Essential Elements: Forging Godly MenSýnishorn

The Essence of Manhood

Today, the landscape of masculinity is a labyrinth of contradictions. We’re hailed as heroes one moment, only to be condemned as zeros the next, all for embodying the same qualities. It’s a dizzying whirlwind of expectations and contradictions, leaving men of all ages bewildered and confused.

But I’ve got some promising news: The essence of genuine manhood is not found in this world. It’s rooted in the timeless wisdom of the Bible. True manhood isn’t something we accomplish or earn; it’s an ongoing revelation we discover only at the foot of the Cross. Jesus is the embodiment of authentic manhood. Emulating him is the only way to grasp the true essence of strength and purpose.

Many of us, particularly in our teens and young adulthood, thought that manhood meant rejecting familiar pursuits, such as faith and church. Rejection was our means of self-definition.

Rejection alone, however, can be a double-edged sword. While it may initially help us establish personal boundaries, it can also become a destructive pattern. If a man continually defines his masculinity by what he rejects, he ends up distancing himself from important experiences and valuable relationships.

Jesus illustrated the dangers of rejection in one of his most well-known stories: the Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. In the parable, the self-sabotage is evident. The younger son rejects his father’s ways to “live recklessly.” In choosing a life of rejection, he has rejected the only means of becoming a man—surrendering to the Father and his way.

Rejecting God as our Father and his ways as the way is where all our problems began: “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5).

Much like the first man who wanted to be like God, we, too, want to be like God. We reject the Father, only to inherit an endless number of reckless outcomes. What we fail to realize is that when we reject him as our Father, we have no possible way to be forged into the men we were designed to be.

How have you experienced the temptation to reject the Father’s ways for your own definition and pursuit of manhood? How could such decisions shape your life and faith?