Hey Brother,
As Christian men, we have a lot of responsibility. Part of that responsibility is protecting our sisters in Christ both spiritually and physically. In that regard, as a whole, we are failing.
If you’ve been on social media recently, I’m sure you’ve come across #metoo. I hope you haven’t, but sadly I’m seeing it everywhere. This hashtag is a cry from women (and men) who have been sexually harassed or sexually assaulted. It’s an attempt to show how far and how widespread the problem really is.
It’s devastating to witness how many friends, mothers, sisters, daughters, and wives have had to deal with terrible harassment and even violence. To all the women of #metoo, I’m sorry. It’s hard for me to even put into words how horrible your experience is.
As men, I’m not sure there is any more we really have the right to say to women, as we will never truly understand what it is like to be them. Women and men are equal in God’s eyes, but that doesn’t make us the same. We perceive life very differently.
So, as a man, I can’t talk about a woman’s experience, but I feel pretty comfortable talking to you men. Most of the ladies won’t be surprised by this, but Brother, sin often turns us into idiots. Men are, in our very nature, creatures that do first. We have to be trained to think first. It requires even greater training for us to learn to feel first, let alone think about what someone else is feeling, before we act.
Women don’t seem to need training to understand what others are feeling. Men, for the most part, do. In this regard, we are without a doubt the weaker sex.
So, Brother, I’ve compiled FIVE RULES for us to live by. If we follow these rules, I can almost guarantee that we will never sexually harass or assault anyone. Read through them and let me know what you think in the comments below!
RULE 1:
“Thou shalt not commit adultery.” – Exodus 20:14
If you are married, you should not cheat on your wife. In fact, you shouldn’t have sex with someone else’s wife, even if you aren’t married yourself. Seems like a reasonable rule, but you may ask, “What does that have to do with sexual harassment and assault?” Well, we’ve already established that, as men, we sometimes need things spelled out, so I’m starting simple. Keep going.
RULE 2:
“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife.” – Exodus 20:17
Not only should you not cheat on your own wife, you shouldn’t even let yourself desire your neighbor’s wife. You are treating them as an object. Something to be acquired. So now, thanks to rule one and two, all married women are out of the picture, but what if they aren’t married? What if you aren’t married? What if it’s just a girl you see walking down the street or at work?
RULE 3:
“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” – Matthew 5:27-28
Whoa… That’s a much, much bigger step. That one’s harder. But, it means you can’t treat women as objects to fulfill your lusts. You shouldn’t even purposefully look at them that way. And if you are thinking of them as only objects of lust, STOP. They are created in the image of God. They are never objects.
RULE 4:
“And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.”
– Luke 6:31
This is a good one for all of life, but let me clarify, because some men may think someone (a woman) would like something because they like something, but they are wrong. Again, we’ve established that men generally need to be trained in understanding how other people feel.
This rule, this verse, isn’t only about the action, it’s about the results of the action. You may take an action or comment as a compliment, but someone else might feel uncomfortable or in the case of assault – violated, humiliated, terrified, and broken. No one wants to feel that way. So, if your actions cause any of those feelings in someone else, then you aren’t treating them as you would want to be treated. So, don’t do it.
RULE 5:
“Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.” – Psalm 82:3-4
If we follow the first four rules, we are doing good, but that’s not the end of our responsibility as Christian men. When you see other men disobeying any of these rules, defend the afflicted! Stand up to those men! Train them! Correct your fellow brothers when they falter. Show them how men are supposed to act. And, always, always stand up for the afflicted and the victims. They are never the ones who should be judged.
If you are a father, train your sons. Show them how to treat women by how you treat their mother. Lead by example. If you know boys without fathers, be an example for them as well.
I know this is a heavy subject, but it is something that needs to be discussed. Sin attempts to destroy all that God created as good. As we wait on the Lord to “wipe away all tears” (Revelation 21:4) we must do our part to protect and uplift. In a world of relativism, people need truth. Men need truth. The Word of God is Truth.
“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” – John 17:17
Kristopher Galuska
Family Radio Staff.