Can You Pass The MANHOOD Test?

I am starting a series on Biblical manhood. I think it’s important to look at what the Bible calls us to be and do as Christian men. What biblical passages do we look at for Biblical manhood? What does it mean to be masculine according to the Bible? How does this apply to each one of us in our specific stages of life? What does biblical manhood look like in our specific time and culture?

1 Corinthians 16:13 ESV

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

Some of what we will cover will be doctrinal or theological (what we should believe) in nature, but a lot of it will be very practical (what we should be doing).

This series will be a very brief fly-over of this topic.

There is so much more that could be said and has been said elsewhere in many great books and sermons. I don’t ever want to give the impression that our homes are our only responsibility as men. As Christians the gospel impacts our entire lives. We do not focus on our homes to the neglect of everything else God calls us to in light of the gospel. Nor are we to neglect our homes! God would not want us men to build our ministries, our businesses or even our communities over the remains of our families. Our goal is not just to be a better husband or dad, but to grow in Christlikeness. As we do this (by His grace and the power of the Spirit) our families will most definitely benefit! Always remember that your family is your first mission field. Your wife and kids are your church and you are to lead them in a holy relationship with the Father.

Having said that, I will be covering three areas in the life of a Christian man. First, What is masculinity? – What it is, what it is not, and attacks on true masculinity. Second, Biblically masculine husbands. – Leading your wife, responsibilities of headship. Third, Biblically masculine fathers. – Leading/teaching your kids about Christ, responsibilities of being a disciple maker in your home.

WHAT IS MASCULINITY?

Masculinity is not simply maleness. Just because you have male parts doesn’t make you masculine. God is the ultimate example of true masculinity yet the Bible tells us He has no physical body (John 4:24). So the idea of masculinity is not just tied to anatomy.

A Working Definition

I’ve seen several definitions of biblical manhood and they are all pretty good and get the point across, but the one I like the best comes from Douglas Wilson in his book Father Hunger – “True masculinity is the humble, glad assumption of God-given responsibility.”

God ordains and describes the roles, and the job requirements attached to them. Men humbly and gladly accept these roles and requirements and walk in them by His grace. Masculinity and authority flow to those who accept responsibility and flee from those who shirk responsibility.

Manhood is not an easy word to define, yet our culture seems to eagerly pack up manliness and deliver it in one nicely wrapped package. It is a Working Definition and one that we will continue to discover over the next few articles. Don’t miss next week when I discuss how men and women are different and how that in itself defines manliness.

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