redefining masculinity

Masculinity is toxic. There's no difference between men and women. Women should pay for dates. I can hold the door for myself. All men are disrespectful and don't know how to treat women. These are all things we hear from women in today's culture, especially from the current feminist movement. They believe that men are bad, that they have more privilege and opportunity in this country than women do, and that their masculinity is toxic and only creates problems. 

But true, godly masculinity is anything but toxic and harmful. The problem with the women who say those things about men, is that they've only been around and with men who have been corrupted by this world. Men who don't know how to respect or love a woman, are selfish and prideful, and are driven by their sinful desires. But these are men of the world, not men of God, and there's a huge difference. 

God created both men and women with a purpose and gave them each unique characteristics so they could fulfill those purposes. 

In Genesis 2, when God created man, He gave him the job of working and keeping Eden. God intended for men to be hard workers so that they can provide and take care of their families, just like He intended for Adam to take care of the garden and everything in it. In that same chapter, God created woman because it was not good for Adam to be alone, and none of the animals were a good enough helper for him. It goes on to say, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh" (v. 24). A man of God will be mature enough to live on his own and take care of himself and his own family.

Titus 2:2 lays out six qualities a godly man should have: "Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness." These six qualities are what make up true masculinity, not the qualities that are seen in so many men today. 

• "sober-minded"- being serious and sensible
• "dignified"- having a manner worthy of respect
• "self-controlled"- able to restrain from their own sinful desires 
• "sound in faith"- having an unaltered faith in God 
• "sound in love"- living out 1 Corinthians 13 to everyone they come in contact with
• "sound in steadfastness"- being loyal and firm in every aspect of their life 

In Ephesians 5:25 it says, "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself." So many people get so caught up in the fact that women are supposed to submit to their husbands, that they don't think about the size and importance of the man's job in taking responsibility of his wife's faith and loving her with a sacrificial love like that of Christ to His church. Their first priority should be leading their family in faith and love which is not an easy task. It takes a very responsible, selfless, and mature man to do this well. And he is supposed to love his wife like Christ loved the church- the church that He died for. Do you see how big that is? A husband is supposed to put their wife above everything else in his life, even his own life if it came to that, and love her more than anything else on Earth. This is not an easy task either, and it also takes a very selfless, strong, loving, and mature man to do this well. 

I hope that you now see the vast difference between worldly "masculinity" and godly masculinity. It's very crucial to have the latter in this world, and I think the lack of godly men and fathers in the lives of so many is the reason why so much evil is happening today. We need to encourage the godly men in our lives, and let them know that their efforts haven't gone unnoticed and that we are so thankful for them. 

With love,