A Call For Men to Live As God Created Them

This content was excerpted from The Titus Ten Bible study week one. 

There are two words in Genesis 2 that give clarity on the meaning of dominion: work and keep (Genesis 2:15). When you think about work, think about a plow. A plow is used to cultivate the earth, to turn up the soil and prepare the ground for seed. Although modern inventions have made plowing easier than ever, plowing is hard work; it’s cultivating the earth so that what is planted will grow. That is a great picture of what it means for a man to work. Plowing is a selfless and thankless task. It’s not just hard work, it’s sweaty work. Yet, plowing is the work every man should be devoted to—not to tend a garden, but to work hard for the sake of others—to sweat and toil, to cultivate and nurture everything and everyone God has put under his charge. As a man, you were created to work in that way. Every man should wake up in the morning and imagine a plow in his hand, ready to work. This is God’s calling. Under your leadership, things should grow and thrive. When you think about keeping, think about a sword. To keep is to watch, guard, and protect. What God has put under your charge should not only grow and thrive; it should be cared for and protected. God has created every man to be a guardian, a protector, and a defender. He is called to stand in the watchtower and watch and to take up his sword and fight. Working and keeping are at the very core of manhood. God models both for us in the garden. He creates us in His image so we might reflect His glory by doing the same. When you work and keep as a man living under the authority of Jesus Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit, you bear the image of God and begin to lay a foundation for manhood. 

The areas in which God calls a man to take dominion are called domains. You can’t give a man dominion without giving him a domain. This is where the structure of the book of Titus helps us. The three chapters of Titus give us three domains of every man: his church, his family, and his work. But all three chapters of Titus show us another area in which every man must take dominion: his own flesh. After Paul told Titus to find good men and put them in leadership, he told Titus what to look for. Listen to how he described the men the church needs: 

Apart from the direct reference to a man having self-control, there are multiple references to things that demand self-control. A godly man must be able to control his pride, his temper, his drinking, and his flesh. A man cannot be a leader until he learns to take dominion over himself.

Taking dominion over your flesh is not just about fighting against sin. We will never gain any victory over sin unless we truly believe walking with Jesus is better than living in sin. We should long for the life, joy, peace, and blessing that come when we walk with Jesus. Our primary motive is always more of Jesus.