When a boy becomes a man?

Good people want to share with all of you dear readers a text that I read and found it very edifying life of man from God

THE MARKS OF MANHOOD

When a boy becomes a man? The answer to that question is far beyond the biological aspect and age. As defined in the Bible, manhood is a functional reality, demonstrated in the fulfillment by man of responsibility and leadership. With that in mind, I would suggest thirteen marks of biblical manhood. Reach these vital qualities identifies the emergence of a man who will demonstrate true biblical masculinity.

1. SPIRITUAL MATURITY SUFFICIENT TO LEAD A WIFE AND CHILDREN.

The Bible is clear about the man's responsibility to exercise spiritual maturity and leadership. In fact, this spiritual maturity takes time to be developed and is a gift of the Holy Spirit working in the believer's soul. The disciplines of the Christian life, including prayer and serious Bible study, are among the means God uses to mold a boy into a man and bring spiritual maturity to the life of someone who has the responsibility of guiding a wife and family. This spiritual leadership is central to the Christian view of marriage and family.

The spiritual leadership of a man is not a matter of dictatorial power, but a spiritual influence and leadership, steady and reliable. A man must be ready to lead his wife and children in a way that honors God shows mercy, inculcate Christian character and take his family to desire Christ and to seek the glory of God. Spiritual maturity is a mark of true Christian manhood, a man is spiritually immature, at least this crucial sense, just a guy on the spiritual.

2. PERSONAL MATURITY SUFFICIENT TO BE A RESPONSIBLE HUSBAND AND FATHER.

True masculinity is not a matter of exhibiting supposedly masculine characteristics devoid of the context of accountability. In the Bible, a man is called to fulfill his role as husband and father. Unless he has the gift of celibacy for gospel service, the Christian boy should aspire to marriage and parenthood. This is certainly a statement contrary to our culture, but the role of husband and father is essential to masculinity. Marriage is unmatched in its effect on the man, as it channels their energies and directs their responsibilities to the devoted covenant of marriage and education loving family. Boys Christians should aspire to be that kind of man with which a Christian girl marry happily, whom the children obey, would trust and would respect.

3. ECONOMIC MATURITY SUFFICIENT TO KEEP IN EMPLOYMENT AND DEALING WITH MONEY.

Advertisers and business owners know that the target should direct their messages - directly to boys and adolescents. This particular segment of the population is attracted to material goods, popular entertainment, sporting events and other consumer options. The portrait of young manhood made popular in the media and presented as normal through entertainment is characterized by economic recklessness, selfishness and pleasure.

A real man knows how to hold a job, dealing responsibly with the money and meet the needs of his wife and family. Not develop economic maturity means that young men often jump from job to job and takes years to "find themselves" in terms of career and vocation. Again, prolonged adolescence characterizes large segment of the population of men in our days. A real man knows how to win, manage and respect money. A boy believer understands the danger that exists in the love of money and fulfill your responsibilities as a Christian servant.

4. PHYSICAL MATURITY SUFFICIENT TO WORK AND PROTECT THE FAMILY.

Unless you are disabled or ill, a boy needs to develop a physical maturity that, by stature and vigor, identify a recognizable masculinity. It is clear that men reach different sizes and demonstrate different levels of physical strength, but the maturity is common to all men, by which a man demonstrates his masculinity in action, confidence and strength. A man has to be ready to use his physical strength to protect his wife and children and fulfill the tasks that God has appointed him. A boy has to be taught to channel their development and physique to a personal commitment to responsibility, recognizing that the existing adult has to be combined with adult responsibility and true maturity.

5. SEXUAL MATURITY SUFFICIENT TO MARRY AND COMPLY WITH THE PURPOSES OF GOD.

Even when society celebrates sex in all forms and all ages, the true Christian man practices sexual integrity, avoiding pornography, fornication, and all forms of sexual promiscuity and corruption. He understands the danger of lust, but rejoices with the sexual capacity and reproductive power that God gave him, committing to a girl, winning their love, trust and admiration - and eventually her hand in marriage. It is critical that men respect and protect this ineffable gift until, in the context of a marriage saint, able to fulfill this gift, love his wife and children crave, which are gifts from God. Male sexuality divorced from context and the integrity of marriage is an explosive and dangerous reality. The boy must understand, while experiencing puberty and awakening sexuality, he is responsible to God for the administration of this important gift.

6. MORAL MATURITY SUFFICIENT TO LEAD AS AN EXAMPLE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

The common pattern of behavior of boys is generally characterized by negligence, irresponsibility and worse. As a boy grows to manhood, he has to develop moral maturity, while aspires to righteousness, learning to think like a Christian, act like a Christian and show others how to do this.

The Christian man must be an example to others, teaching by both precept and example. Of course this requires the exercise of responsible moral reasoning. True moral education begins with a clear understanding of moral standards and should move to a level of higher moral reasoning, in which a boy learns how biblical principles are transformed into godly living and how the moral challenges of their day should be confronted with the truths revealed in the infallible and inerrant Word of God.

7. MATURITY SUFFICIENT TO ETHICAL DECISION MAKING RESPONSIBLE.

Being a man involves taking decisions. One of the most fundamental tasks of leadership is to decide. The state of indecision many contemporary men is evidence of a stunted manhood. It is clear that a man rushes to make a decision without thinking, consider and be careful, but he is exposed to a risk to make a decision - and make it permanent. This requires a moral responsibility that extends to ethical decision making and mature to glorify God, to be faithful to the Word of God and are open to moral scrutiny.

A real man knows how to make a decision and live with the consequences - although this means that later he will have learned to recognize that by making a wrong decision and make the appropriate correction.

8. MATURITY OF PERCEPTION OF THE WORLD ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

An inversion of values ​​marks our postmodern age, and the predicament of modern manhood becomes more terrifying by the fact that many men do not have the ability to develop a consistent perception of the world. For the Christian, this is doubly tragic, for our Christian discipleship must be demonstrated in the development of a Christian mind.

The Christian must understand how to interpret and evaluate issues across the spectrum of fields of politics, economics, morality, entertainment, education and a seemingly endless list of other fields. The absence of a consistent biblical reasoning and perception of the world is a fundamental characteristic of spiritual immaturity. A boy must learn to translate Christian truth in a genuinely Christian way of thinking. Need to learn how to defend biblical truth before his peers and public, and must acquire the ability to extend their thinking biblical, grounded in biblical principles to all areas of life.

9. MATURITY SUFFICIENT TO RELATIONAL UNDERSTANDING AND RESPECT OTHERS.

Psychologists now talk of "emotional intelligence" as an important factor in personal development. Although the world has given much attention to IQ, emotional intelligence is as important as that. Individuals who do not have the ability to relate to others are destined to fail before the most significant challenges of life and not meet some of its most important responsibilities and roles.

By nature, many boys are driven by its interior. While the girls learn to interpret emotional signals and connect, many boys do not have that ability, and apparently do not understand the lack of this ability. Although man has to demonstrate emotional strength, constancy and steadfastness, he must learn to relate to his wife, children, colleagues, and many others, in a manner that demonstrates respect, understanding and empathy proper. He did not learn that playing video games and into the personal world, which many teenage boys do.

10. SOCIAL MATURITY SUFFICIENT TO MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS TO SOCIETY.

The home is the first essential and inescapable emphasis on the responsibility of a man, but he is called to leave home to go to the world, world wide, as a witness and as someone who will give a contribution to the common good. God created human beings as social creatures, and even though our ultimate citizenship is in heaven, we must fulfill our citizenship on earth.

A boy must learn to fulfill a political responsibility as a citizen and a moral responsibility as a member of a community. The Christian man has a civilizational responsibility, and boys must learn to see themselves as shapers of society, since the church is identified by the Lord as light and salt. Similarly, a man believer must learn to relate with unbelievers, as a witness and as citizens of an earthly land.

11. VERBAL MATURITY SUFFICIENT TO COMMUNICATE AND TALK AS MAN.

A man must be able to speak, be understood and communicate in a way that honors God and convey God's truth to others. Beyond the context of the conversation, the boy must learn to speak in front of large groups, overcoming the natural timidity and fear that comes from seeing a large number of people and opening the mouth and projecting words.

Although not all men will become public speakers, every man should have the ability to get up, formulate and argue your words when the truth is under attack and when faith and conviction must be translated into arguments.

12. CHARACTER OF MATURITY SUFFICIENT TO SHOW COURAGE AMIDST THE FIRE.

The literature of manhood is replete with stories of courage, bravery and audacity. At least, that's how it used to be. Now when masculinity so trivialized as marginalized by cultural elites, ideological subversion and existing and confusion from the media, we must recapture a commitment to courage, a commitment which is transported to the real life challenges faced by the Christian man.

Sometimes the quality of courage is demonstrated when a man risks his own life to protect others, especially his wife and children, but also anyone who needs rescue. Too often, courage is demonstrated in taking a position in the midst of hostile fire, refusing to succumb to the temptation of silence and standing as an example and role model for others, so be encouraged to stand firm on his own position .

In these days, biblical manhood requires great courage. The prevailing ideologies and worldviews of this age are inherently hostile to Christian truth and corrosive to Christian faithfulness. A boy needs a lot of courage to commit to sexual purity, and a man to devote himself exclusively to his wife. It required great courage to say no to what this culture insists are the rightful pleasures and delights of the flesh. It takes a lot of courage to maintain personal integrity in a world that devalues ​​the truth, disparages God's Word and promises self-fulfillment and happiness only by the assertion of absolute personal autonomy.

True confidence of a man is rooted in the sources of courage, and this is evidence of character. Ultimately, the character of a man is revealed in the crucible of everyday challenges. For most men, life also brings moments when extraordinary courage will be required if it is to remain faithful and true.

13. BIBLICAL MANHOOD ENOUGH TO CARRY SOME LEVEL OF LEADERSHIP IN THE CHURCH.

A closer consideration of some churches reveal a central problem is the lack of biblical maturity among the men of the congregation and the lack of biblical knowledge, which makes men ill equipped and completely unprepared to exercise spiritual leadership.

The boys have to become familiar with the biblical text and feel at ease in the study of God's Word. Need to be ready to take their place as leaders in the local church. God established specific officers for his church - men who are gifted and publicly called - therefore every believing man should fulfill some leadership responsibility in the life of the local church.

For some men, this may mean a leadership role less public than the other. In any case, a man must be able to teach someone and lead a ministry, turning your personal discipleship in conducting a holy vocation. There is a leadership role for every man, in every church, whether a lead public or private, small or large, official or unofficial. A man should know how to pray in front of others, presenting the gospel and occupy an empty seat when the need for leadership is evident.

 Albert Mohler Jr. SOURCE: http://www.editorafiel.com.br/artigos_detalhes.php?id=241.