Honorable Christian Manhood (pt 4)
Taigen Joos
The need for Honorable Christian Men is great because the Scriptural expectations are great.
Many men are no doubt wondering how they can grow in becoming an honorable Christian man. Is there any hope for spiritual growth and victory? The biblical answer is a resounding “YES.” There is always hope, because there is always God. God desires for every one of His children to live honorably before Him. Men, it is time we desire what God desires of us. There is a great need for Honorable Christian Manhood. God expects it of His men who claim Christ as Lord and Savior.
We see this expectation highlighted in the book of Proverbs. Proverbs has many instances of pointing out a person’s need for integrity and honor. Notice the various terms used to describe this kind of man and how he is contrasted with an ungodly man.
- Proverbs 11:3, The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.
- Proverbs 12:2, A good man obtains favor from the LORD, but a man of evil devices he condemns.
- Proverbs 19:1, Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.
- Proverbs 20:7, The righteous who walks in his integrity— blessed are his children after him!
- Proverbs 22:1, A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.
- Proverbs 22:4, The reward for humility and fear of the LORD is riches and honor and life.
- Proverbs 28:6, Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.
- Proverbs 28:18, Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered, but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.
- Proverbs 28:20, A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.
The biblical ideas of integrity, humility, having a good name, and faithfulness are repeatedly used in these verses. Biblically speaking, the kind of man whom God honors is morally upright, humble, reputable, and faithful. These verses are written for our profit and admonition. It is clear that we ought to be men who seek to cultivate this kind of lifestyle.
The church today is in desperate need of godly, honorable, Christian men. More and more churches are populated with a higher percentage of women than with men. While this is not a new phenomenon, it is something that must not be ignored, but rather reversed. The men who are in the church must learn to lead effectively, love rightly, and live according to holiness. When this kind of manhood is exhibited with Christian graces, it will attract other young men to the Christian faith and be another means of proclaiming the saving grace of Christ to them.
Cultivating a life of integrity is important for every man. It is important for our younger men to learn these truths early. They need to see in older men what an honorable Christian man looks like. They can see this as they study out the Scriptures, as they read about godly men throughout church history, and as they watch older men in their churches. I believe one reason why our churches today are filled with dishonorable Christian men is because they were trained when they were younger in dishonorable pursuits and have failed to put those things aside. It should be no wonder that dishonorable young men grow up to be dishonorable older men.
It is said of Jesus in Luke 2:52 that he grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and with men. Those aspects encompass his intellectual, physical, spiritual, and social components of his earthly life. As a child, Jesus lived an honorable life before His Father. As a teenager, Jesus lived an honorable life before His Father. And as an adult, Jesus continued to live an honorable life before His Father. Jesus is the epitome of honorable Christian manhood. For any man who has received Christ as Lord and Savior, His righteousness has been credited to our account. As God sees us, He sees the honor and righteousness of Christ. However, we are called upon to live out practically what we are already declared to be positionally before God. We are righteous in Christ; we must live righteously because of Christ. We are holy, we must be holy.
No matter how old we are, our need to live honorably as a Christian man remains the same. Our pursuit of honorable Christian manhood must never stop. We must strive to model our lives after the very character of Jesus Christ, and call others to do the same. Our wives need to see this. Our children need to see this, as do our grandchildren. Others in the church need to see this. It is time for men to stop playing the game of Christianity and live up to the calling God has placed upon us to be the men He wants us to be, without excuse. We must commit ourselves to be honorable Christian men for the glory of God.
Taigen Joos is the pastor of Heritage Baptist Church in Dover, NH. He blogs here, where this article first appeared. It is republished here by permission.