“What is a man?” is a question that our society is having a larger and larger problem with.  And if all we do is present our own personal points of view, it is easy to understand why there is so much disagreement, confusion and even anger.  But if we just turn to God, He tells us what a man is; after all, He created man in His own image(Gen. 1:26).

Man and Woman

After making man, God decided that it was not good for man to be alone.  As a result, He created woman.  She was to be the man’s helper or assistant.  She was not just like man because the man already was a man, so the woman was different from the man.  They had some similarities, but they also had differences.  They also had different roles.  This is not to say that one could not do what the other did, but rather that each was better than the other at certain tasks.

A man will never be a woman, and a woman will never be a man.  As a result, there are some things that a man will never understand, because a man does not experience some things a woman does experience(e.g. menstrual cramps, childbirth, post-partum depression, etc.).  A man can experience cramping(like a leg cramp), but this is not the same as what a woman experiences each month.  Because of these different experiences and responses to those experiences, a man knows some things a woman does not, and a woman knows some things a man does not.

Leading

One responsibility a man has is leading.  It is true that not every man wants to lead, but that does not mean that leadership is not his responsibility or role.  From the beginning, God wanted the man to lead.  The first man, Adam, was responsible for naming animals and birds(Gen. 2:19-20).  When the first woman, Eve, was created, she was made, in part, from the man.  She was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh.  And she had specifically been created for him(Gen. 2:20-21).  After their sin in the garden, part of Eve’s punishment was that her husband would rule over her(Gen. 3:16).

Under the Law of Moses, men were placed into the positions of leadership(priests were the male descendants of Aaron – Ex. 28:1).  In the New Testament, all of the apostles were men.  When leaders were appointed in congregations, they were men(I Tim. 3:1-7).

Leadership also comes with responsibility, something some men may not want, but there it is.  Making decisions means that you are responsible for those decisions that you make.  And when others follow your leadership(i.e. wife, children, etc.), you are responsible to those individuals for the decisions that you make.

Role Models

Some people like role models; some people do not like role models.  Whether you like them or not, people are viewed that way.  We could argue whether or not some people should be viewed as role models, but the simple fact remains that people will look at other people and view them as role models.  They could be famous people, people in your family, teachers, parents or almost anybody.

With leadership comes the status, wanted or not, of role model.  This means that people, especially younger people, will look at a man and what he does.  If he makes poor decisions, that can reflect poorly not only on him, but on other men as well.  His poor decisions can also create future poor decisions on the part of those who look up to him.  The leadership decisions that men make are not simply their decisions.  Instead, they can have a ripple effect throughout their own micro-societies(i.e. family, friends, work, etc.).

Effects

Taking into account the effects that the decisions made can have on others, not just ourselves, we need to carefully consider our choices/decisions.  Are they what is best for those I am leading(e.g. my family), or are they just what I want?  If the choice is just about what I want, my decision is selfish, which does not follow God’s example.  God was willing to go to great lengths to help us when we needed it most.  He went so far as to offer His own Son as a sacrifice for our sins(Rom. 5:6).  Since God is our Creator and Sustainer, we should be following His example.  His example is selflessness, not selfishness.  God is love(I John 4:8) and everything He does for us is about His love for us.  Men need to remember that.  Men need to live their lives, making decisions, by following that example.  Let’s be mindful of this and let’s do it.