In a world where the line between masculinity and femininity is often blurred, denied, and attacked, it can be encouraging to get a little reminder of what it truly means to be a man.
Here I’ve collected what I think are some of the manliest, courage-building, chest-hair-growing, go-chop-down-a-tree-with-your-bare-hands-inspiring (1) Bible verses, and (2) quotes. So grab a pint of your favorite brew, read this post, and soak in your rugged manliness. And please leave a comment below on your favorites or others you’d like to share.
Action
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”1 Peter 1:13
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”2 Tim. 4:7
Strength
“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”1 Corinthians 16:13
(David to Solomon) “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the Lord your God… that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn,”1 Kings 2:1-3
“Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.”Job 38:3
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God… that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”Eph. 6:10-18
Maturity
“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.”1 Cor. 13:11
“Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.”1 Corinthians 14:20
Steadfastness
“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”James 1:12
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” James 1:2-3
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Cor. 15:58
Wisdom
“A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might, for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.”Proverbs 24:5-6
“A fool is quick tempered, but a wise man stays calm when insulted.”Proverbs 12:16
Discipline
But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.1 Corinthians 9:27
Duty
“Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” Ecc. 12:13
“Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.” Colossians 3:19
“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Eph. 6:4
“But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”1 Timothy 5:8
Vigilance
“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” Prov. 4:23
Courage
“Be strong and courageous.”Deut. 31:16
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.2 Tim. 1:7
“Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the Lord is with him.”1 Sam. 16:18
“Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul, rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28
Excellence in Work
“Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.”Prov. 22:29
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men”Colossians 3:23
Manly Friendship
“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”Prov. 27:17
Faithfulness & Purity
“I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?”Job 31:1
“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”1 Timothy 4:12
Manly Quotes
“My centre is giving way, my right is in retreat; situation excellent. I shall attack.” Marshal Foch, WW1
“Every man dies, not every man really lives.”William Wallace
“We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.”“[the difference between the old and the new education being] in a word, the old was a kind of propagation—men transmitting manhood to men; the new is merely propaganda.” C.S. Lewis
“Adversity toughens manhood, and the characteristic of the good or the great man is not that he has been exempt from the evils of life, but that he has surmounted them.”Patrick Henry
“If unwilling to rise in the morning, say to thyself, ‘I awake to do the work of a man.’”Marcus Aurelius
“What a man knows should find its expression in what he does. The value of superior knowledge is chiefly in that it leads to a performing manhood.”Christian Nestell Bovee
“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”Teddy Roosevelt
“Duty is the essence of Manhood.” George S. Patton
“Stand true to your calling to be a man. Real women will always be relieved and grateful when men are willing to be men.” Elisabeth Elliott
Feeling Manlier?
Ahhh, that’s much better. Isn’t it great to hear meaty words of truth and manliness? Some of these are like big hunks of beef jerky, so thick you could chew on ’em for weeks.
Don’t be ashamed of being a man. Humbly take your God-given nature and live it out before others. Go ahead and be a man- and change the world while you’re at it!
Question:
What are some of your favorite manly Bible verses or quotes? Please share them with me in the comments below.
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