are examples to the church at Philippi as well. Why? Because of their likeness to Christ. Christ should be the one we emulate, imitate and pattern our lives after – not these movie stars, television stars, rock stars, star athletes . . . ad nauseum. America is going down the tubes because we do not have the proper role models for the good of society.

Again, let me say that I am not judging Mr. Vick’s guilt or innocence. That is for the courts to decide. Real heroes, however, would be so far from doing anything wrong or breaking the law that their names would never come up in the kinds of connections that so many of our “so called heroes” today do. It is time to put things back in their proper perspective. It is time that we hold up the heroes of the Bible as the example to the church, and to the world. God help us if we do otherwise.