God designed men with purpose. Work is part of that purpose, with hard work, diligence, and responsibility being key traits. But a man’s legacy isn’t tied to a job title or the wealth he leaves behind. The legacy God intended for men to pass on is one of love and faithfulness, a legacy that is handed down from generation to generation.
This is the heart of biblical manhood. But it’s not what our culture has taught us.
What Culture Got Wrong About Manhood
Cultural definitions of masculinity have led many men astray. In pursuing cultural ideals of manhood, we’ve seen a devastating fallout: absent fathers, confused boys, and broken families. This isn’t hypothetical. It’s happening all around us. The statistics are sobering.
Children raised without fathers account for:
- 63% of youth suicides
- 90% of homeless and runaway children
- 85% of children with behavioral disorders
- 71% of high school dropouts
- 85% of youth in prison
These numbers don’t lie. When men remain passive, when they stay on the fence, children suffer. Families suffer. Entire communities suffer.
It’s easy to point fingers at the culture around us. But the real challenge is this. Will men choose to get off the fence and live into the biblical design God has for them? If not, new cultural definitions of manhood will continue to rise. And those definitions are already pulling our boys in, shaping them in ways that reject biblical values.
A Call to Biblical Manhood
Men, dads, it’s time to choose. Biblical manhood isn’t about dominance or detachment. It’s redemptive. It’s about living into the way God created us.
God made men to be very good. That includes being good fathers. There’s growing scientific evidence that supports what Scripture has been saying all along. Men are wired for fatherhood. Just as a woman’s body and brain prepare for motherhood, studies have shown that a father’s brain experiences changes, too. Hormones like oxytocin increase, enhancing a father’s empathy and attachment even before his child is born. And that connection only deepens when a father interacts with his child.
This is not just science. This is design. God created men with the capacity, the wiring, and the calling to be good dads. Jesus understood this reality. When teaching a group of men, he asked:
“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him?” – Matthew 7:9-11
Even sinful fathers instinctively know how to care for their children. That’s not social conditioning. That’s God’s design.
Stepping Into Your Design
It’s not enough to simply know this. We have to choose to live it out. Everything you need to be a good father or a godly male role model is already built into how God made you. But it doesn’t activate automatically. You have to decide to step into it. Otherwise, culture will choose for you.
To live into biblical fatherhood means to become a man who disciples the next generation in the way of Jesus. The Apostle Paul gave this direct instruction in Ephesians 6:4:
“Fathers, do not exasperate your children. Instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”
Paul’s warning is clear. Don’t stir up anger or resentment in your children. Don’t parent in a way that leads to bitterness and rebellion. Instead, raise them up. Guide them in the ways of the Lord. This is a calling that takes patience. It takes love. And it takes intentionality.
If that’s the job of a biblical father, then it follows that a father must first become a disciple himself. There’s no shortcut. You can’t tell your kids to love God and obey His commands while continuing in unrepentant disobedience. That version of manhood doesn’t exist in Scripture.
You Can’t Give What You Haven’t Received
If you want to raise your children in the way of Jesus, you need to be walking that way yourself. You can’t teach what you haven’t learned. You can’t give love in ways you’ve never experienced it.
For some of you, the next step is to reach out. To ask someone to disciple you. To seek help and guidance. Because biblical manhood begins with following Jesus personally, then leading others to do the same.
Conclusion: Time to Get Off the Fence
The stakes are high. Families, communities, and the next generation are shaped by the men who raise them. Culture has already made its move, offering a hollow version of masculinity. But God is calling men to something better. Something eternal.
This is the time to get off the fence. To reclaim biblical manhood. To leave a legacy not of status or wealth, but of love, faithfulness, and discipleship.
God made you for this. Step into it.
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