Masculinity

Creating man, male and female, the Lord invested in them all His heart, His essence and very much desired through this couple to reveal to the entire Universe the beauty of His character. Declaring aloud that the Deity would create man in Our image and Our likeness, the Creator intrigued all the heavenly beings observing this process. What could this mean?

Those present understood that God's word accomplishes everything for which it was spoken, and everyone tensely awaited something grandiose. Now two unusual beings should appear, man and woman, by the name of human, reflecting God's image and being His likeness. How would they look? What does this mean—in image and likeness? For these beings heaven and earth had already been created, filled with everything necessary for life, for joy and comfort. They were given power over the created planet and all who inhabit it. Even before their appearance in the world they became rightful masters of the earth.

And behold, the Lord takes earthly dust and begins to mold from it a strange figure, with external outlines similar to the Creator. What would happen next? A clay mummy resulted, which had neither form nor majesty. The Lord bent over this strange creation and breathed His breath into the motionless lips, and the dust of the earth became a living soul.

Although angels were accustomed to seeing miracles of the Lord of the Universe, once again they were surprised by His creative fantasy and the deep meaning that was embedded in every word of God and in the destiny that was assigned to man before his appearance in the world. The sons of God exclaimed with joy, asking each other with their eyes about what would happen next. Very recently they witnessed how the Heavenly family was destroyed, and many of the rebellious angels were forever expelled from the Heavenly dwellings. Grief and anguish filled Heaven. Expectation of some inevitable tragedy hung in the atmosphere of God's Kingdom. And against the background of all these events the Lord decides to create, inviting all who wish to become witnesses of this process.

Perhaps the rebels also somehow observed from afar what was happening, and in their hearts a struggle occurred between despair for the lost place in Heaven and indignation for such cruel treatment toward them. But seeing how a masterpiece of the Lord's creativity came from God's hands, the fallen beings began to devise a cunning plan to deceive these innocent people and capture the pristine planet under their power, to show the entire Universe how beautifully everyone would live far from God, not obeying His laws.

The first man, although still an adult child who had just appeared in the world, already was a reflection of God's glory, which was to reveal day by day to the entire Universe the beauty of God's character. Into the image of man were placed masculinity, wisdom and strength inherent to the Creator. And woman with her tender appearance and femininity revealed to all heavenly beings those hidden qualities of God's soul to which angels did not even pay attention.

We can only guess how the first people looked, but knowing how perfect the Lord is, and that He creates everything best and unsurpassed in all respects, we can safely say that Adam and his wife were beautiful representatives of God on our planet, and if they had not fallen, then all their children would have reflected God's glory in all human diversity.

The masculinity that Adam displayed was inscribed in every cell of his nature and was expressed both in his external appearance and in the inner beauty of God's likeness embedded in the first man's intellect. Giving names to animals, Adam invented new words characterizing the habits of earthly and heavenly creatures. He remembered these names and did not confuse them among themselves when meeting again with those to whom he gave a special name.

His relationship with his wife was an example of heavenly harmony, in which agape love guided all principles and motives of their behavior. Adam's mission consisted in constant care for his other half and study of this person completely unlike him in all spheres of existence.

The concept of masculinity before the fall and after it began to differ substantially from each other, like day from night. And in our days it has lost its original meaning, and we can understand by this word whatever we want.

And to understand what masculinity is that is pleasing to God and meets Heavenly criteria, it is worth looking at Christ's character and delving into the essence of His motives and goals that He set and achieved.

Jesus' life was a bright example of true masculinity available to each of us. The Lord, being in a human body, grew according to all earthly laws of development and at each stage of His growth He was perfect, both physically and spiritually. His meek but strong spirit emphasized His masculinity in growth from childhood to mature age.

This does not even need to be proven, because it could not be otherwise. Jesus became for us a perfect example in everything and a perfect image of God in every relationship with people, as well as a manifestation of care for needy humanity. Everything good and pure can be found in Jesus, even without knowing Him personally, because evil and wrong behavior is excluded, since He is the Savior of the world who gave His life for our sins. God would not have accepted something imperfect as a sacrifice.

Masculinity is a quality of strength, determination and courage manifested in difficult situations or before life's challenges. It can be expressed in physical endurance, emotional stability and ability to take responsibility for one's actions. It can also include courage to take risks, protect those you love, and express your convictions, even if this requires steadfastness before contradictions or troubles. This is the ability to overcome difficulties without intimidation, maintaining dignity and honesty. Masculinity implies readiness for self-improvement and weighing risks with wisdom and prudence. It is able to accept defeats or mistakes with dignity, extracting lessons from them. Masculinity is not only physical strength, but also strength stability in spiritual and emotional terms. It can manifest in how a person supports others and stands for justice.

This is the ability to adapt to new circumstances, despite inevitable failures and uncertainty. Courage in recognizing one's weaknesses and shortcomings.

The Lord is interested in revealing this property of His soul to us and restoring this image in us. Masculinity is inherent not only to men, but also manifests itself in God's daughters who decide to be obedient to God's light and live in accordance with God's will. This is the ability to be honest with oneself and others, even when it is difficult. This also includes striving for forgiveness and for having a positive influence on those around.

Agape love is the highest manifestation of masculinity in relationships with other people, and a meek spirit in love is the most militant spirit of a victor with whom Jesus will share His throne.

1. Please read 1 Cor. 16:13-14; Gen. 1:26-27; 15:6; Heb. 1:1-4; Matt. 5:3-16; Eccl. 7:28-29; Prov. 11:19; Eph. 1:3-10; 3:14-19; Deut. 31:6-8; Josh. 1:9; Ps. 8:3-7 in light of this lesson.

2. What other verses from the Bible came to your memory?

3. What did you understand from this topic?

4. What is masculinity in light of our time?

5. Do you know masculine people? How do you distinguish them from the rest?

6. Do you find in Jesus an example of true masculinity? 1 Pet. 2:21.

7. Can believing women also be masculine? How does this look in life?

8. Should one know that the fearful do not have a very interesting prospect? Rev. 21:8.

9. Where can one learn masculinity? Matt. 11:29-30.

10. Does God's understanding of masculinity differ from the human one?

11. Does the verse from Rev. 3:18 give you advice on how to become masculine and wise in the last time?

12. How to understand whether I possess masculinity?

13. If I decide for myself to be masculine, what else do I need for this besides the decision?

14. What to do if I understood that there is no masculinity in me? How can I resolve this question?

15. What examples of masculine people from the Bible do you know? Heb. 11:33-40.