What Is a Man?Sýnishorn

Defining Biblical Masculinity

In my role at Impactus, I follow men’s ministry content from all over the world, and I am always fascinated by how guys grapple with this crucial question:

What is a man?

The opinions are widely varied:

“Men are strong.”

“Men are thinkers.”

“Men are doers.”

“Men aren’t emotional.”

“Men take the lead.”

“Men hunt and fish.”

“Men are aggressive.”

“Men like cars, sports, and meat.”

“Men lead with their heads, not their hearts.”

And on it goes.

One thing has become strikingly clear to me: Most men create an image of “manhood” that looks an awful lot like themselves.

Forceful men celebrate man’s aggression; gentle men rejoice in kindness. Logical guys trumpet their intellectual bent; more emotional men proclaim that “real men” cry. Outgoing men talk about men being initiators; introverted men celebrate guys who think deeply and act slowly.

Asking “What is a man?” is like a Rorschach inkblot test; how a guy answers tells you a lot about him.

But I suspect that many of these views on manhood are too narrow.

If we define masculinity primarily by personality traits, hobbies, or approaches to life, then we inevitably declare that different men are somehow “less” masculine.

But if, as the West says, “real” men are less emotional than women, what do we do with other cultures where men are far more comfortable expressing feelings?

If real men cry, is the non-crier not masculine?

If real men hunt, fish, and embrace the outdoors, is the man who prefers working in his garage not really a man?

If real men are aggressive, is the peacemaking man somehow “feminine”?

If real men lead with their heads, does the heart-led man have to surrender his “man card”?

When we define masculinity too narrowly, we weaken the word, not strengthen it, and we cause confusion.

And—this is crucial—as we explore God’s design for masculinity this week, this design must be true for all men, across all times, across all cultures, and encompass all personality types and ways of living life.

Of course, we can’t master this in seven days. But this week, we will look at God’s original design for man in Genesis, and compare it with Jesus, the perfect Man, as we seek to boil the question down to its simple biblical essence:

What is a man?

Prayer: Lord, we know that You have made each of us and that Your Creation was made to be good, including our masculinity. Even though we are fallen, we know You love us and have reached out to redeem us through Christ. Help us to learn all that You want us to understand this week. Amen.

Reflection: What words come to mind when you think of “masculinity”? What about “biblical masculinity”? Why are these terms so challenging to define?