You might have noticed that masculinity isn’t what it used to be.
Perhaps an older generation can remember a time when strength and courage were the ideals of manhood, but such virtues have gradually fallen out of favor with the world. Today, they are viewed as features of “toxic masculinity.” Instead, the ideal man is in touch with his feminine side. He is soft and sensitive. He is never assertive; he keeps his convictions—if he has any—to himself. He gladly yields his God-ordained post of leadership to women, and is praised for doing so. In fact, it seems like the ideal man in today’s society is a lot like a woman.
Of course, the rise of feminism and transgenderism has seen lines of gender blurred, crossed over, and altogether obliterated, so that today the world cannot (or will not) clearly define what a woman is. However, they are still eager to tell us what a man is not—they’re clear about those features of masculinity that they want to see eradicated. In short, a man is not supposed to be manly.
In his sermon “Act Like Men,” John MacArthur summarizes the current state of things like this:
The feminist lie has been that patriarchy is bad, tyrannical, toxic, and needs to be destroyed. And they’ve been destroying it for decades. But to destroy masculinity, strong male leadership, and character leads to the current disaster [specifically, the BLM riots of 2020]. Weak men have given us this legacy. Weak men produce the death of society.
He then comments on the response of men to this situation:
Men are in a crisis today—they are continually told to get in touch with their feminine side, so they have become defensive about their masculinity. Women rise more frequently into positions of leadership, as men feel overpowered and unable to fight against the trend. Oh, there are lots of men at the gym who are pretty buff, but they’re doing virtually nothing to stop the tide of evil in the world.
Unfortunately, John’s assessment is true even inside the church. In the cases where evangelical leaders have not rolled over for feminism, they have often responded superficially. The resolution has been to deal in aesthetics—to up the bravado and machismo. Flexing and chest-beating, along with a host of “manly” hobbies and a good measure of uncouth behavior are the proposed cures for our deficient masculinity.
But it doesn’t take long to see the inadequacy of that response. Such outside changes do not reach to the heart of the issue—to merely appear manly is not the essence of biblical masculinity.
That’s why John has taken us through the Bible’s teaching on masculinity over the past few weeks. God is primarily concerned with a man’s character—so that is what He speaks to. The externals will follow, but they are not the focus of our efforts toward growing as Christian men.
Fortitude, conviction, integrity, endurance, self-discipline, maturity, discernment, wisdom, humility, leadership, and love—that is the measure of a man in God’s eyes. Yes, those virtues are more difficult to develop than muscles, but they are also far more valuable (1 Timothy 4:7–8).
On Father’s Day of 2020, amid social tumult, John MacArthur preached a sermon charging men of the church to act like men. In this sermon he calls out the world’s revulsion toward manliness, avoids the facile alternatives, and sets forth the essence of biblical masculinity. It is a much-needed remedy for a male population in crisis, and a church sorely lacking in true men.
Listen to “Act Like Men” here.
