Real Manhood
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;… So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. Ephesians 5:25, 28 (KJV) emphasis mine
What is manhood according to God’s Word? God’s Word and the world define it differently. The world says a man is tough, rough, and rugged. It tells us a real man is always strong and never cries. However, God defines manhood differently. God made man, and God knows who He made him to be.
A real man is Christlike. Christ is the model, or example, of true manhood. Jesus knew when to be tough and when to be tender. He was tough on sin, manmade religion, devils, sickness, injustice, etc. He was tender towards the hurting, needful, and weak. A real man is one who seeks to be like Christ as we are told in Ephesians 5. This requires maturity, and Ephesians 4 gives us insight into becoming mature in the Lord.
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. Ephesians 4:11-16 (KJV)
Real men are mature enough to mature others. The five-fold ministry is given to help mature us and grow us up in Christ. Apostles are sent ones to establish others. Prophets are revelators who give us revelation of what God is saying and showing us. The evangelist is one who proclaims the Good News of salvation in Jesus. Pastors shepherd and care for us, feeding us from the Word of God. And teachers are given to us to explain God’s Word. All five of these impart different aspects of God to us in order to help us grow. They help us mature and become well-rounded and balanced in the things of God. As we take in a balanced diet of spiritual things, we become more and more Christlike. In other Words, we become real men.
Knowing Christ and His Word brings us into the maturity of Christ and we learn to operate in all things as Christ did- and does. We leave childhood behind and become stable Christian men, not deceived because we know the Truth in Christ and the Word of Truth, the Bible. Becoming more mature in the Lord, we speak the truth in love. As mature men, we are led and taught by Holy Spirit. In our maturity, we understand where we fit into the body of Christ, enabling us to bring edification to the rest of the body.
Real men know Christ, and they think, talk, and behave like Christ. That is the definition of real manhood- true Christlikeness.
