My dad is an excellent man. One whom I greatly respect, go to for advice and just generally enjoy being around. I know that I'm lucky and that an increasingly large amount of people grow up with either an absent or passive dad, and I'm lucky because my dad could never be described by either of those words. He can feel a little too hands on and present in my life at times but I know at the end of the day it's because he loves me to death. My dad lives by four principles that he loves to share and challenge other men (and women) to also live by. The cool thing about my dad challenging other people to live up to these principles is that he does it himself, my dad doesn't ask or expect people to live by a standard that he doesn't adhere too himself and I would like to share those four principles of Biblical manhood with you.
1. Accepts responsibility
A real, Biblical man owns up to his actions. He doesn't pass the blame (like Adam in Genesis) and he doesn't let other people take the punishment for what he did. A real man admits when he is wrong, owns up to his actions or words and apologizes for them if necessary. My dad taught me that if you're wrong then admit it, even if it hurts your pride. The Bible talks about how much God values humility in Isaiah 66:1-2 and Isaiah 57:15-19.
Humility is never easy and goes against almost every fiber in the human body but God rewards a humble person who accepts the responsibility for their actions. There have been times when my dad let his emotions control a situation and he said something a little less than loving but when he did that he also came to me afterwards and said that he was sorry, that he should have controlled his emotions and that he loved me.
Like I said, my dad is really cool.
2. Rejects passivity
When a man rejects passivity he takes initiative. He doesn't sit around and let life pass him by, he purposefully lives his life on a mission and a Biblical man's mission is to live a life that glorifies God. Some things he can do to glorify God are getting involved in the church (lead a Sunday school or help on a church workday), initiating conversations about God and to choosing to live a moral life. It is so easy to let situations where you should stand up to people and be a witness pass you by or to let other people do the work in church on a Saturday morning but rejecting passivity requires choosing to act.
Rejecting passivity can also look like asking a girl out that you would like to get to know better and then initiating a conversation where you honestly let her know what you're feeling about her.
Easier said than done, right?
3. Leads courageously
Leading courageously is a combination of rejecting passivity and accepting responsibility but it's different than both of those because leading courageously also implies a position of authority. A man doesn't have to be in a leadership position to accept responsibility or reject passivity but he does have to be a leader in order to lead courageously.
A courageous leader has to make decisions that effect the people that he is leading and a Biblical leader always strives to make decisions that bring the people he is in charge of closer to Christ. This can look like a father making sure his family is in church, a boyfriend initiating purity or asking his girlfriend to spend time with him studying God's word. It can also look like a boss rejecting a lucrative business deal on the basis of morality because the boss trusts that God rewards people who honor His word by choosing to do the right thing.
This also implies that a man of God is plugged into a community, someone cannot lead if he has isolated himself from other people.
4. Expects a greater reward, God's reward
Making the moral decision isn't always easy and when it's hard to choose to do the right thing, a Biblical man still chooses the moral decision because he knows that his reward is in heaven. Choosing to go against your natural instincts in order to make a decision that honors God doesn't always make sense and isn't always easy but making the God-honoring decision does have its rewards.
The Bible says in Matthew 16:27 that God rewards each man according to his works, so make sure you're living a life that God can reward.
