I recently came across the term “masculine Christianity” (youtube video).* Equivocation COULD happen – as in, ‘quit yourselves like men; be strong’ means ‘go drink beer and grow a beard; because that is what men do’ (kjv, esv). But since Jesus was masculine, even though it’s not clear from Scripture whether he had a beard or drank beer, this should show us that a man can be masculine without those things. And not only is being a man actually good but Jesus, The Man, was the one in whom his father was “well pleased” (esv, kjv). God made Adam masculine in the beginning when he created the very good world, and Jesus is The Last Adam who bore the sins of his people (esv, kjv). Because of who he is, members of his body can do the “good works prepared beforehand” for them to walk in as they look forward “to glorifying and enjoying him forever” (Westminster Shorter Catechism, esv, kjv).

Being a “masculine Christian” is not an inherent requirement for entry into the kingdom – rather, both men and women together who are “called according to God’s purpose” can glorify him in the context of their faith and life: men as masculine, and women as feminine (esv, kjv).
A man using his God-given, masculine qualities for God’s glory is an instrument of strength and love in his family, and can impact those
around him for the kingdom of God and in the light of God’s strength. Depending on how masculine is defined, if it refers to just “having the qualities of a male” then every man is masculine in some way even if he does not always act rightly in this context (Oxford English Dictionary, google, Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary). Jesus was the perfect fulfilling of God’s law for his people – “for every man”, that he could be, serve, and reign as Jesus, together with other believers in the gift of the church, the Bride of Christ (kjv, esv).

Works Cited.

Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary.

Oxford Languages.

Google.

English Standard Version. Good news publishers, Crossway Bibles, Crossway Bibles, 2001.

King James Version.

WSC. https://prts.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Shorter_Catechism.pdf

*the video was on the selection of videos on my home screen and was apparently no longer there when I reloaded the page. However, I searched the term on google and found a variety of videos.

Note: I know the instance of Westminster catechism content from memory, but I did add a link if you want to look it up.