(Excerpt from my upcoming book Warrior, Poet, Priest: Rediscovering Godly Masculinity)
I believe that masculinity is important because God created it. As a believer in Christ, this is all I need. But for argument’s sake, I will discuss a few more reasons. First, Genesis tells us that God created humans male and female. The fact that we were created as a duality should mean something. Look at it this way. In Eastern culture, there is the idea of yin and yang. Yin is feminine and yang is masculine.[1]
Two parts that make a whole. Combined, a perfect circle is created.[2] Similarly, God created us to represent two parts of Himself. God created men to exhibit certain traits and women others. This is called theomorphism.[3] Some aspects overlap, but many aspects of femininity are not found in masculinity and vice-versa. Masculine and feminine are equal in their manifestation of divinity. We are not divine ourselves, but God has imbued parts of Himself in us. Scripture uses the term “image” or “likeness” when describing how God made us. We see this in Genesis 1:26-27. I like how Grudem’s Systematic Theology puts it:
26 Then God said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness… 27 So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.Genesis 1:26-27 NASB
“When God says, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness’ (Gen. 1:26), the meaning is that God plans to make a creature similar to himself. Both the Hebrew word for ‘image’… and the Hebrew word for ‘likeness’ … refer to something that is similar but not identical to the thing it represents or is an ‘image’ of. The word image can also be used of something that represents something else.”[4]
We are created as images of God, what a daunting and beautiful thing.
This is why when we try to remove one half from the whole, we have a broken society. We try to split or warp God’s intended purposes for masculinity and femininity. One reason why we do this is that we believe that one is better than the other. We either think that masculinity is better or that femininity is better. This is also wrong. Grudem later writes “If God thinks us to be equal in value, then that settles the question, for God’s evaluation is the true standard of personal value for all eternity.”[5] As I said before if God said it that is all I need. He is the standard, the author, the maker, and the master of the universe. If He said it should be one way over another, who am I to disagree? But like usual, we believe that we know best. We believe that our short stint on this planet has given us the wisdom to override God.
Another point to remember is that God is genderless, though we do use masculine terms to describe Him. With this in mind, men and women exhibit attributes of Him in their unique way. The attributes that women possess we call feminine. Likewise, those that men have; we call masculine. This is why I believe that masculinity is important. When a society tries to remove the traits that only men have, that society is in essence destroying half of itself. It is also saying that those aspects of God are not worth having. Something half alive is not alive. And spitting on the divine is not a wise decision. We need to see what men are supposed to be like through God’s lens, not our own.
Another point for why gender differences are important is because God made men for specific tasks and women for specific tasks. These tasks are beautiful and cannot be done by the other. Our modern world has a weird idea that if an individual cannot do something that someone else can do they lose value. I think that this is ridiculous. Everyone has something that they cannot do that someone else can.
I am 6’4” and have been so since I was about sixteen. I have been able to reach top-shelf items since I was twelve or thirteen. Just because of my size I have been able to lift more than the average male my entire life. My natural ability does not decrease the value or the masculinity of those around me. I can reach high items, but I have the hardest time getting something out of the bottom drawer. God has given us all gifts, and we have to use those gifts.
Another example is the gift of music that God has given to my wife. Christina has an amazing voice and the ability to play multiple instruments. While dedication and hard work played a role, she has a natural gift as well. This is one that I do not have in the slightest. I can kind of sing, but I cannot play an instrument to save my life, and while I have always wanted to play something, I have never dedicated any amount of time to trying. My gifts are in speaking and writing (I hope). God has given us all gifts. Some are for women, some are for men, and some are for both. Trying to negate masculinity because it makes you feel excluded is childish. Trying to say that a woman can do everything a man can do is ridiculous, and vice versa. We need to learn to enjoy the gifts given to us and stop envying the ones given to someone else.
Let me know what you think! Anything you would change? Anything you loved? Any comments would be loved!
[1] Matthews, Carolyn M. “Nurturing Your Divine Feminine.” Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings, vol. 24, no. 3, July 2011, pp. 248–48, https://doi.org/10.1080/08998280.2011.11928725. Accessed 2 Mar. 2023.
[2] Citation from Beyond Chaos
[3] “Merriam-Webster Dictionary.” Merriam-Webster.com, 2023, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/theomorphism#:~:text=%3A%20representation%20or%20conception%20of%20something,in%20the%20image%20of%20God. Accessed 2 Mar. 2023.
[4] Grudem, Wayne A. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids, MI, Zondervan, 1994, pp. 442–443.
[5] Grudem, Wayne A. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids, MI, Zondervan, 1994, pp. 456–457.
Foster A... 