Chapter 1 - The Shape of Masculinity

You've heard the adage, "Boys will be boys," so obviously there is the aspect of masculinity that is very different from our girls. The first thing to know is "what is masculinity?" and "what are we looking for when we describe manhood according to the Bible?"

First, our boys will be "lords". We know from Genesis 1: 26-28 that man was created to exercise dominion in the earth. Sin has certainly affected our ability to fulfill this command from God, but it did not remove the obligation placed on us by the command.

Another aspect of this command is seen in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20): disciple the nations and bring them to true submission to Christ. Boys want to conquer and subdue. The point of discipline with boys is to channel and direct their energy into an obedient response to the cultural mandate. It is not to squash that energy, destroying it or making it sullen. Boys, therefore, should be in training to become men who exercise dominion, they should be learning to be lords in the earth, and learning how to be adventurous and visionary.

Second, our boys will be "husbandmen." Man was created to make our world flourish. The dominion mandate, taken in isolation, could result in men trying to build a culture based on piracy. This second aspect means that men are created to conquer and subdue, and after that, to settle down. In Genesis 2:15, "God took man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it." Man doesn't just build, he must tend and oversee.

A rich farmer was once rebuked for having his sons work in the fields when they didn't have to. His reply to that was that he wasn't raising corn, he was raising boys. Boys, therefore, should be learning to be patient, careful, and hardworking.

Third, our boys will be "saviors". Men have a deep desire to deliver or save. The great example of a savior is, of course, Jesus Christ. His deliverance from the serpent (dragon) was promised to His people in the early chapters of Genesis. God promised a curse on the serpent, and in that curse we see the salvation of the world.

Men who follow Jesus Christ, the "dragon-slayer", must themselves become lesser dragon-slayers. This is why it is absolutely essential for boys to play with wooden swords and plastic guns. Boys have a deep need to have something to defend, something to represent in battle. The Christian faith is not pacifistic. The peace that will be ushered in by our Prince will be a peace purchased with blood. As Christ sacrificed Himself in this war, so must His followers learn to do. Boys must learn that they are growing up to fight in a great war, and they must consequently learn, as boys, to be strong, sacrificial, courageous, and good.

Fourth, our boys will be "sages". The sage is a man who is great in wisdom, and wisdom in Scripture is personified as a great lady. Sons are constantly exhorted to listen to her. Looking at Proverbs 1-9, we see that wisdom is a woman who disciplines boys. If he heeds wisdom in her role as the strict school-mistress, he grows up to a certain measure of wisdom.

We must, therefore, teach our boys the masculinity of study, of learning, of books, of intellectual discussion. Too often, boys drift into a situation where they pit one aspect of masculinity against another. For instance, a boy who loves the outdoors can too readily dismiss software programming as effeminate, or even worse, come to look down on poetry.

Intellectual discipline, or, as Peter put it, girding up the loins of the mind, is an important part of growing to manhood. Boys must learn to be teachable, studious, and thoughtful.

Finally, our boys will be "glory-bearers". This last aspect of masculinity is seen in the fact that men are the glory of God. "For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man" (1 Corinthians 11:3).

Boys must be instructed on how to grow up into glory and how to fulfill their responsibility to be representative, responsible, and holy.

In summary, we should want our boys to be aggressive and adventurous. They are learning to be lords of the earth. We should want them to be patient and hardworking. They are learning husbandry. We should want them to hate evil and to have a deep desire to fight it. They are learning what a weapon feels like in their hands. We should want boys to be eager to learn from the wise. They are learning to become wise themselves. We should want them to stand before God, in the worship of God, with head uncovered. They are the image and glory of God.

<"Future Men" by Douglas Wilson>