The Masculine Mandate: God's Calling to Men

There are a lot of bad ideas out there on what it means to be a man. Our culture sends us all kinds of mixed and harmful messages about what manhood is. Unfortunately, many Christian books on manhood are equally flawed and yet disturbingly popular (Wild At Heart would be a prime example of this!). Thankfully there are some excellent, challenging and most importantly, Biblical, books available out there on manhood. One classic that I recommend is Kent Hughes, Disciplines of A Godly Man. Dan Doriani's Life of a God-Made Man is another excellent, grace-centered book that will profit any man who reads it. Now I am thankful that I can add a third book to that list, Richard Phillips' new book, The Masculine Mandate: God's Calling for Men.Richard Phillips is a pastor, a husband & father, and a former military officer who cares about the church, and the way the church is weakened when men don't follow God's calling. He writes that "the purpose of this book is to provide straight, clear, and pointed teaching on what the Bible says to men as men. I write this, not looking down on today's guy--thankfully, I am neither old enough nor grumpy enough for that yet! - but as a brother in Christ who believes the Bible and has had reason (both personal and pastoral) to search God's Word for guidance on manhood. This is a journey I have been on for quite a while." (pp. xiv).Phillips divides the book into two sections. The first section is called, "Understanding Our Mandate". In this section, he takes us back to the account in Genesis of the creation of man in order to see what we can learn from the design and calling of man in that narrative. He argues that from Adam's calling, we see the calling for all godly men - to work and keep the `garden' that God has place us in. Does that sound boring? The author would argue, "No"! "For it is in obedience to Scripture that the adventure of a man's life truly begins. God calls us to bear His image in the real world, in this garden that has become corrupted by sin but is being redeemed by the power of God's grace in Christ. He calls us to do this by being leaders and servants in the ultimate cause of displaying God's glory and bearing the fruit of God's love in real relationships. That is the Masculine Mandate: to be spiritual men placed in real-world, God-defined relationships, as lords and servants under God, to bear God's fruit by serving and leading." (pp. 9).For most men, their identity is tied up in their work. Phillips also establishes the idea, again from Scripture, that men are designed and called to work. "God placed Adam in the garden and put him to work. Therefore, because God is good and has chosen to be glorified through our labor, we are able to enjoy work and find a significant part of our identity in it. In fact, as we keep work in proper balance, retaining our primary identity in Christ, God wants us to invest significant passion in our work and find true meaning in it." (pp. 18). Phillips recognizes that from the Fall, work is now a challenge due to sin and the other effects of the Fall, as promised in Gen. 3:17-19. And he lists some considerations that men must have as they approach, choose, and evaluate their work, broadly categorized as: Glorify God, Serve Others, Calling and Enjoyment, Material Needs, and Godly and Balanced Life. (pp. 22-23). The first section winds down with a chapter on how being made in the image of God determines our calling and concludes with a chapter comparing our calling as men, to be leaders in the model Scripture uses most, that of a shepherd-lord. I especially appreciated this chapter, with it's focus on David as a Shepherd-King, and of course, how our Lord Jesus, the Good Shepherd, led by sacrifice for the good of those he loved! If you currently base your idea of what a leader should be by reading many of the leadership bestsellers out there (Christian and secular), then you really need to read this chapter!After establishing the Biblical and theological basis for this Masculine Mandate in the first half of the book, the second section, "Living Our Mandate", fleshes out what this should look like for us in our marriages, in fatherhood, in our friendships and in the church. These chapters are both convicting, and yet very encouraging and very hopeful. His three chapters on marriage give the design for marriage, the reason marriage is so hard (hint - sin is involved!), and how God redeems marriage, and how a man who desires to follow God, can lead and love His wife. One very powerful illustration he gave hit me hard: "When Paul says that a husband must embrace self-sacrifice for the sake of his wife's well-being, this of course includes her physical safety. But the main threat against which a man must protect his wife is his own sin. A friend once expressed his awakening to this truth in these words: `I used to think that if a man came into my home to attack my wife, I would certainly stand up to him. But then I came to realize that the man who enters my house and assaults my wife every day is me, through my anger, my harsh words, my complaints and my indifference. As a Christian, I came to realize that the man I needed to kill in order to protect my wife is myself as a sinner.' This is exactly right." (pp. 87).If you really want to learn and follow what God has called you to be as a man in this fallen world, this book would be a great place to start. And if enough men read something like this, and seek God's strength, mercy and grace to follow it's teaching, we might see our churches renewed, our families and marriages strengthened, and our witness magnified before a watching world. Are you man enough to read it? (Sorry, couldn't resist!)

When was the last time you saw a sign that said "Men Needed?" Probably never but we certainly should. In his new book "The Masculine Mandate: God's Calling to Men", Richard Phillips says this is exactly what we need - Men. Phillips contends that we don't merely need the kind of men that like to hike, camp or hunt but the kind of men that God has called men to be - godly, manly men. Phillips believes that both the secular and Christian cultures have watered down and miss-communicated God's idea of a man. Through both exegesis and application Phillips explains both the Masculine Mandate and how it applies to the life of a man.In the first section Phillips starts in Genesis 2 and identifies four essential aspects of a man. First, who man is - he is created by God from the dust of the ground and in His image. Second, where man is - God placed man in the garden. Third, what man is - as mandated by God, man is a lord over creation and God's servant. Fourth, how man obeys God - man obeys God by working and keeping the garden. It is the fourth aspect of man, obedience through work, which Phillips concentrates on during the first section of the book. With Genesis 2:15 as the foundation Phillips says, "We are to devote ourselves to working/building and keeping/protecting everything placed into our charge (pg., 12)." The two concepts of working and keeping are the basis around which God gives man his calling and purpose. Similarly foundational to these concepts is the fact that man was created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-17). From this Phillips states the purpose of man,"Revealing the glory of God to a sin-darkened world so that He will be praised and that lost sinners will be saved by coming to know the Lord. The great purpose of our lives is to reveal the glory and grace of God both by what we do and who we are (pg., 34)."In the second part Phillips explores how the Masculine Mandate is applied to a man's life. First, there is his marriage as an institution created by God. While discussing the purpose for God's creation of and Eve for Adam, Phillips rightly points out that God did not create her as a "companion" or "mate" but rather a "helper":"God said Adam needed a "helper" because it places the primary emphasis on the shared mandate to work and keep God's creation under the man's leadership (pg., 58)."As a helper women are equal as persons and yet God created them with complimentary differences to help in the fulfillment of God's mandate. Phillips emphasizes that men need to pursue women and not just a career. Second, there is his marriage as cured by sin. Phillips aptly notes that when Eve presented the fruit to Adam to eat "he thought he must choose between the woman and God, between the gift (the woman) and the Giver (pg., 68)." The curse has put a strain on marriage but has not diminished its inherent created goodness. Phillips explains that the curse has affected the marriage relationship by God drawing the man "unwholesomely away from the woman, even as God's curse on the woman draws her unwholesomely toward the man (pg., 73)." Third, there is his ministry in his marriage. Drawn from Ephesians 5:26, Phillips challenges men to have a "nurturing ministry of love toward his wife (pg., 83)."Moving from a man's marriage to his children, Phillips applies the Masculine Mandate to men as nurturers of their hearts towards Christ and keepers of their hearts from sin (pg., 94). A father is to both discipline and disciple his children. Phillips expands these two principles and gives many insightful points of application.Phillips moves from the family to a man's friendships. He draws from the Biblical friendship of David and Jonathan from I Samuel. To be a manly friend one must be willing to initiate friendship, ask how he can help the other and seek to encourage other men in the faith. Not only is a man to be a friend but he is to be a church-men. Once again applying the creational mandate to "work" Phillips contends that men are to be about the work of the ministry of the church (pg., 131). He is to be a proclaimer and protector of the truth.Finally, the Masculine Mandate is summed up in his service to the Lord in all areas of his life. While he may retire from his job, he is never to retire in his service to the Lord (pg., 144). He is to be a disciple and disciple-maker as long as he can until the day he dies. He is to see his calling as a gift from God and is to serve the Lord with joy and humility. A man "works" for the Lord so that he can hear Jesus say to him, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Master (Matt. 25:21)."I strongly recommend this book to all married and to-be married men! It should be read both personally and would give its greatest benefit if it were used as a small group study for men. Read it! Apply it! Share it!