December 17, 2023— You may have read our last article about the biblical role of a woman. Today, we will dive into the biblical role of man. Titus 2:2,7-8 discusses older and young men’s characteristics:
that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience;... Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded, in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.
From this text, you can conclude that older and younger men play a crucial role in church. What about in other aspects of their life? What is the biblical role of a husband and father in the home and society? Does the Holy Bible require certain traits and behaviors? Absolutely!
The Role of a Man
According to the Holy Bible, a man has good characteristics when he works hard (Colossians 3:23-25) and provides for his family (1 Timothy 5:8). Just as God has done and continues to do, so should a man have a strong work ethic and provide for his family. Your father, God, worked very hard the first six days to create everything on the earth, beneath the earth, and beyond the earth. In Genesis 1:4, 10, 18, 21, 25, 31, God concludes that His work was good.
While God rested on the seventh day and sanctified it, this confirms that God does not stop His work until it is finished. At the time of creation, God ended His work. Jesus said on the cross before His death, “It is finished.” (John 19:28). God’s work was finished at the cross, yet He continues to work in us by molding and refining us like gold so we may be helpful to His kingdom for His glory.
As a man of God, you are to display yourself to your friends, family, and colleagues as a Christian, for you are an ambassador of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 6:20). In figurative language, you are to let your light shine so others may come to know the truth of the gospel and of Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:16).
Your character traits should comply with the Holy Bible. How you act in church, at home, and within your family should display Christian values and attributes. Working hard reflects God in you (the Holy Spirit) and glorifies God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. When you work hard, others will see that you are different than the secular world. Work hard at every place and in everything that you do. Places include church, work, and home.
A Virtuous Husband
A husband works hard, providing for the family. He ensures food gets to the home. The food placement on the table should be the wife's responsibility as a “homemaker” (Titus 2:5). The Holy Bible makes it clear that a husband is to love his wife. A husband’s role is to love his wife as Christ loves the church and gave Himself for her (Ephesians 5:25,33, Colossians 3:19). He is not to be bitter to his wife (Ephesians 5:33) and must be the head of the house (Ephesians 5:23, and 1 Timothy 3:12), as Christ is the head of the church (Ephesians 5:22-22).
Let us consider this for a moment. What does Jesus Christ do as the head of the church? Jesus Christ provides and maintains the health and overall well-being of the church spiritually and physically. Likewise, a husband is to guide his wife in the spiritual, physical, and mental matters of their marriage and life together. Being the head of the household does not put a husband above the wife.
The book of 1 Peter 3:7 declares, “Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.” A husband must honor his wife as this is good in the eyes of the Lord. At the same time, this verse treats husbands and wives as equals because both are heirs. It also repeats God’s response in Number 27 when Moses and the Israelites neared the end of their journey toward the promised land.
In the time of Moses, Zelophehad passed away leaving five daughters and no sons. The land was getting ready to be divided to be given to the tribes of Israel. However, only men could receive the land. So the daughters of Zelophehad went to the Tabernacle and demanded possession of the land among their uncles. Moses brought their case before the Lord.
Then God told Moses, “The daughters of Zelophehad speak what is right you shall surely give them a possession of inheritance among their father’s brothers and cause the inheritance of their father to pass to them.” (Numbers 27:7). Just as the daughters of Zelophehad got their inheritance, so too are wives the heirs of grace and eternal life. Why? God does not break His law but righteously fulfills it as He did with Jesus on the cross.
A Good Father
God is the Father of all creation and set His laws in the Holy Bible so we may believe and have an inheritance of grace. There is no better example of a good father than looking to the Lord, our God. Psalm 68:5 says:
A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows,Is God in His holy habitation.
Earlier, I said to consider how Jesus takes care of the church. Now, I want you to do the same thing with God. How does God take care of us? God provided for us by creating everything in the first five days before He created Adam on the sixth day. Shortly after being placed with his wife, Eve, they both sinned. When we sin, God corrects us:
“I will stand my watch And set myself on the rampart, And watch to see what He will say to me, And what I will answer when I am corrected.”
Habakkuk 2:1
In cases of a nation’s sin, God sends prophets to the country, telling them to turn back before disaster strikes. By doing so, God molds us, training us to be the Christians we should be. When the disaster eventually strikes, God preserves the people who love Him and destroys the wicked ones (Psalm 145:20). With the Holy Spirit, God guides us in every direction in our lives. Finally, God loves us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
Fathers, I have a word for you: you must do what is right before the Lord and treat your children well. The Holy Bible tells you to discipline your children (Proverbs 13:24) and train them (Proverbs 22:6). Teach your children about God and maintain a relationship with Him. Provide for your family as required in 1 Timothy 5:8, “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” Do not cause your children to be angry (Ephesians 6:4), but have compassion on them as the Lord has compassion for you (Psalm 103:13). If you do these things consistently, you will be a great role model.
Accepting Jesus
Are you ready to fulfill your biblically focused duties as a man? If so, great! If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, I invite you to do so now. Say this prayer aloud:
God, I confess that Jesus came in the flesh and blood, paid the price for my sins, died on the cross, rose on the third day, ascended to the heavens, and sent the Holy Spirit to help me understand Your ways. For that, I accept Jesus Christ as my savior and Lord, and I welcome the Holy Spirit in my life. In Jesus’s name, I pray, amen!
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