how are Christian men supposed to act?

[alphaparticle]

Alright, it's true, I'm in a mood. But, it does seem to me we have had a lot of threads about how women ought to dress and behave in various contexts, and not so much about what men ought to be doing specifically. Why is this? It seems to me the primary responsibility for behaving honorably is on each of us, rather than blaming others for how they are dressing and such, and that is the place to start such discussions.

 

Mat 5:28,9

But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.

 

How are believing men supposed to treat women?

 

1Ti 5:1,2

Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.
   

My point isn't that women (and men) shouldn't think about others when dressing or presenting themselves. My point is that unless men are caring to treat women properly, and that includes how they are treated in thoughts, it won't matter how they dress. Guaranteed most men could be tempted by a woman perfectly modestly dressed, minding her own business, if he allows himself to be. And, even if a woman is being flirtatious and seductive, it is still on the man in question to avoid temptation and avoid sin, first and foremost. The woman has to answer for own sins, and the man for his. It is no good to pass around the blame, either way.

 

I am concerned that an overemphasis on concerns about dress and propriety by women, without a proper balancing look at what counts as propriety by men, will not encourage men to view believing women as they really are first and foremost.

 

Gal 3:28

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

 

All believers first and foremost belong to God through Christ, we are coheirs to the promise of salvation, and it seems to me we ought to seek to treat each other as such.

 

After 1 Peter talks about how women ought to dress modestly, it says this:

 

1Pe 3:7

Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

 

Before men go on to opine about how long the hem of a woman's skirt is, perhaps we ought to consider the commandments laid on us first.

[Omegaman 3.0]

I agree with everything you say there alpha, but I would point out that the kinds of threads you are addressing, seem to gravitate to insisting that women dress modestly, and then go on to inject personal opinions and what constitutes modesty.

 

I recently read an article, about how maternity jeans are being manufactured for women in Malaysia, so that they can give birth in hospitals, without disrobing. Modesty takes shape in many forms.

 

However, I do not think that the command to dress modestly, is limited to, or even primarily aimed at, not showing to much skin. I think's it's focus, is more about not getting all gussied up, so as to impress people and be attractive through outward beauty. Instead, I think it is about the inner self, being Godly, and that is a beauty, that is seen in action, not in reflected light waves.

 

As far as how men are to behave, it is no different. Where we might not typically wear eye shadow, perhaps we drive a macho car, or put custom wheels on a car to make it stand out. We want to be seen as standing out, not blending in. Many of us are way to focused on how we are seen by others. It can be in what we own, what we wear, where we live, even wear we work.

 

Being a movie star, has a kind of prestige, that collecting the garbage does not. Collecting the garbage, is a much more useful occupation to the benefit of others.

 

The Bible even addresses our prayer life in this way. We can pray publicly, in a way so as to be seen by others, or we can retreat to our closet to be hear by God only.

 

Vanity, self centered expressions (Facebook and Twitter exist for this), even writing a post in the forums, can all be misused and wasted efforts.

 

Maybe both genders, can look at any action and ponder, how is this helping others, how does this make others feel, how does this glorify God?

 

If we were to keep those things in mind, we would not go too far off.

[missmuffet]

This goes for men and women:

 

Question: "What is the Christian life supposed to be like?"

Answer:The Christian life is supposed to be a life lived by faith. It is by faith that we enter into the Christian life, and it is by faith that we live it out. When we begin the Christian life by coming to Christ for forgiveness of sin, we understand that what we seek cannot be obtained by any other means than by faith. We cannot work our way to heaven, because nothing we could ever do would be sufficient. Those who believe they can attain eternal life by keeping rules and regulations—a list of do’s and don’ts—deny what the Bible clearly teaches. “But that no one is justified by the Law in the sight of God is clear, for, ‘The just shall live by faith’" (Galatians 3:11). The Pharisees of Jesus’ day rejected Christ because He told them this very truth, that all their righteous deeds were worthless and that only faith in their Messiah would save them.

InRomans 1, Paul says that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the power that saves us, the gospel being the good news that all who believe in Him will have eternal life. When we enter into the Christian life by faith in this good news, we see our faith grow as we come to know more and more about the God who saved us. The gospel of Christ actually reveals God to us as we live to grow closer to Him each day.Romans 1:17says, “For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” So part of the Christian life is diligent reading and study of the Word, accompanied by prayer for understanding and wisdom and for a closer, more intimate relationship with God through the Holy Spirit.

The Christian life is also supposed to be one of death to self in order to live a life by faith. Paul told the Galatians, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Being crucified with Christ means that our old nature has been nailed to the cross and has been replaced by a new nature which is Christ’s (2 Corinthians 5:17). He who loved us and died for us now lives in us, and the life we live is by faith in Him. It means sacrificing our own desires, ambitions, and glories and replacing them with those of Christ. We can only do this by His power through the faith that He gives us by His grace. Part of the Christian life is praying to that end.

The Christian life is also supposed to persevere to the end.Hebrews 10:38-39addresses this issue by quoting from the Old Testament prophet Habukkuk: “Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” God is not pleased with one who “draws back” from Him after making a commitment, but those who live by faith will never draw back, because they are kept by the Holy Spirit who assures us that we will continue with Christ until the end (Ephesians 1:13-14). The writer of Hebrews goes on to verify this truth in verse 39: “But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.” The true believer is one who believes to the end.

So the Christian life is one lived by faith in the God who saved us, empowers us, seals us for heaven, and by whose power we are kept forever. The day-to-day life of faith is one that grows and strengthens as we seek God in His Word and through prayer and as we unite with other Christians whose goal of Christlikeness is similar to our own.

Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-life.html#ixzz3fccSSIM1

[alphaparticle]

 

Maybe both genders, can look at any action and ponder, how is this helping others, how does this make others feel, how does this glorify God?

 

If we were to keep those things in mind, we would not go too far off.

 

Right, I agree. This is what I had in mind here.

[MorningGlory]

A Christian man is the opposite of most men I know.

[Omegaman 3.0]

A Christian man is the opposite of most men I know.

 

So, is that because you make poor choices in friends, or because to are so busy being around people in need of being ministered to?

 

Is it only men who act 'unChrist-like', or is it a genderless problem?

[FresnoJoe]

A Christian man is the opposite of most men I know.

 

 

"I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. Ezekiel 36:27 (NASB)

[oldzimm]

I think how a Christian man is suppose to act is all about self control, no matter what the situation is or possibility of the sin that presents itself. Remember, non-believers are watching Christian men on how they handle themselves, plus the youth in our Churches are watching our actions, so were teaching without knowing it.

 

Oldzimm 

[MorningGlory]

 

A Christian man is the opposite of most men I know.

 

So, is that because you make poor choices in friends, or because to are so busy being around people in need of being ministered to?

 

Is it only men who act 'unChrist-like', or is it a genderless problem?

 

 

I work in a male dominated culture (the oil industry) and most of the men I meet work in the same industry or are customers.  Not ALL of them but  most of them are just not men I would want to date or marry.  A Christian man shouldn't swear, drink to excess, ogle women or tell dirty jokes.  He should be saved and  put God first in all things.  The funny thing is that I work in a Christian workplace; they are very open about it.  As for the women, they are not much less crude than the men.  I just tune out what I don't want to hear and they know better than to tell those jokes and stories to me directly.  We can't control the world; only our reactions to it.

[MorningGlory]

 

A Christian man is the opposite of most men I know.

 

 

"I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. Ezekiel 36:27 (NASB)

 

 

Indeed, Joe.