Manly Men

Q: What makes a man a man? I mean, how would you define masculinity in Christian terms? Is there a Biblical reference for it?

A: Well most dictionaries define in it terms of someone "having the appropriate qualities for their sex." What does that mean? It means that masculinity is considered to be a relevant term, and gets defined differently in each society. So the Bible really is the best place to go for guidance on this one!

When I go to my Bible, I find at least three different categories of reference for masculinity. First, God created man in His own image. (Genesis 1:27) Mind you, Jesus hadn't been born yet, so the only image we know of God at that point was as a spiritual being. Conclusion? God created man to be spiritual. Second, God put man in charge. (Genesis 2:15) Third, God told man to work for his entire life. (Genesis 3:19)

So this is the framework for masculinity. A real manly man is spiritual, in charge and hard working. On top of that framework, now we can add the examples of manliness that we see in the rest of the Old and New Testament. King David's live is the best example we have across the Old Testament, I believe.

Read 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles and get a picture of the nature and character of King David. Notably he was quick to repent when he was wrong and he was a great, indulgent worshipper. David was a prayer warrior. And David loved the Lord with all his heart and lived his life trying to submit to the Lord every way he knew how. In the end, God called King David "a man after my own heart." (Acts 13:22)

So now I have a man who is spiritual, takes charge and leads, is hard working, admits his mistakes and repents quickly, is a great worshipper (i.e., recognizes who God is) and prays effectively. Are you starting to see the picture here? It's the Biblical definition of masculinity.

Finally, we can look at the nature and character of Jesus Christ as well as His core teachings. Read Matthew 5, 6 & 7 (known as Jesus' Sermon on the Mount). I think if you'll take the examples I've given you from the Old Testament and put them together with what Jesus had to say, you'll get a complete picture of Biblical masculinity.

Make no mistake, God intended for men to be men. And He intended for men to lead their wives, their families, their communities and their churches. There is no shortage of material for us to learn how to do that either. It's all in God's Word (the Bible)!