Erick Reeve, age 18

All emphases supplied.

What is a Man?
But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that
thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour,
and didst set him over the works of thy hands (Hebrews 2:67).

Here the question is put forth, What is man? and in answer we are directed to Gods original creation of man.
A brief look at this will help us begin to see what truly makes a man in the sight of heaven, which is more
specifically the subject at hand, and is ultimately the thing that really matters.

During the sixth day of creation, we read concerning what was to be our first human parents: And God said,
Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and
over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth
upon the earth (Genesis 1:26). In the next verse we are reaffirmed, So God created man in his own image
(verse 27). Goda perfect Godcreated man perfect. As a man, Adams faculties were far greater than what
men have todaysince he was just a little lower than the angelsand in his perfection he bore the very image
of his Maker. The longer man lived, the more fully was he to reveal this image, and the more fully was he to
reflect Gods gloryHis character.

Tragically, through mans choices, sin entered the world and nearly obliterated the image of God in man. But
praise God; through the death of His Son for us, He made restoration available to all! This is essentially what
makes a true man or woman in the sight of heaven todaywhen a person allows this complete restoration to
take place in the lifebut we will be exploring further into some other illustrations.

The world often has distorted views about what makes a man. In historical times, the commoners, plebs, or
serfs were often thought as little of as were dogs; in order to be a man one had to be an aristocrat, or a rich
nobleman. Men would also struggle to great lengths in events such as the Greeks Olympic gamesto
demonstrate their manliness. Today the list goes on, as the world looks to the macho model, the wealthy, and
those of high rank. More often than not this is in vain, as they all are lacking the true characteristics that God
designed in His creation of man.

Consider Samson, the Israelite judge. Samson was an epitome of unmanliness in the eyes of God. Yes, he had
the stereotypical attributes of a manhe was incredibly strong, intelligent, and brave. Ranked as the leader of
Israel, he had a lot going for him! Yet he allowed his appetite and passions to rule him, which showed his utter
weakness of moral character, and ultimately led to his demise. He did not reveal the image of God, or His
character! Many mistake strong passions for a strong character, but the truth is that he who is mastered by his
passions is a weak man. The real greatness of the man is measured by the power of the feelings that he
controls, not by those that control him. 1

Another relevant example is the rich young ruler of Luke 18. He was very advantaged, with much in the way of
wealth, prosperity and status. He even had an appearance of righteousness; to the world everything appeared
that he was a real man. Yet in the end he showed his lack of true manliness by refusing to give up his worldly
wealth for the humility of following Christ. A true man would have accepted the lot of humility, realizing that the
restoration of the image of God in the life leads to infinitely more rewards than anything the world can bestow.

We can also discover many Bible examples of men who had positive attributes, which showed that they were
true men. What about Moses? Moses received Egypts highest civil and military training; he was a renowned
man of cultivated mind and princely bearing, and he soon became the pride of the nation. But was this what
made him a man? No. It was his time afterward spent with God in the wilderness, where he learned to let go of
his self-sufficiency and depend on his heavenly Father. God gave him wisdom and the discipline of self-
mastery, so that Moses became a true manthe meekest man on earth. 2

Take note of Job, a man who was revealing the image of God in his life. There was none like him in the earth,
a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil (Job 1:8). He had many enormous
trials placed upon him, and soon even his friends condemned him. But then Elihu said perceptively: What
man is like Job, who drinketh up scorning like water? (Job 34:7). You see, Job acted like a true man when he
was abused. He would not let selfish passions arise; he would not overreact to the scorning that came at him
from all sides, even from his own wife.

Being a man has something to do with maturity as well. We are told that as a child, Jesus increased in wisdom
and stature, and in favour with God and man (Luke 2:52). When I was a child, Paul says, I spake as a child, I
understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. The father is
to stand at the head of his family, not as an overgrown, undisciplined boy, but as a man with manly character
and with his passions controlled. He is to obtain an education in correct morals. His conduct in his home life is
to be directed and restrained by the pure principles of the word of God. Then he will grow up to the full stature
of a man in Christ Jesus.3

The attributes of a man as a father or husband are very important. He is the lawmaker, illustrating in his own
manly bearing the sterner virtues,--energy, integrity, honesty, and industry. 4 From creation, the man has been
ordained to be the spiritual leaderthe priestwith responsibility for the salvation of the whole family resting
upon his shoulders. There are many ways to illustrate this, but to start with we see that when God came down to
Eden to hold Adam and Eve accountable for their sin, He at first directed his attention to the man. He asked
Adam, Where art thou?...Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
(Genesis. 3:9, 11). God was holding Adam accountable for the worlds first sin, even though Eve had eaten the
fruit first. Adam was accountable because he had failed to fulfill his responsibility of protecting Eve. 5 We also
see throughout the Bible that it is Adam who is blamed for the fall, not Eve. For since by man came death, by
man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive (1
Corinthians. 15:2122).

You see, men and women were created equal, but with different roles. The mans role is spiritual leadership in
the family. The push for feminism in the world may result from mens abuse of their role; they either have
shirked their leadership responsibility, or they have exerted unchristlike domination. True men are becoming an
endangered species, and they are succumbing to the feministic push of today. The world needs a better answer
than this. We need some true men to return to their divine-appointed role. The greatest want of the world is the
want of men-- men who will not be bought or sold, men who in their inmost souls are true and honest, men who
do not fear to call sin by its right name, men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole, men
who will stand for the right though the heavens fall. 6

We can see the spiritual leadership principle in the lives of men such as Noah. God held Noah responsible for
the salvation of his family in the ark. He told Noah, But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt
come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons wives with thee (Genesis 6:18). We see this
phrase with thee repeated several times throughout Genesis 7 and 8. Noah was responsible to bring his family
with him. Noah's warnings had been rejected by the world, but his influence and example resulted in blessings
to his family. As a reward for his faithfulness and integrity, God saved all the members of his family with him.7
What a responsibility, to have the salvation of the whole family resting on the shoulders of one man!

Abraham is another example of this manly spiritual leadership. God said, Seeing that Abraham shall surely
become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that
he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do
justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him (Genesis
18:1819). Here we see that Abraham is an example of a Christian manhe commands his household, but he
doesnt demand. It is like saying somebody commands respect. This means that respect for them is automatic
because of their sense of authority; they dont even have to ask for it. The Christian man has this kind of
spiritual leadershiphe has his authority only in leading by example and the principle of love, rather than by
domination.

After looking at Abraham, we see a sad counterpoint in the unmanly life of his nephew, Lot. When the angels
came and told him to take his family and flee from Sodom, Lot delayed. He did not want to forsake his
luxurious home and everything that he had acquired by years of labor. Because of his failure to immediately
heed the warning, the results were tragic for his wife. If Lot himself had manifested no hesitancy to obey the
angels' warning, but had earnestly fled toward the mountains, without one word of pleading or remonstrance,
his wife also would have made her escape. The influence of his example would have saved her from the sin
that sealed her doom. But his hesitancy and delay caused her to lightly regard the divine warning. While her
body was upon the plain, her heart clung to Sodom, and she perished with it. 8 If only Lot had realized his
manly responsibility to his family, the results could have been brighter.
But let us look to our definitive example of a manJesus Christ. Christ carried out in His life His own divine
teachings. His zeal never led Him to become passionate. He manifested consistency without obstinacy,
benevolence without weakness, tenderness and sympathy without sentimentalism. He was highly social; yet He
possessed a reserved dignity that did not encourage undue familiarity. His temperance never led to bigotry or
austerity. He was not conformed to this world; yet He was not indifferent to the wants of the least among men.
He was awake to the needs of all. The unselfish life of Christ is an example to all. His character is a pattern
of the characters we may form if we follow on in His footsteps. 9

These manly traits of Christs are not a part of mans carnal nature. Indeed, every true Christian man is one that
realizes his own totality of nothingness, and earnestly seeks for the righteousness of Christ to be given to him
by Gods grace. Every attribute that Christ had can become ours. In order for this to happen, we must keep His
righteousness constantly in view. An important element in doing this is spending time every morning with our
Fatherthe Source of our powerin prayer and the study of His Word. Without a connection with the Source,
no man can even possibly be a true man.

Satan's work in our world today is to destroy the moral image of God in man, by making void the divine law;
and our enemies are inspired by his spirit. By casting aside God's great standard of character, he can deprave
human nature, and win men and women to his standard; for, Where no law is, there is no transgression. With
what triumph, then, he watches the professedly Christian world, as they earnestly do the very work he is
doing.10

So, in conclusion, what makes a man in the sight of heaven? Ultimately, a true man is one who sees the law as
the transcript of Gods perfect character, and seeing his own weakness, surrenders his will totally to Christ. A
true man has the image of God restored and renewed in him daily by the grace of Jesus Christ, and he holds
the powers of evil in constant subjectionwhich only can be done by the infinite power of Jesus Christ! I pray
that each one of us will participate in the restoration provided by Gods gift for us.

That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful
lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in
righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4:2224).
1
Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 567.
2
See Numbers 12:3.
3
Adventist Home, p. 213.
4
Signs of the Times, April 17, 1884.
5
See Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 46.2, 56.2.
6
Education, p. 57.
7
Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 98.
8
Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 161.
9
Evangelism, p. 636.
10
Review and Herald, January 26, 1897.