Our age is so hard on most of its heroes that it suffers from what some refer to as the gotterdammerung—the destruction of the gods! Since most politicians lead less than perfect lives, they are regularly "slain" by the press when their peccadilloes are uncovered.

And the rumor mill rarely leaves the royals for very long. The British Royal Family in particular has suffered much from the disillusionment syndrome in recent years. Over the last few decades three royal marriages have ended in divorce and a prince has recently married his long-time mistress.

Still, humanly we need heroes in our lives; knights in shining armor; leaders without obvious flaws. Realistically, however, we expect too much of flesh and blood—too much of others and not enough of ourselves.

Jesus Christ warned us about the danger of judging others too harshly while exonerating ourselves. He said, "For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you" (Matthew 7: 2).

The apostle Paul explained that the Hebrew Scriptures contain important lessons for us today: "Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come" (1 Corinthians 10:11). He also said, "For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope" (Romans 15:4).

The Bible is often hard on its heroes. But it also reveals God's perspective toward people's past mistakes. King David's example readily comes to mind. Halfway through his reign people were whispering about the goings on in the royal house. Two capital crimes—adultery and murder by proxy—had been committed. The very foundations of ancient Israel's royal family were shaking.

Yet God's perspective of David was quite different. After repenting of breaking God's commandments, King David turned the corner in his life and was firmly on a path leading to the Kingdom of God.

Psalm 51 is on record for all to examine. David fasted eight days and eight nights without food or water. Then he comforted Bathsheba after their child's death. He was a different man! Like the prodigal son in Jesus' parable, he had come to himself.

The public often looks for the wrong kind of evidence. The last 20 years of David's reign were ravaged by many serious national problems and troubles. Yet the king's personal behavior, patience, outlook on life and his concern for others all took a substantial turn for the better. When confronted with something he or even the nation had done wrong, he took the blame without hesitation—no more covering up.

And yet the general public did not necessarily recognize the real David. Many were still disillusioned, whispering about him behind his back and talking about the need for a new king. Some eventually turned to his disloyal son Absalom to lead a rebellion against his own father. How often the reality that God sees is different from our human suspicions and perceptions.

Proverbs 16:21 says, "An ungodly man digs up evil." Some people seem to spend most or all of their time in uncovering the sins or alleged sins of others.

True, the Bible tells us not to put our ultimate trust in human beings. If we worship any man or woman, sooner or later we will become disillusioned. All human beings have feet of clay.

But God's Word also tells us to forgive and to cover the sins of others—especially when they are sorry for what they have done and change their ways. If we truly love both God and our neighbor, we will have a spirit of forgiveness. How can Christians who have been forgiven so much ever justify not forgiving others? Forgiveness is an incredibly important biblical principle.

In truth the Church is full of forgiven heroes and heroines—men and women whose sins have been forgiven and who daily fight heroic spiritual battles against the pitfalls of this world, against the wiles of Satan the devil and perhaps mostly against their own nature—using the Word of God to conquer and overcome. This is a truth we should never forget.