Biblical Manhood And The Cross of Jesus
“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” (Eph 6:4) (KJV)
What does the cross of Christ have to do with this?
Everything.
You see, Paul had previously (Eph 5:25-33) exhorted men to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. Men are to nourish and cherish their wives as the Lord the church.
Now, fathers are told that the training of their children should be in the nourishment and admonition of the Lord.
What is that?
The Lord nourishes us and admonishes us in His Word. That is for sure.
He does it by means and merit of the cross. The cross of His love. The cross of His suffering. The cross of His kindness. The cross of His righteousness and holiness. The cross of His grace.
All of these things should be part and parcel of our training of our children.
As fathers we should seek to deny ourselves and glorify God. We should seek to show grace, mercy, love, kindness, etc to our children just as Christ did for us on the cross.
We should train them in righteousness and holiness, pointing them to the cross as the only means by which any of us will ever be righteous and holy.
Christianity can never be divorced from the cross.
Neither can Christian fatherhood.
Just musing…