Rebuilding Biblical Manhood Using the Genesis Blueprints

There have been many evils spawned from the feminist movement2 over the last generation, such as the so-called “reproductive right” to the murder of the preborn, thus allowing sexual “freedom” and “autonomy” for women, and the overall defiance of the God-ordained hierarchal structure within the family—distorting biblical gender roles and distinctions. I think most Christians are likely aware of these serious diseases plaguing the culture that need to be dealt with today. But one of the most obvious—and yet generally unspoken—consequences of the feminist movement that has totally permeated the culture (and sadly even much of the church) is the feminization and emasculation of men.

At the core of feminist ideology, women are said to have been “imprisoned” in domestic life and therefore must be liberated/unshackled from the “chains” of patriarchy (or as summarized with their common mantra: “smash the patriarchy”).3 Hence, the feminist agenda not only tries to discredit male leadership in every area of society but also actively promotes the shaming of masculinity—as being labeled as “toxic”—in an effort to cause young men to abandon the masculine behaviors (strength, courage, leadership, etc.) that make them men.

Or in the words of one feminist icon: “We’ve begun to raise daughters more like sons . . . but few have the courage to raise our sons more like our daughters.”4 In other words, boys are being trained to be like girls and be more feminine—because their masculinity is seen as “toxic” and shameful—thus, causing boys to grow up having no clue how to live as God designed them. So, instead of training young men on how to hone their masculinity, they’re being told that it’s “toxic” and must be eradicated. Consequently, masses of confused young men have become the casualties of this ongoing war.

Media “Man”ifestation

In fact, this deconstruction of manhood, especially over the last few decades, has been widely observable in television, film, and media—effectively portraying women as “superior” to men, possessing better skills, intellect, wisdom, and even leadership abilities. (For instance, just consider any of the latest Disney or Marvel movies and shows, where girls are typically portrayed as the strong leader, hero, and savior, while boys are shown as the less useful and weaker sex.) Plus, fathers are frequently being portrayed on the big screen as these unnecessary buffoons who are no different than the kids.

And speaking of fathers, this war on manhood has contributed to an increasing number of men forsaking their children and failing to fulfill their God-given duty as leader, provider, and protector in the home (i.e., fathers basically being “checked out” at home, partly due to the discouragement caused by the prevalent distorted and evil portrayal of manhood). And let’s face it, we live in a culture where many fathers (if they’re even still around) have sinned by not seriously taking up their responsibility to raise godly offspring, bringing up their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Malachi 2:15; Ephesians 6:4)—thus, allowing many sons and daughters to instead be discipled by a secular (anti-God) world that is in hostile rebellion against their Creator.

Devastating Consequences

Men have not prioritized their fatherly duties—not laying down their life for their family, as commanded by Scripture (e.g., Ephesians 5:25) with many who have turned their hearts 180^o away from God and instead toward false worldly pleasures. Ultimately, this lack of strong leadership in the home has resulted in the collapse of families—and thus society as a whole. Or as the old saying goes: as the family goes, so goes the nations, and so goes the whole world.

Why? Because if men don’t understand what they’re made for, and how God intends to use them in the world, then men won’t understand what it means to be a husband/father. Consequently, fathers are absent, households are broken, and boys grow up thinking that there is something wrong with being masculine. And sadly, this has produced a generation of men without an understanding of the fundamental, God-given character traits that make them uniquely men.

So here’s the problem: we’re living in a culture where masculinity is shamed and strong men are vilified as “toxic” or dangerous, and anyone who says otherwise is “canceled”—it’s no wonder so many young men today are having a masculinity crisis! Simply put, men no longer know how or what it means to be a man, nor do they have permission to be one. As Dr. Voddie Baucham put it in a recent interview:

In this anti-masculine culture, we’re beyond feminism, we’re radical anti-masculinity. So there’s this misandry [hatred of men] in our culture. And so, anytime that anything looks masculine, like standing your ground, holding your head up high, and affirming what you know to be true, it’s seen as dangerous, it’s seen as toxic, it’s seen as hateful.5

The Walls Have Collapsed—It’s Time to Rebuild

Like the broken city of Jerusalem in the days of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:3), the Western world is in a similar situation—the walls have been broken down, and everything is burning. And like the inhabitants of Jerusalem, men today are in great trouble and shame—thus, the church today is in danger of losing another generation of men.

The church today is in danger of losing another generation of men.

But when Jerusalem was destroyed, by God’s grace, he raised up Nehemiah to rebuild it (Nehemiah 2:17). We’re a generation now living in a burning society, which means we’re the ones who must rebuild the walls. But again, we’re living in a culture of fatherless men who don’t know how to rebuild the walls. So we need Nehemiahs of our day—men who are willing to build with a hammer in one hand and fight with a sword in the other hand (Nehemiah 4:15–23)—who will lead the men in the rebuilding efforts.

But in order to properly build the walls, we must start by first rebuilding the foundation. In the same way that you build a house by starting at the foundation, Christians must first start all their thinking on the foundational book of the Bible—Genesis. So, if we want to see the “walls” of biblical masculinity be restored, it must start with the Genesis blueprint for recovering manhood. From there, only then can we begin to see revival happen in households  churches  societies.

Why Did God Create Man?

What does it mean to be a man according to the Bible? Let’s now turn to the first pages of Scripture to see what it says about manhood. Of course, there are many great examples of what godly men are called to be outside of Genesis (such as Joshua 1:9; 1 Corinthians 16:13; and so on). But in order to have the foundation for those verses, again, we need to go to the foundational book of the Bible: the blueprint for recovering the true meaning of biblical masculinity. In fact, every Christian doctrine, either directly or indirectly, is founded on Genesis. So, as Bible-believing Christians, it’s important we build all our thinking on it.

But before we address what a man is, let’s first ask: Why did God create man? It’s really a simple, straightforward question. However, sadly, many Christians today do not know how to answer it. Why? Because Christians today spend very little time in Genesis, focusing more on the New Testament, the Gospels, or Revelation. In other words, Christians spend more effort studying the end of time rather than the beginning of time!

Don’t get me wrong: the New Testament is important to study—since it’s all God’s Word! But Genesis is the “seed” of all Scripture from which everything grows. So, without understanding the first book of the Bible, it’s impossible to properly understand the rest of it. This means that if you don’t know what Genesis says about what is a man, then you won’t properly understand what it means to be a man. But before we dive into the more specific details of what it means to be a man (which we’ll see in Genesis 2), we first need to look at the big picture of why God made mankind in Genesis 1.

God made everything in six literal (24-hour) days, and he rested (ceased his work) on the seventh day. And on the sixth day of creation, the text plainly tells us why God made man:

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26–28, emphasis added)

So, according to Genesis, God created man in his image and likeness and gave him the charge to rule (to have “dominion”) as representative rulers over the creation. Now, to be clear, this does not mean that God created man to have a combative/hostile relationship with the physical world. Originally, there was no hostility at all between the first man, Adam, and creation. Why? Because, at the end of creation week, God declared that all of creation was very good (Genesis 1:31). Hence, Adam was commissioned to carry on that very good work, filling the whole earth and bringing it into submission. But of course, Adam couldn’t complete that mission alone, which we’ll explore in Part 2.