Semper Virilis Part 2: A Clear Definition of Manhood.
Part 1 of this series can be found here
James
Dobson notes the following about the feminist revolution,
a goofy new idea took root. A small but
noisy band of feminists began insisting that the sexes were identical except
for their reproductive apparatus, and that any uniqueness in temperament or
behavior resulted from patriarchal cultural biases.[1]
The
creation account in the book of Genesis paints a dramatically different
picture, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him;
male and female He created them”[2] (Genesis 1:27). John
Eldredge comments on this verse saying, “Gender simply must be at the level of
the soul, in the deep and everlasting places within us. God doesn’t make
generic people, he makes something very distinct – a man or a woman.”[3]
Of
course, this notion has come under severe attack in our society, and not just
from radical feminists. Now, the argument is not whether men and women are
different, it is whether biology has any influence over maleness or femaleness.
That is, can one identify with a sex
that is not their biological one, or must they identify permanently with one or
the other?
The
Bible, thousands of years of human history, and human experience have shown
repeatedly that there is a difference between men and women. Not only that, but
it is a good thing according to Genesis 1:31, “God saw all that He had made,
and behold, it was very good.”
Since
there is a basic difference between and man and a woman, what does a real man
look like? Samuel gives modern man a
hint about where to look, “The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord
has appointed him as ruler over His people” (1 Samuel 13:14 emphasis added). Of
course, the prophet is referring to the future king, David, who was the
standard measure of greatness for the Hebrew people. With that in mind, the
first part of a definition of authentic manhood is; a man seeks after God’s
heart, or a man loves what God loves.
What
does God love? He loves people, justice, mercy, righteousness, humility,
courage, obedience, and so on. These things should be the heartbeat of an
authentic, godly man.
Continuing
to use David as a model, in 1 Samuel 17 David displays unrestrained trust in
the Lord as he faces Goliath with nothing more than a sling and five, smooth
stones. Though he is far from perfect David shows great humility and repentance
after being confronted by Nathan about his impropriety with Bathsheba (2 Samuel
12). David is also a wise enough leader to surround himself with great men;
prophets and warriors alike. He is a mighty warrior in battle but also merciful
when the situation calls for it, as seen in 1 Samuel 24 when David spares
Saul’s life.
Robert
Lewis explains why, as Christians, we must also look to Jesus Christ as the example of authentic manhood, “the
second Adam (Christ) represents life in
union with God. His manhood is
influenced by spiritual direction and based on faith – not flesh.”[4]
It
would take volumes to fully address the qualities of manhood that Jesus displayed.
Two that immediately stand out are servant-leadership and sacrificial love.
Jesus taught clearly about servant-leadership when He said, “whoever wishes to
be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to
be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew
20:27-28).
In
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians he expresses Christ’s sacrificial love, and
applies it directly to men, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also
loved the church and gave Himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25).
From
these biblical examples, we can derive the following definition of authentic,
biblical manhood:
A man seeks after God’s
heart, is a servant-leader to those under his influence, and lives a life of
sacrificial love.
[2]Unless otherwise noted all
Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible: Updated Edition.
[3]
John Eldredge, Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a
Man’s Soul, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2001), 8
[4]
Robert Lewis, Raising a Modern-Day Knight: A Father’s Role
in Guiding His Son to Authentic Manhood, (Wheaton: Tyndale, 1997), 51.
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