After sternly rebuking the carnal Corinthian church, Paul concludes 1 Corinthians by directly addressing the men in that church. He tells them to "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with charity." The phrase "quit you like men" is the idea of "act like a man!"
Paul knew that a society is only as strong as it's men. Weak men produce the death of a society. Weak, immoral men abuse women and children and they produce weak immoral sons. Paul understood that the church at Corinth needed strong Godly men just like our churches and society need them today.
But, what does it mean to "act like a man"? Here's 12 attributes of biblical manhood.
It Means Fearing God.
After all, that’s the beginning of knowledge. (Proverbs 1:7) Fearing God practically speaking means reading your Bible, being systematic in your prayer life, caring about the Lord’s church, and depending on and being led by the Holy Spirit.
It Means Learning How To Follow.
Most men want to be leaders, however, learning how to follow is essential before you can learn how to lead. If you don't follow well, it’s very unlikely that you’ll ever lead well.
It Means Loving Your Wife.
If God has entrusted you with a wife, love her enough to be loyal to her. Love her enough to lead her, and love her enough to learn from her.
It Means Parenting Your Children.
If God has entrusted you with children, do the sometimes uncomfortable and awkward work of parenting. Parenting is work. It can be lots of fun but it also involves work and commitment. Raising children carries with it a generational impact. The fathers in a society have the power to effect generations to come for the good or for the bad. (Consider Exodus 20:5; Deut. 5:9-10; & Deut. 24:16.)
It's been rightly pointed out that "No culture will ever rise above the character of it's men."
It Means Managing Emotions.
It means helping the women and children who are entrusted to your care, sort out their emotions which first means that you are able to sort out your own emotions. In order for you to lead them to not be complaining, unthankful, and panicked people, constantly guided by their emotions, you must make sure that you avoid those pit falls as well.
It Means Keeping Your Own Heart.
Keeping your heart includes moral purity, emotional stability, ethical consistency, workplace integrity, and much more. Proverbs 4:23 explains that we are to "keep" or guard our heart "with all diligence" because "out of it are the issues of life."
It Means Embracing Responsibility.
Embrace responsibility, as opposed to blame shifting, or passing the buck. Use the resources available to you, whether mental, financial, spiritual or practical to bare under that responsibility.
It Means Leading.
Men are to be the leaders in a society. It means leading in the home, in the church, and in the country. Godly male leadership is God's ideal plan for a healthy society.
It Means Being Courageous.
It means running into a dangerous situation for the sake of protecting someone else. Remember, it's been said that "Courage is not the absence of fear, but courage is action in the face of fear."
It Means Standing for Truth.
Godly men stand for truth even when it’s unpopular, which implies that we have to know what truth is. The only way to know eternal truth is to know the Word of God.
It Means Recognizing.
It means recognizing the gifts and abilities of others around you and leading them to thrive in their gifting.
It Means Listening and Speaking.
It means listening when it’s time to listen, and speaking when it’s time to speak. (Consider James 1:19)
By way of conclusion, "Acting like a man" means doing all 12 of these things in love. After Paul instructs this church to "Act Like Men," he explains "Let all your things be done with charity." In other words, embrace your role as a man because you love God, because you love His righteousness, and because you love others. As chapter 16 continues, Paul tells these Corinthian believers that "if any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathema Maranatha," which is to say that he will be "accursed." Then in the final verse of the chapter he bids them his love. "My love be with you all in Christ Jesus." Being a godly man doesn't mean being unloving, it means the opposite. It means being STRONG in your love for God, and STRONG in loving your neighbor as yourself.
The above article was written by James C. Johnson. He is the Pastor of NorthStone Baptist Church in Pensacola. To offer him your feedback, comment below or email him at pastor@northstonebaptist.org.
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