Our modern society has increasingly questioned and confused the roles of men and women. Some challenges may be legitimate and more cultural than absolute. Yet the Bible clearly defines both sexes as important, each with their distinctive nature. God designed these differences for our good and his glory. To completely erase the distinctives goes against truth and life. 

At the same time, many of our definitions of masculinity could use some questioning. Is it truly masculine to fix cars and watch football? More importantly, do these characteristics align with biblical manhood? The Bible does reveal a masculine role. However, it’s not as defined by external elements. God finds the heart more important. 

Exploring biblical manhood, we must include a couple of qualifiers. First, the Christian life isn’t masculine or feminine. Accountability, community, spiritual disciplines, living and passing on a mission-oriented life – none of these depend upon being married or male or female. Second, as we look at important characteristics of biblical masculinity, a man shouldn’t and can’t fulfill these alone or apart from the feminine, whether married or in the Body of Christ. 

With this in mind, here are five biblical characteristics of manhood.

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Is God love, or is God so terrifying He drives us to our knees? It can be hard for us to separate the two, considering fear to be a good and healthy thing. But when we take a look at who exactly God is and what it means to fear Him, it changes everything.

Bring up artificial intelligence (AI), and you’ll get a host of opinions, many of them extreme. I know an author who received a ton of pushback when she admitted to using AI for some of her artwork. However, another friend teaches courses in AI. I also have friends who reject anything made by AI, even believing an evil exists behind it all. 

No matter what our perspective is, AI is here to stay. Artificial intelligence has and will further impact every industry, from education to construction. 

The Church isn’t immune to dealing with AI. Pastors have the same range of views. Some use AI a great deal, others won’t ever. What are the dangers and advantages of AI for pastors writing sermons?

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The Bible opens with the story of creation. The text introduces God as Creator, and he initiates the earth within galaxies and begins to fill it with plants, animals, birds, fish, and then humanity. The first chapter of Genesis divides God’s work into different days. On the seventh day, God “rested.” 

Many debate how literal or figurative the biblical creation process is, but either way, the Spirit means to teach us something about God and humanity throughout the first chapter of the canon. The Scripture also tells us that God is all-powerful. Why would he need to rest? 

Of course, he didn’t. Therefore, he took a day off for a reason. And if it wasn’t for him, it might be for us. 

Where Does the Bible Talk about God Resting on the Seventh Day?

The Bible mentions God resting on the seventh day in Genesis. After six days of creation, Genesis 2:2-3 says, “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”

In Genesis’ first chapter, God speaks creation into existence. He creates light, separates waters from land, establishes the celestial bodies, fills the seas with creatures, and brings forth animals on the land. Finally, on day six, God creates humanity in his own image. Each day of creation ends with the words, “And there was evening, and there was morning …” By the end of the sixth day, God recognizes and declares all creation as “very good.” The seventh day is unique. God chose to rest. 

The Hebrew word for “rested” here is shabat, literally to stop. This means God wasn’t tired. His act of resting was an intentional cessation from work. Genesis 2:2 connects the finished nature of the work to God’s choice to rest. The Lord deliberately stopped, manifesting completion and his satisfaction. The shabat reveals creation was whole and didn’t lack anything. The same Hebrew word is used for Israel’s Sabbath day of rest. 

God’s choice to stop points first to his authority over creation. This wasn’t a struggle for him but an intentional, structured work he completed by the Word of God speaking. God’s shabat shows not weakness but how God brings things to completion, inviting Adam and Eve into this rest and finished work. 

However, the first humans sinned, rebelled, and got kicked out of the Garden of Eden. Along with broken relationship with the Creator, the man and woman — and every human since — lost the rest intended for them. Under the curse, there would be no rest. 

In his love, God sought to bring us back to shabat.

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Did you know that phrase, to "glorify God and enjoy Him forever," isn't actually from the Bible? It's from the Westminster Catechism, but it is inspired by scriptural truths. That said, what would it look like in our day-to-day lives to glorify and enjoy God?

Studying King David’s life, we naturally grow curious about his mother. The biblical silence creates a mystery, which makes us even more curious. 

So which one is it? Are our good deeds filthy rags, or are Christians called to "be good"? Before answering this question, it's important to look at what we mean when we say "good deeds," and examine why we are doing them in the first place. 

None of us succeed alone. 

We have accountability as individuals, and we make our own choices. At the same time, God designed us to have relationship with him and others. At least, that’s the ideal. Unfortunately, we live in a broken world where division and conflict happen too often. 

The gospel promises a different way to live, a way that leads to an eternal future of love, righteousness, and peace. God sent his Son to initiate this spiritual revolution. Even Jesus didn’t minister alone; he brought disciples with him, passing it on to others to spread the Good News. 

The most influential evangelist in the New Testament was the apostle Paul. As we read about his missionary journeys, he didn’t go alone. God called small group as the first missionaries, and Paul followed this model, along with the one Jesus set before them, to minister as a community. These men may be more obscure to us, but they were crucial to the gospel turning the world upside-down in the first century after Jesus’ resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

How Many Missionary Journeys Did Paul Take?

According to the book of Acts, the apostle Paul took three primary missionary journeys, then traveled to Rome as a prisoner. 

Paul’s first journey starts in Acts 13. He served for years as one of the leaders of the church in Antioch. During a time of prayer, the Holy Spirit called Paul and Barnabas to spread the gospel. The two take a young man, Mark, with them, and they travel through Cyprus and other Asia Minor regions. Together, they preach to both Jews and Gentiles, planting new churches while facing opposition. Mark left them at some point during this journey. 

For his second journey (Acts 15-18), Paul and Barnabas have a disagreement about bringing Mark again. They decide to go in separate directions. Paul takes Silas with him, visiting many of the churches he and Barnabas had planted. During his travels, God gives him a vision, calling Paul to Macedonia. Paul spreads the gospel to Europe in cities like Philippi, Thessalonica, and Corinth, planting more churches. 

On his third journey (Acts 18-21), Paul again visits the planted churches, spending time in Ephesus where a revival breaks out. Many pagans reject their idols. Paul travels through Greece before coming to Jerusalem. 

The Jews bring charges against Paul and he’s arrested. Being a Roman citizen, Paul appeals to Caesar, and goes to the capital of the empire in chains. While a prisoner, he still finds ways to preach in Malta and then in Rome, as well. Although it was not technically a missionary journey, he did preach and lead people to Jesus.

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I grew up in the age when our church sang hymns and we read the King James Version of the Bible. Often, there would be phrases I didn’t understand. 

One of our favorite hymns was “Family of God.” For many years, I thought we had “joint hairs” with Jesus. The actual line said, “Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod.” I also didn’t know what sod was. Then someone explained how we lived as princes and princesses of the King while on the earth, and would one day inherit the Kingdom. This made more sense than singing about Jesus’ hair. 

Another phrase from the Bible I needed some explanation for was “kick against the goads.” The best someone could do to explain this at the time was, “It’s like beating your head against the wall,” using another cliché. This worked, but looking deeper into the phrase and context, we see deeper meaning and application for us today. 

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With grace, the Father has given many things to us through faith in the Son. One of these is what theologians call imputed righteousness. The word might sound fancy, but it’s a foundational reality for the Christian life.

The apostle Paul mentions the man of lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians, the only place the Bible uses that exact phrase.

“Time and truth go hand in hand.” 

I’m not sure who originally said this statement, but a pastor friend would quote it often. As a pastor, I learned things only years of ministry will teach you. Sometimes a person would come to a worship service and get excited and jump right in to the congregation and community. I would get inspired and encouraged. But within a short amount of time, the same person would be gone without much of an explanation. Sometimes another person would ask challenging questions, difficult ones, and be hesitant to commit to anything. And yet that person would quietly, over time, be the most consistent and generous member of the church. 

It's not a formula either way, and we often have to wait and see how people act over time. True transformation isn’t a short sprint; it’s a marathon. And we often don’t get to see the impact of ministry until years down the road. Maybe decades. 

Jesus gave his disciples a parable to reveal this, in part, when he spoke about wheat and tares and what will happen at the end of all time. Matthew’s gospel records this parable for us, and it is still important and relevant today. 

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