It's been said that the best way to detect a forgery is to be well acquainted with the real deal. That is true when appraising art, classic automobiles, currency and men. Museums employ specialists to study the masters with an eye towards detecting fakes. High end car collectors will check serial numbers and historical records when verifying the vintage of a machine. The government trains agents to know the markings of currency to detect and isolate impostors. Knock-off's abound. Forgeries flood the market, driving down the value of the original articles, attracting the eyes of unsuspecting and uninformed admirers. This is never more costly than in the market place of masculinity.
While museums have insurance policies to protect against loss, car collectors may have legal recourse against fraud and governments can simply destroy counterfeit bills; when it comes to deficient men, the
long tail on those losses can leave a scorched earth impacting generations. It is no understatement to say that nations rise and fall on the character of the men that round out the roles. Similarly, the evidence for the need of correct masculinity could not be more clear today. Quite literally, the impostors of today are wading through the ashes of the looted, charred remains of the hard work of those they reject.
In modern society, especially those with deep veins of media saturation, the centuries old method of passing the torch from grandfather to father to son to grandson has been eroded by a steady drip of external influence. With the cultural and educational revolutions of the last 70 years in America and the dramatic proliferation of competing messages via mainstream media and, more recently, social media, the chorus of dissenting voices would drown out the voice of consistent, steady masculinity if left unchecked. Fortunately, there are men left to toe the line. As the chorus of voices shouting about the failures of men to lead crescendos into a frenzy, there are growing numbers of men that are opting to tune out the noise and focus on the task at hand.
If you are still reading, perhaps a spoiler alert is in order. This is likely not going to be a popular message. It is unlikely to win you friends of help you influence people. It will be counter cultural, but isn't that all the rage these days? The rub will be that, instead of inciting folks to burn, loot and murder, the call of Biblical Manhood is a call away from those foolish acts and towards acts of personal responsibility. Just as the need transcends race, so too does the solution. Our problems as a nation have their roots in inferior cultures, not inferior races. Any man can learn to do good, but not all men will. Any man can incline his heart to wisdom, but not all men will. The offer to come and learn to live is made by One that transcends race but cannot be separated from culture. Whereas one man may choose to mate with an eye towards selfish pleasure, another will see the act of sex as a means of building his heritage. While one man may see the accumulation of wealth as a personal quest to assert his prestige, another will rightly understand that finances are a tool that can either build for the future or cast shackles in this life and the next. While one man may proudly assert his own sovereignty and declare that he will do what he wants because he is 'the man', another will learn to check his own desires against the established moral code that has wrestled societies over 5,000 years of recorded history.
Biblical manhood kicks against the inherent tendencies to exalt self, instead choosing to prefer God's glory and then the good of others.
Biblical manhood is like a restraining bridle in the mouth of a wild beast, constraining passions and bringing them under control of the Spirit of God.
Biblical manhood defies the tendency to tear down others in a quest to promote self, correctly understanding that a man need only be right with his Creator in order to be free to love and serve.
Biblical manhood understands that a man is dust, temporarily endued with breath, but that his life will pass like a thin mist over the water on a summer's sunrise. Mists do not waste their time building personal castles, for they know their time is short and their grip is loose.
Biblical manhood pumps the brakes on consumerism, knowing that Godliness with contentment is great gain. Instead of wandering away in the pursuit of excessive wealth, they opt to forgo the piercing of many sorrows to focus on building legacies that last. After all, you don't hear about kids turning to drugs because there was too much contentment in their homes.
Biblical manhood understands that a faithful wife is a helper, not a whore. She is the mother of his children to be respected, cherished and prized not because she is weak, but because she is precious, valuable and the guarantee that culture, indeed humanity, may endure. By showing love and respect, a man ensures that his children grow up with a proper understanding of the value of women. I dare say, all of the corruption and confusion plaguing our streets and our schools today stem from not seeing this lived out in the homes.
Biblical manhood rejects instant gratification, preferring the long term harvest that comes only by doing the hard work of cultivation.
Biblical manhood chooses to turn its eyes away from sin, understanding that regardless of how many years may have been lost to lust, the future belongs to those that move forward. Much more to come on this at another time.
Biblical manhood sees his children as a heritage from the Lord, not a hindrance. They are the letter he is writing to the future. He would do well to choose his words carefully. Truly, a man cannot be a success without a successor.
Biblical manhood understands that much of what is prized in the culture is antithetical to his well being. Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses...those men turned their eyes and set their gazes upon a different prize. When those men were at their best, their moved towards holiness and, as a result, appeared to be disconnected from the mass of men doing desperate things to live empty lives.
For all the things that Biblical Manhood is, we must be clear about what it is not. Biblical manhood is not 'trying harder'. Biblical Manhood is not being stoic for the sake of stoicism. It is not merely giving away all your possessions or attaining peak physical health. It is not in achieved by perfectly following a set of rules. Biblical Manhood comes only when a man realizes his inability to do all the things outlined above. Knowledge of his inability, acquaintance with his failures will drive the wise man to the cross and empty tomb of Man named Jesus Christ.
In surrender to Christ, a man admits his weakness and find sufficient strength in Christ. He exchanges his dead heart for one made alive, endued with grace and mercy. In surrender to Christ, he finds the humility to lay down his selfish pride and learn to love. In surrender to Christ, he finds the grace to forgive as he understands what it means to be forgiven. A man finds the living water to wash his filth, quench his thirst and clear his eyes. He finds the tenderness to love his wife and give himself for her, to wash her and nurture her. A man finds the ability to turn his heart back to his children. He finds the compassion to see his brother as a fellow image bearer of God and the wisdom to understand that all men are his brother.
In Christ, man is reconciled back to God. He is restored to his original role as one created to enjoy and reflect the goodness of his Creator. In so doing, he admits that he will be hated and, simultaneously, finds the strength to endure. He not only endures, however, but rather understands that he has overcome and, as a result, can turn to run back into the fire to pull others out with him. In learning how to be a man, he learns how to lay down his life. Thus, society endures. Children thrive. Families prosper. On the backs of men ride the fortunes of society.
One question remains, then. Which men will we be?
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