Be A Man, Do the Right Thing!

That line comes from a performance by one of my favorite comedians Russell Peters but, jokes aside, it gives occasion to think about what the role of men is in today’s world is, especially in the Christian context.

I have always maintained that, outside of the workplace, we continually see manhood eroded by society where men are told that in order to be acceptable they have to embrace their ‘feminine’ side, i.e. the ‘feminization’ of manhood. In response, we now see a plethora of skin-care products and even make-up for men!

Of course, there’s also the stoic approach to being a man — you shall not cry, you shall remain aloof, you shall endeavor to be Clark Gable in Gone with the Wind and mouth off “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a d**n”, or take Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry character as your role model, etc.

It is my position that both approaches are extreme and might even be wrong when seen from a Biblical perspective. What, then, does it mean to be a man?

Consider this: Man was made first for a reason. God could have made woman first, then man, but it was man that was created first. And we know that the Lord our God has a reason for everything He does! It therefore follows that we understand that Christian men have specific roles and functions to fulfill both at home and in church.

In his first epistle to the Corinthians, Paul exhorts men to stop sliding through life and act like men.

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

1 Corinthians 16:13

What does ‘act like men’ mean then, specifically:

• How should we lead?
• What kind of husbands should we be to our respective wives?
• What does being a father mean? And as fathers, how do we ourselves raise our sons who shall one day be fathers themselves?
• What should our priorities be in our pursuit to be Godly men?
• What should our response as men be to the exhortation to “abide in Christ” in our daily lives?

I came across this blog written by The Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood which has a 10-part audio series on what it means to be a Biblical man. Starting at Genesis, the series expounds that the Biblical man has a correct view on God, man, sin and redemption which then serves as a basis for men to lead both at home and in church.

Personally, I am half-way through the series, and being encouraged by what has been taught so far, I’d urge my brothers-in-Christ to have a listen to the series as well, starting with the first part linked below, then move on to the rest of the series by following this link.

Shalom Aleichem.

Photograph “A Soldier and His Wife” by Sherlock77.