Daily devotion – The emasculation of manhood.
Men Have Gone Missing: The Emasculation of Manhood
Genesis 1:27
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
Helen and I attended a primary school function the other day, and something caught my attention about the younger generation growing up in a world that is impacting many of them profoundly.
Our modern world has changed dramatically in some very foundational areas. The biblical understanding of the family has been challenged and, in many places, radically redefined. Even the biblical and biological understanding of what constitutes male and female has come under enormous pressure.
Yet God’s Word has not changed.
Genesis 2:23–24 says:
“And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”
From the beginning, God established His design: male and female, husband and wife, and the family unit flowing from that relationship.
When society moves away from God’s design, there are consequences. Across Australia, family structures have changed significantly, including a substantial number of children growing up in single-parent households. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that single-parent families make up around 16% of Australian families, with the great majority headed by mothers.
This is not a criticism of single mothers. Many are doing an extraordinary job raising children under very difficult circumstances. Rather, it reminds us of something important: children need fathers and mothers. They need the love, guidance, protection, correction, example and stability that godly parents can provide.
There has also been a significant cultural attack upon traditional understandings of masculinity, fatherhood and manhood. In some places, masculinity itself has been treated as something negative or embarrassing rather than something that, when submitted to God, can be used for great good.
Biblical manhood is not about being harsh, domineering or superior to women. Quite the opposite. Scripture calls men to love sacrificially, serve humbly, protect faithfully, provide responsibly and lead spiritually.
A husband is commanded:
Ephesians 5:25
“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.”
That is God’s standard for a man—not selfish power, but sacrificial love.
And fathers are instructed:
Ephesians 6:4
“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
Sadly, many young people today are growing up without a clear understanding of identity, responsibility, family and God’s purposes for their lives. We should not respond to this with ridicule or rejection. These young people need the Gospel.
Jesus sees the confused, the broken, the lonely and the searching. He does not abandon them.
Jesus said:
John 8:12
“I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
I am reminded of Jesus’ parable of the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13:24–30. While men slept, an enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat. There is certainly a spiritual battle taking place around the hearts and minds of this generation.
But we must remember something very important: the answer is not found in simply complaining about the culture. The answer is found in Christ.
The Church must pray.
The Church must teach God’s Word.
Fathers must step up and be godly fathers. Men must rediscover what biblical manhood looks like. Husbands must love their wives sacrificially. Older men must mentor younger men. And the Church must provide young people with a place where they can hear truth, experience genuine Christian love and discover their identity in Christ.
Titus 2:6–7 calls younger men to be “sober minded” and older believers to be examples of good works.
We cannot simply lament what has been lost. We must become the godly examples this generation desperately needs.
My heart broke as I watched some of these young people who seemed so lost and uncertain, living in what appeared to be a vacuum of purpose and hope.
But there is hope!
Their greatest need is not another cultural identity. Their greatest need is to know the One who created them, loves them and gave His Son for them.
2 Corinthians 5:17 reminds us:
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
This is why the Church is still here in these Last Days—not merely to complain about the darkness, but to shine the Light!
We are called to proclaim the truth of God’s Word, to love people, to pray for the lost and to point this generation to Jesus Christ.
The world may be confused, but God is not confused. His Word has not changed. His purposes have not changed. And His Gospel still has the power to save.
Let us therefore pray for our young people, pray for fathers and mothers, pray for marriages and families, and ask God to raise up a generation of godly men and women who will stand firmly upon His Word.
There are still men who will stand. There are still fathers who will lead. There are still families that can be restored. And there is still hope in Jesus Christ.