It’s Time to Man Up

What is a Man?
Is he strong and tall?
Is he someone who is talented and plays ball?
Is he someone who is hardened and tough?
Is he someone who smokes and drinks and swears enough?
Is he someone who chases women with a quest to conquer without dropping his guard?
Is he someone with a good business mind,
Who gets ahead of others with his nose to the grind?
What is a man?
Does anyone know?
Who is the prototype?
To whom shall I go?
(author not identified)

There is an obvious qualification to being a father–you’ve got to be a man. This involves more than just physically being a man, though, a father will model for his sons what it means to be a man and display for his daughters the kind of man she should look to marry. Many men, however, struggle with what it means to be a man. More and more young men are growing up without any kind of a father figure to lead them and show them what it means to be a man. If you look to our society, you find a very warped view of masculinity.

In the past masculinity meant:

• Leadership
• Authority
• Wholesome family
• Intelligence
• Protection
• Insight
• Honorable children
• A safe wife
• Dignity
• Generosity
• Meeting the needs of the public
• Honor and respect

Now, masculinity is associated with: crudeness, stubbornness, and stupidity. Often, men on TV are seen as juvenile and unintelligent. If there is a commercial with a man and a women and one is going to be an idiot, 9 times out of 10 it is going to be the man. In all this, however, men are not victims. Often it has been men that have perpetuated and encouraged these viewpoints. Many men have been all to happy to become mere “bread winners” and leaving their wives, by default, to lead in the “home stuff”–which includes faith, church, children.

The Bible call us to a higher image of manhood. Consider some of these men of the Bible:

• Job–He is a man who is described as blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil (cf. Job 1:1, 8). He is also concerned and involved in his children’s spiritual lives (cf. Job 1:5).
• Moses–He is one of the best educated men in the Old Testament. He combined that education with authentic spirituality to lead the children of Israel.
• Joshua–He was a strong leader that guided his household with assurance and conviction (cf. Joshua 24:15). It is perhaps under Joshua’s leadership that Israel was at its most faithful.
• David–The man after God’s own heart became the standard by which all other kings of Judah would be judged and he charged his son Solomon to show himself a man (1 Kings 2:1-3).
• Ezra–He devoted his life to studying God’s word, following it, and teaching it (Ezra 7:10).
• Ezekiel–He stood for God when no one else around him would, he preached courageously to turn a stiff necked and obstinate people back to God; he was a man willing to stand in the gap (cf. Ezekiel 22:24-31).
• Paul–He is one of the best trained men in the New Testament. He combined his training with authentic spirituality to reach, first the Jews, and then the gentiles (Romans 1:16)

These men led because of an internal conviction and a deep, abiding concern for their families and for others. This is what men do.

Proverbs 31 provides a great picture for women as to what it means to be a woman, a wife, and a mother. The Bible does the same for men, but it is sprinkled throughout the Word. Consider what it would look like if these scriptures were combined into one passage, let’s call it Proverbs 32:

1. A trustworthy man, who can find (Proverbs 20:6)? He walks in the way of good men and keeps to the paths of righteousness (Proverbs 2:20).
2. He walks humbly with his God (Micah 6:8), and makes it his ambition to lead a quiet and Godly life (1 Timothy 2:2) so that his daily life may win the respect of outsiders (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12).
3. He does not let the book of the Law depart from his mouth–for he meditates on it day and night so that he may be careful to do everything written in it (Joshua 1:8).
4. He is strong and courageous, not terrified or dismayed, for the Lord his God is with him wherever he goes (Joshua 1:9).
5. He does not forsake the wife of his youth or deal with her treacherously (Malachi 2:14-16), but he leaves his family and cleaves to his wife, becoming one with her (Genesis 2:24).
6. He loves his own wife just as his own body. He nourishes and cherishes his wife just at Christ does the church (Ephesians 5:28-29).
7. He lives with his wife in an understanding way, treating her with respect and honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life (1 Peter 3:7).
8. He manages his own household well and keeps his children under control with dignity (1 Timothy 3:4).
9. He does not provoke his children to anger, but brings them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).
10. He diligently teaches his children to love God as he does–with all his heart, soul, and might (Deuteronomy 6:4-7).
11. He provides for his household (1 Timothy 5:8), and is a blessing to his children (Proverbs 20:7).
12. He lives a life of dignity and exercises self control striving to be respectable and above reproach (1 Timothy 3:2, 8).
13. He is harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit (1 Peter 3:8).
14. He keeps his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit (1 Peter 3:10).
15. He has learned to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs so that he is not unfruitful (Titus 3:14).
16. His words and deeds are done in the name of the Lord Jesus (Colossians 3:17), and he does his work heartily as for the Lord rather than for men (Colossians 3:23).
17. He has a good reputation with those outside the church and does not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil (1 Timothy 3:7).
18. He is blameless and upright, fearing God and turning away from evil; no worldly man is like him (Job 1:8).
19. He trains himself for godliness which is profitable for all things (1 Timothy 4:7-8), and does not run without aim so that he will not be disqualified (1 Corinthians 9:26-27).
20. He fights the good fight, finishes the course, and keeps the faith (2 Timothy 4:7).
21. In the future, there is laid up for him the crown of righteousness which the Lord will reward him (2 Timothy 4:8), proclaiming him to be a good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:23).

Despite our society’s views of masculinity, we need to reclaim Biblical manhood and strive to attain to the high image it sets for us.

By Jeremy Sprouse

Jeremy has been married to Erynn since August 1999. They are blessed with six children: Jaden, Isaiah, Isaac, Ean, Joseph, and Evelyn. Jeremy preaches for the Patrick St. church of Christ in Dublin, TX and is the author of To Train Up a Knight.