Father's Day Special: The Dignity of Manhood (The Husband, The Father, and The Priest) - Sola Afolabi

In our world today, the role of the Man has been misunderstood and seems to be very far from the original intention of God for Him. In the organogram of the Kingdom of God, just as Christ is the head of the Church; God made the man to be the Head, making Him responsible for the rest of the body but it's quite unfortunate that this role seems to have been lost. 

"But I need you to know that the head of the woman is the man, the head of man is Christ and the head of Christ is God…every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered dishonors his head. But every woman that prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head..” -1 Corinthians 11:3-4

This scripture goes beyond the issue of covering your hair with a scarf (or hat) when you are praying. The issue being addressed here is the issue of authority—it is the matter of the divine organogram.

Let's dive the Dignity of Manhood from God's perspective as we celebrate our Fathers today. 

1. Man as the Husband.
God compares the love of the man for his wife with that of Christ’s towards the church. (Ephesians 5:23-33) Every man has the mandate to represent the Lord Jesus Christ to his wife as accurately as possible, in love, in selfless sacrifice, in sanctification, in washing and cleansing of the wife, “till she is presentable without any wrinkle or spot.”

Husband…” the head”
It means he must see ahead for the wife. He must see the danger before it comes and arranges how the wife and children will avert it. He must hear the Lord and His Word for the woman. The headship here is more of a grave responsibility on the husband than a ‘lording it over’. It is not status we are concerned about here, but the service that the head renders continually to the body to keep it functioning at all times.

2. Man as a Father
Psalm 103:13: "The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him."

A father is a burden bearer
Num.11:12 “…a nursing father bears the suckling child”. 
Deut. 1:31 says, “…God bears you as a man bears his son”. A nursing mother breastfeeds the suckling child, the nursing father bears the nursing child to come under the pressures of the children’s lives and to shoulder them until they can put their feet on the ground to run, yet under his supervision. It also means allowance, tolerating, and accepting another’s demeanor without insisting on his conformity to your standard.
 The father’s presence evokes admiration, confidence, and assurance of the heart of the children and even the wife.

3. Man as a Priest
The priesthood is the power and authority that God gives to man to act in all things necessary for the salvation of God’s children.
Priests are meant to stand in the gap in the place of prayer on behalf of the people, the same way we have Christ as the high priest in the book Hebrews 9: 25
Also, the Bible says;
“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked bears rule, the people mourn” (Prov. 29:2). 
God needs men who are taking their stand in Christ irrespective of the conditions they found themselves.

Indeed, The Man as a Husband, Father, and priest is the will of God for mankind.

And on this day we celebrate all our fathers. We say thanks for being a Godly husband, a Godly father and a Godly priest.

Happy Father's Day!