There is a movement racing across our culture trying to erase gender. How do we live in this cultural moment of gender confusion?
What does it mean to be a man?
Masculinity is a gift. Men are not men because of what they have done but because “God said…and it was so.” Teenage boys need to be assured that they are not less a man or more a man simply because of how they behave. They are men because God said, and it was so.
Men and women are created in God’s image. Man is not the sum total of the image of God. If we try to define masculinity apart from our relationship with women, we will neither help our students image God fully, nor will they understand themselves deeply.
Men were made to co-create, co-reign, and glorify God side-by-side with women. Our talks need to begin training young men to see the women in their church as sisters and co-laborers well before they are temptations and potential spouses. It is men’s purpose and design to image God in relationship with women.
God cannot be divided into parts, but He has given his image two genders. None of God’s attributes overrule or overpower another, but instead are co-extensive.
He is not simply loving, but omnipotently loving; not just omnipotent, but wisely omnipotent; not just wise, but wisely holy. If you isolate one of God’s attributes you lose the full image, and his full glory.
Since God has given his image to men and women, what is true of God in his wholeness, is true of us only when we come together. Together, not in isolation, is when we most fully put God’s image on display, and when we function most like men. This is why marriage is so sacred.
Being a man is an amazing calling. There are two things you cannot be if you are going to be a man:
- You cannot be a boy
1 Corinthians 13:11 says, “When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.”
There is a point when you become a man. We do not have that in the West. Other cultures have a distinct time when you become a man. We do not have that as a culture.
The Bible is saying that there is a demarcation point where a boy becomes a man. There is nothing wrong with being a boy when you are 10 years old, there is everything wrong with acting like a boy when you are 17-18 and beyond.
- You cannot be a woman
The world says men and women are the same. Men and women are equal in value, but they have distinct roles. It is a great calling to be a man!
You are called as a man to be a:
– Prophet
– Priest
– Provider
– Servant King
4 Ways to be a Godly Man
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 says, “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. All that you do must be done in love.”
This passage contains four exhortations describing what it means to act like men. It is important for us to see that Jesus is the perfect snapshot of what 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 describes. The Gospel can restore to what God has called us to be as men.
- Be watchful
In other words, pay attention to danger. Be the prophet, be alert. Men, understand that you have an enemy, and his mission is to kill, steal, and destroy. The biggest fight men fight is not purity, it is passivity. A passive man with no job or purpose is dangerous.
- Stand firm in the faith
Knowing and applying your biblical convictions is key. Read the Bible and know the Bible and it will guide you and protect you.
- Be strong
The ability to be strong comes from beyond you. That is why men must bow their knees to Jesus and let the strength of God be in you.
- Be loving
A man must sacrifice for his family and friends. Men should always be willing to serve others, it demonstrates love. It is not toxic to be protective. Jesus is our example; He was kind and gentle, but he also drove men out of the temple.
Pastor Chris Williams
To learn more about Pastor Chris and his teaching, visit us on the web at fcfamily.org and make sure you subscribe to receive these weekly encouragements in your inbox.
