The kind of men we need

I know these three kinds of men can be appealing. They are the men who are presented to us by the world. Many a young man has made it his aim to become one of them. I know I have at different times of my life.

The alpha male looks impressive, seemingly able to command everyone’s respect. The funny dude gets the laugh. The crowd loves him. The nice guy seems cool. Such easy company, so likeable. 

But if all these men have is charisma, quick wits or a nice vibe going, then they lack something vital. The presence and power of God is missing. What good can they possibly do anyone in the long run?

What our communities, families and churches do need, however, is more good men. Or, to use Bible language, righteous men. Any other kind of man has no spiritual power. The next generation do not need chill dads or cool uncles. They need righteous men. The church does not need more dynamic leaders. We need righteous men. The world out there does not need more entertainers or debaters or cultural critics. It needs righteous men on their knees before God.

We forget the mighty power of one righteous man. Remember the words of James? 

“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16).

Wonderful things are accomplished because of the righteous man’s earnest, persistent prayer. 

But when was the last time you came across a righteous man? 

Are you becoming one?

Imagine if our generation of men grew to become righteous men of fervent prayer. What might be accomplished in our land for God? His mighty power working through the means of prayer?

The good news is that such a life is possible. While we can’t be sinless yet (we’re stuck with a sinful nature for a few more years, I'm afraid), our lives can, and should, be marked by real righteousness. 

Of course, it starts with God, and not us. In our own strength, we can neither establish our own righteousness or sustain a righteous life. But God is able to do both. By his grace, he justifies sinners who believe in Jesus (Romans 3:26). And those he delivers from the guilt of sin, he gives power to live a new kind of life - a righteous life.

We sometimes forget this. We were not saved to be righteous only as far as God sees us. We are to become righteous men, and everyone should see it. 

How, then, do we become righteous men, in this practical sense? I can think of at least three things that we will need to do:

1. We need to Yield

‍Romans 6 teaches that we have been released from our old master Sin. We are not bound to serve sinful desires any longer. We are freed to serve the only Good Master, the Lord. A new way of living is therefore opened up to us by Christ. As we yield to our new Master's will, we will do only what is right. But we actually need to yield ourselves to his authority. Hands, feet, strength, intellect, creativity – every capacity and resource we possess. Let’s present it all in happy service to the will of the Lord, and we will soon find ourselves doing righteousness.

2. We need to Learn

‍God has given us his word, which “is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). We are not called to conjure up a righteous lifestyle based on our best intentions, or to develop a philosophy of the good life based on man’s wisdom. We are called to pick up our Bible. Let’s dedicate ourselves to the study of righteousness; not so that we’ll have the right answers, but so that we’ll become righteous men. A man surrendered to the authority of God will be an ideal student. He will not only learn what God calls good and what he calls evil, but his heart will be affected and his behaviour changed. He will be quick to hate evil and love what is good. And he will be ready to get out there and do what his Lord says.

3. We need to Choose

‍God calls us to pursue righteousness, not sin – and he has given us the freedom and power to do this: “ O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness...” (1 Timothy 6:11); “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness...” (2 Timothy 2:22). Every single day of our life, we wake up with a choice to make. Will we choose righteousness or sin? Will we walk the way of the Lord, instructed by his Word, led by his Spirit? Or will we walk the way of sin, instructed by the world, led by our own desires?

In this daily choice, we can draw encouragement from our brothers. And we should give encouragement too: "Brother, whatever comes, do what is right." Let's be reminding each other of the goodness and blessing of righteousness, and also the ugliness and devastation of sin.

So there you have it. In Christ, a new kind of man is made possible: a righteous man. The Lord help us to grow in righteousness as we learn to abhor evil. And may it be in our own experience, that God will work in mighty power to glorify his own Name and bless many people, through the means of earnest prayer offered from our righteous life.

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I’d like to return to this theme. At the very least, I want to get a vision from scripture of how a righteous man might spend his day. But that's for another post.

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