Biblical Manhood
Text: Genesis 2:15-25
Core Idea: Biblical manhood is marked by his commitment to God-honoring labor, God-given law, and God-ordained leadership. Then let’s encourage our men to be on a journey to grow in their commitment to these things so that God would be glorified and the people around us would flourish.
INTRODUCTION
Today, we’ll be taking a break from the Book of Philippians, and we’ll spend the next three weeks talking about biblical manhood and womanhood because it will impact the direction of our future steps. Let me explain. We’ve been doing life together for 2.5 years now – and this past season was crucial in establishing the foundation of our church. We talked about what the gospel is (going through Mark) and what it means to live out the gospel (going through James). We also talked about the vision, our values, and the kind of culture that we want to create here. We elected leaders and talked about what it means to be a member of our church. All that to say, these past two years were spent to bring structure and stability to our community – and I’m so thankful for every single one of you who journeyed with us to make this possible. Now, as much as our community was maturing, God was using this season to grow me as a pastor as well – and one of the things that I learned was the fact that I needed to lead. I know – that sounds obvious. But if I’m honest, I think it’s something that I was hesitant to do because I was somewhat scared. I served as an associate pastor for 13 years at my previous church – and under the leadership of my lead pastor, I was able to learn a lot about ministry. I came to love the Word, minister out of the Word, and passionately preach the Word – and for that, I’m incredibly grateful. Now, as much as I grew a lot during that time, when it came to non-gospel issues, I remained hidden under the shadow of my lead pastor. For those of you who may not be familiar with this term, non-gospel issues are not salvation issues in that they don’t determine whether you’re a Christian or not – but they’re important enough to make a noticeable difference in how we understand, articulate, and practice the gospel in ministry. In fact, a different stance on these issues was what led to the formation of many different denominations. So, for example, they include issues like baptism, spiritual gifts, creation, the end times, and so on. When it came to these non-gospel issues, I had no stance of my own – in one sense, my lead pastor’s stance was my stance. So, if anyone had a different view, I just pointed that person to the lead pastor and said, “He’ll explain.” In other words, I was deferring the responsibility of taking the time to figure out my own convictions because I had the attitude of, “Let’s not focus on the things that divide us but on the things that bring us together.” But in hindsight, I realized that I was just scared to carry the responsibility of my decision. As I ministered here at Lighthouse, I knew that I couldn’t set aside this any longer especially because we were now beginning to wrestle through denomination issues. Since denominations differ in the way they understand these so-called “secondary” doctrines, if we’re to decide on which one to join, we have to have a clear stance on these issues. In fact, two in particular – (1) the biblical role of men and women in the family and the church, and (2) the validity of infant baptism. Now, for some of you, you couldn’t care less about these things because they’re not that important to you. But for others, a lot of different emotions are aroused because you may have strong convictions when it comes to these specific issues. In fact, if this whole conversation is making you feel really uncomfortable, you’re not alone because I feel the same way too. Now, because I knew that I lacked a lot of wisdom and knowledge on these issues, I decided to hit the books. I was determined to know what the Bible said about these issues because I wanted the Word of God to be the deciding factor, not my preference or the dominant opinion out there. So, my journey began. I know that many of you were wondering about our decision on denomination – well, this was what I was doing. And what I want to do now is invite you to see the kind of journey that it took for me to come to these decisions. I want to show you what I discovered in the Bible and how they shaped my convictions. And I pray that this will help us make a wise decision in our future steps. Now, when it came to studying the truth, Saint Augustine wrote, “This way is first humility, second humility, and third humility.” I share this because that’s what I want all of us to remember as we dive into these issues. There will be differences in our thoughts and interpretations of the Word. But let’s approach these issues with an attitude of humility – being slow to criticize but being open to ask questions and consider new information. Sure, because of our disagreements, we may be tempted to quarrel and pass judgment on each other. But let’s resolve to protect the unity of our church with the kind of humility that Christ has modeled for us. Let’s be gracious toward one another – trusting that God will use this opportunity to strengthen us as a community.
Now, we obviously don’t have the time to address everything today. So, here’s what I’m proposing. We’ll go through a short sermon series on biblical manhood and womanhood next three Sundays, including today (March 3, 10, and 17) – and we hope that it’ll give you an opportunity to discuss more on this in your CG. Then on April 7, we’ll hold an open forum after service where you’ll have a chance to share your thoughts and questions but also hear from Pastor Jane as well as possibly other elected leaders so that you’ll know what their journey has been like. In May, Pastor Jane will lead a separate gathering for the women, and I’ll do the same with men to address specific things around this issue. And if we feel like more conversation is needed, we’ll plan for another open forum in September. Likewise, we’ll do something similar for the baptism issue as well. Now, some of you may think that this is very helpful, and others may feel like this is too much. But please note that the forums are not mandatory – we’re simply offering them because that’s how committed we are to helping you process this well. Of course, even after all this, your stance may still not change – and that’s okay. I’m not trying to forcefully change you. I just want you to know that this was not done lightly but with care and wisdom. Then my prayer for you is that this journey will clarify your understanding, strengthen your faith, and increase your love for the Lord and this church.
So, with that in mind, we’ll spend the rest of our time talking about biblical manhood. This is an incredibly important issue because we live in a world that says that there’s no difference between a man and a woman. In fact, Gloria Steinem, one of the leading feminists, took a step further and said, “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle” – meaning a woman can live her life perfectly well without a man, that a man really is useless. This is very important to note because this created confusion among men. Pastor Chris Harper said, “Two generations ago, men were confident in their call to manhood and masculinity. A generation ago, we began to compromise that call. Today, we are confused about that call. To say it another way, in the 1970s, it was, ‘I don’t need a man.’ In the 1990s, it became, ‘I don’t want a man.’ And in 2023, it’s, ‘What is a man?’” Now, what happens when men are confused about their manhood? One of two things happens. One, they become passive and apathetic. They stop searching and pursuing to be the kind of men that God called them to be – instead, they just fade into the background because they don’t know how to get there. They just exist – living without a purpose. The other option, they forge their own path which often leads to the world of toxic masculinity. It’s this idea that men don’t cry, men don’t feel, men suck it up. They often say things like, “I’m the master of my fate – the captain of my soul. I’ll do whatever it takes to get what I want.” And as a result, there’s an unhealthy craving for sex, wealth, and power. Now, when you consider these things, it’s not surprising to see that Satan has been telling men the same two lies since the beginning of time. The first lie, “Eat this fruit and you’ll be like God. Eat this fruit and you won’t need God.” He was basically saying, “You have everything you need. You’re strong enough, wise enough to forge your own path. You don’t need God.” But what happened after Adam ate the fruit? He hid himself because of guilt and shame. Then related to this is the second lie – “You’re so bad that God can never love you.” He was basically saying, “You don’t have what it takes to be a child of God. Look at you. You’re a failure. You’re a disgrace. You’re a disappointment. You always make things worse.” Brothers, can you relate to them? Again, men helplessly believe these lies because there’s this confusion about what it means to be a man of God. Then I firmly believe that it is absolutely crucial for us to help our brothers to be on the path that leads to life – we must help our men to be on a journey to rediscover and reclaim biblical manhood. Now, obviously, this one sermon isn’t going to change everything. In fact, what I’ll share today will barely scratch the surface of what it means to be a man of God. Then my prayer is that this message will spark a new passion in our men to humbly embrace and faithfully live out the call that God has given to them, to inspire them to continue this journey on their own.
Just a quick word to the women here. I pray that none of you will tune out. In fact, I invite you to pay close attention for two reasons. First, because as a member of this body, as our mothers, as our sisters, as our daughters, God has placed you here to encourage men to be the kind of men He called them to be. That’s the first reason. But more importantly, because I want your understanding of manhood to be also defined by the Word, not by our culture. This has a massive implication for you because if you’re married, this will teach you how you can pray for your husband. If you’re a mother, this will teach you how you can raise your son. If you’re single, this will teach you the kind of man you ought to look for in marriage. All that to say, this message is important and relevant to all of us. Then with that in mind, please turn your Bibles to Genesis 2:15-25. Let me read this for us.
15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” 18 The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” 19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, He took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib He had taken out of the man, and He brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” 24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. 25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
Amen. This is the Word of God for you today.
I wanted to start our conversation here because this gives us a picture of what Adam was called to do before the fall – this is what biblical manhood looked like in perfection, as intended by God. Then let me share three marks of biblical manhood from this passage – three things that all men should commit themselves to.
· COMMITTED TO GOD-HONORING LABOR
· COMMITTED TO GOD-GIVEN LAW
· COMMITTED TO GOD-ORDAINED LEADERSHIP
1) COMMITTED TO GOD-HONORING LABOR
Verse 15, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” Men were created for work. Of course, I’m not in any way implying that the call to honor God through our work is exclusive to men – God’s people (whether you’re a man or woman) are called to do all things for the glory of God. But what I want you to see here is that Adam was called to work even before Eve was formed – implying that work undoubtedly was an important part of God’s design for men. Even though the Garden of Eden was a perfect place, God didn’t call men to simply enjoy it but to work it. Why? Because the God we worship is a God who works. That’s literally what we see from the very beginning of the Bible. Genesis 1 tells us that God labored for six days to create the heavens and the earth – everything we see in nature is the work of His fingers. All that to say, we’re called to work because we’re created in His image. The work that we were meant to do was good and dignified. Work was a gift of God for us to experience joy and fulfillment in life. But, of course, everything changed when sin entered the scene. Where once the earth had eagerly produced its fruit (almost holding it out with eager hands and begging Adam and Eve to take it), now the earth became stingy. It withheld its riches – and we were forced to labor hard to get them. Work became grueling instead of fulfilling. As a result, instead of giving glory to God with work, we idolized work. Work became the primary source of our satisfaction and meaning, the primary consumer of our time, energy, and passion, and the primary means for measuring our happiness in life. In contrast, instead of working hard, we became idle toward work. Work simply became a means to pay the bills and put food on the table – no wonder we dread Mondays and love Fridays. But, brothers, this should not be. Yes, because of our sin, work sometimes doesn’t feel fulfilling but that doesn’t mean that our labors are worthless – God still uses it for His glory. Then if we’re to pursue biblical manhood, we must commit ourselves to God-honoring work.
Then what’s considered God-honoring work? Let me read verse 15 again, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” Here, we’re called to do two things. First, we’re called to work. The word “work” in Hebrew carries the idea of cultivating – helping something to grow and bear much fruit. Adam was called to cultivate the garden – to till the soil, dig and fertilize, plant seeds and prune branches so that his labor would continue to produce life. Then this should be extended to our lives as well. When I say, “Men are called to work,” I’m not focusing on what we do but on why we work. It’s not the nature of our work that matters but the purpose of our work. In other words, wherever the Lord places us, we must make every effort to make things grow. What does this mean practically? It certainly means that we work hard and diligently at our workplace. We must work with purpose – a desire to honor God and love others (to see them thrive). But that’s not all. This could be applied in our home as well. If you’re married, it means that you’re called to help your wife and children grow so that they flourish in life. And this can also be applied in our church as well. We serve to build up the lives of others – helping them to love the Lord. This is what it means to be a man who is committed to God-honoring labor – we cultivate wherever God places us so that there’s an abundance of life.
Second, we’re called to take care. The word “to take care” in Hebrew literally means “to keep, guard, and protect.” In other words, Adam was called not only to make the garden fruitful but also to keep it safe. Then in the same way, biblical manhood calls us not only to cultivate and help others grow but also to stand guard so that those under our care are protected. What does this mean practically? It means that we must make every effort to guard our workplace against corruption, our home against sin, and our church against false teachers and worldly values.
Two things – cultivate and protect. This is what it means to be a man who is committed to God-honoring labor. Now, there’s a wonderful example of this in Nehemiah 4 when the Israelites were called back to rebuild the city wall in Jerusalem. This was no easy task – a lot of resources and energy were put into making this possible. But what made this work even more difficult was that there were enemies nearby who sought to frustrate the project. So, this is what Nehemiah decided to do – Nehemiah 4:17, “Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other.” These men were carrying a shovel in one hand and a sword in the other. They were cultivating but also protecting. Then let me ask you, “Are you doing everything you can to build up those around you or are they withering away because of you? Are you doing everything you can to protect those around you from sin and evil or are they left vulnerable because you have chosen to neglect them?” Brothers, we must rise up to take this call seriously. We need to labor to work and take care so that we can make a difference in the lives of those whom God has placed in our lives. I pray that you’ll respond to this call today.
2) COMMITTED TO GOD-GIVEN LAW
Verse 16, “And the LORD God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.’” Notice that God didn’t command Adam because of imperfection – because there was chaos. No, God gave Adam the law before the fall because being obedient to His Word was the only way for Adam to enjoy the fullness of life in the world that He created. Let me explain. Some people assume that the law restricts us – that it robs us of our freedom. But the law not only brings order, but it also enables one to flourish and enjoy life. For example, let’s say that you’re playing a game of soccer with your friends. But what if someone ran with the ball in his hands? What if he went in and out of the line? What if he body-slammed the opponent to take the ball away? The game would be completely ruined. Rules are there to help us enjoy the game. Then in the same way, God gave Adam His law not to restrict him, not to rob him of his freedom, but to enable him to enjoy the gift that He has given him – a life in the Garden. In other words, the law of God illuminates how we are to live our lives well. Now, some of you may ask, “How does prohibiting Adam from eating out of that specific tree help him to live well in the Garden?” A very good question. Answer: I don’t know. I don’t know how they’re related. But one thing’s for sure – God saw it necessary to give Adam this law. And that should be enough for us to humbly obey His command. Brothers, we’re not called to obey because we always understand the mind of God but because we always trust the heart of God – we obey because we firmly believe that He loves us and wants to give us good things.
Now, the problem is that most men don’t know the law of God. Here’s an interesting test. How many of you know the Ten Commandments by heart? I’m not even asking if you know all the laws – I’m just asking for ten. I wonder how many of you are able to answer this correctly. Brothers, I hope you know that I’m not doing this to guilt-trip you – I do this because I want you to take this call seriously. I don’t want any of us to settle for mediocrity – “I think I know enough.” No, I pray that all of us will grow deeper in our knowledge and love for the Word. How can we obey something we don’t even know? Vaguely knowing the commands of God is not enough – we must know them well so that we can faithfully live them out. Then let me ask you, “Are you hungry for the Word? Are you making every effort to read the Word? Are you making intentional efforts to be shaped by the Word? Are you doing everything you can to obey the Word faithfully?” A man of God is committed to obeying the Word of God because he trusts God.
Now, I understand that it’s impossible for us to be perfect in our obedience – but we must certainly grow in our obedience. How do we do that? As Paul says in 1 Timothy 4:7, we must “train [ourselves] to be godly.” The word “train” in Greek is gymnazo which literally means “to exercise.” Now, I’m not much of an athlete but I came across an article that talked about how Kobe Bryant (one of the best basketball players ever to play the game) trained. It said that he did what he called “666” workouts where he would workout for 6 months, 6 days a week, for 6 hours a day. This consisted of 2 hours of basketball skills, 2 hours of weightlifting, and then 2 hours of cardio. Now, in response to this, some people could say, “Well, he did this because that was his job.” True, but I wonder how many of us put in this much work to thrive at our workplace. He was a hard worker because he loved the game. Now, I’m sure he took countless shots during practice, but he must have missed a lot of those shots as well. Would that have discouraged him? Maybe. Would that have frustrated him? Probably. But one thing’s for sure – he didn’t give up. He kept going. We know this because it’s shown in the way he played the game. By way of repetition, he perfected those shots – and that’s exactly what we should do to grow in our obedience. Brothers, we must train ourselves to be obedient. To clarify, I’m not in any way saying that we work to be saved – no, we work because we’re saved. We don’t obey to get more love from God – we obey because we’re already loved by God. And because of our love for Him, we now live to please Him. But to do that, we must put in the work – engraving this pattern of righteousness in our minds and hearts so that when we’re tempted, we’ll always choose obedience. By way of repetition, we’ll grow in our obedience. One encouraging thing is that Paul’s call for us to train ourselves to be godly in itself implies that we can grow in our obedience if we work at it. Think about it. If it doesn’t, why would he say that to us? Brothers, this is a high calling. This is not easy – it will require you to work hard and diligently. But I pray that the Spirit of God will inspire you to run after this call today – to love the Word and live out the Word. This is the kind of man God is calling us to be. Let’s train ourselves to be committed to the law of God.
3) COMMITTED TO GOD-ORDAINED LEADERSHIP
Verse 19, “Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them.” Adam was given the responsibility of naming every living creature. He didn’t just repeat the names that God had given them already – no, verse 19, “Whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.” This is important because naming something was a demonstration of authority and headship – in other words, Adam was exercising his leadership over them. Then with that in mind, turn to verse 23 because we see something interesting here (this is when Adam sees Eve for the first time), “The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.’” When God created Eve, we see Adam naming her. This was no coincidence because this was God’s intended design in God’s world – Adam was called to exercise authority and headship in his relationship with Eve. In fact, this is reinforced by the idea that when God created Eve, He was making a helper suitable for Adam (v. 18). Now, I want to make it clear that being a helper carries no connotations of diminished worth or status because God Himself is called the Helper to the Israelites (Ex. 18:4; Ps. 33:20; 146:5). Then helper is a functional term, not a demeaning one. It’s clear that Eve had a different role from Adam – as he led, she was to be his helper. In other words, she was created to complement him. Think about it. God could’ve given Adam another man to help him till the soil. God could’ve gifted Adam a plow or a team of oxen which would’ve been very useful. But none of them would’ve been a helper like Eve. There were things that only Eve could’ve done to help Adam fulfill their purpose – especially this call to be fruitful and multiply from Genesis 1:28.
Now, as soon as I mention this idea of leadership and submission, I’m sure it’s making some of you feel really uncomfortable – and it could be for many reasons. It could be because it’s going against your convictions or the grain of our culture – a culture that has convinced us that such statements are chauvinistic and dominating. Words like authority or submission make people feel uneasy because our culture continues to promote this idea that being submissive to someone else’s authority undermines and diminishes our worth – but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. The Bible clearly teaches that both men and women are equal in dignity and value because all of us are created in the very image of God. Now, we’ll talk more about this two Sundays from today – so, for the time being, let me just share that godly leadership doesn’t lead to domination. Never. Instead, a man of God always leads in love. Christian leadership is not first charting vision or giving orders, but modeling and expressing godly character. It’s defined by gentleness, respect, and understanding. It’s not concerned first with the leader but with the one being led. That’s why a man of God is to be kind toward those he’s leading but brutal toward his own sin. He is to treasure those he’s leading but vigorous in his desire to die to himself. Christian leadership must clearly demonstrate that he loves those he’s leading more than he loves himself. That’s exactly what we see in verse 23. Listen to what Adam says to Eve, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” It may not be clear to us, but commentaries explain that this was one of the first songs ever to be sung. Isn’t that amazing? When Adam saw Eve for the first time, he didn’t say, “Finally, someone I can order around – someone who’s going to make my life easier.” No, he started singing. He sang because his heart was overflowing with gratitude and love. He was rejoicing and celebrating – declaring, “She’s exactly what I’ve been looking for all my life.” There was no hint of dominance or superiority – only love. Then, brothers, we need to recover this kind of leadership in our lives. In fact, I firmly believe that the resistance to this idea of leadership and submission that we see in our culture, home, and church is ultimately caused by our failure to lead this way. This is on us as men. In other words, if we begin to lead in such a way that honors God and protects those we lead, I have no doubt that we’ll make it easier for everyone to embrace the role that God has given them. Brothers, we need to lead in love – the kind of love that sacrifices, serves, and sanctifies.
Now, I understand that this kind of leadership is not easy. In fact, it seems impossible. But we can do this not because we’re good people but because Jesus Christ died on the cross to give us a new heart, a new attitude, and a new ambition. The only way for us to be men of God is to be found in Christ. In other words, we cannot become men of God apart from the cross. Then, brothers, let Him lead you first. Find your strength from Him first – then faithfully, humbly, and courageously lead. The amazing thing is that we have a lot of men who are already leading this way at our church – and by the power and grace of God, I see more of you becoming the men that God desires you to be. And for this, I am grateful. Then let’s continue to look to Christ so that we would learn to love as He did, serve as He did, and lead as He did. This is the kind of man God is calling us to be.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, biblical manhood is marked by his commitment to God-honoring labor, God-given law, and God-ordained leadership. Then let’s encourage our men to be on a journey to grow in their commitment to these things so that God would be glorified and the people around us would flourish.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) How does our culture define masculinity? What do you think are the marks of biblical manhood?
2) Read verse 15. Biblical manhood is marked by his commitment to God-honoring labor. Are the things that you do today helping people to grow or wither away? In your context, what can you do to build up and protect those God has placed in your life?
3) Read verse 16. Biblical manhood is marked by his commitment to God-given law. How do we train ourselves to grow in our obedience to God’s commands?
4) Read verses 18-23. Biblical manhood is marked by his commitment to God-ordained leadership. Why do many people have difficulty embracing this truth? What does it mean for men to lead in love in the context of home and church?