Bible Verse: “(The LORD said), ‘Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?’ The man said, ‘The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.’ ” (Genesis 3:11-12)
Scripture Reading: Genesis 3:1-24; John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:45-49; Hebrews 4:15
Some like to blame Eve for the Fall, but Scripture makes clear that Adam bears the responsibility (Romans 5:12-14; 1 Corinthians 15:22).
Adam abandoned his wife to the serpent’s cunning, joined her in sin, ran away from God, and then threw Eve under the bus—surely not what God wanted.
This week, we have visited God’s design for man:
- Created with a male body.
- Created to be joined with woman and connected with others.
- Created to work.
- Created to reign over Creation.
- Created to walk with God.
This is God’s design for masculinity, applicable to all men, across all cultures, at all times.
Unfortunately, in the Fall, we also see qualities of fallen man that look awfully familiar across all men, across all cultures, at all times:
- Disobedience to God.
- Passively dodging responsibility.
- Making excuses for bad behaviour.
- Blaming others.
- Pulling away from the Lord.
As a result of sin, the life of man is now marked with broken relationships, shame, passivity, accusations, and distance from God.
But there is good news to come!
Jesus, the perfect Man, fulfilled all that God designed men to do except marry (singleness was His calling) and managed to avoid man’s fallen qualities, being without sin (2 Corinthians 15:21; Hebrews 4:15).
Jesus obeyed perfectly, stepped up to His responsibility (even unto the Cross!), never blamed or made excuses, and walked intimately with His Father (John 14:31).
Where Adam fell short (and we do, too), Jesus stood strong.
What is more, in Jesus, we are offered forgiveness for our sins; not only that, we are provided transformation by the Holy Spirit to become less like our Adam-y selves and more like Christ, the perfect Man (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18).
Christ perfectly lived out God’s design for manhood and calls us to follow in His footsteps (1 John 2:6).
As we end our week, let us be clear:
You are not a man by virtue of what hobbies you enjoy, various aspects of your personality, or whatever cultural factors may be affecting you.
You are a man because God created you as a man.
And you are a godly man as you increasingly surrender yourself to the way of Christ, following His example as the perfect Man.
May men embrace their divine calling and, in so doing, look less like Adam’s Fall and more like Jesus’ life, in every way.
Prayer: Lord, I thank You for creating me as a man! Help me to be faithful to my calling in Your grand design, and to live out my life in the way of Christ in ever-increasing measure. Amen.
Reflection: What is your biggest takeaway from this week of devotionals? How will that takeaway affect how you move forward from here?
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