It is my opinion that many men are hesitant to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, because to do so involves “submission”.
Submission is a “womanly” thing. It shows weakness. It isn’t macho. This might cause a man to no longer be “manly”. Well, none of that is true. Actually, the opposite is true.
First of all, how could it be “unmanly” to submit to the one and only omnipotent God, who created you and me? Men sometimes think of Jesus’ speaking so much about love in the Gospels, and see it as weak. Obviously, they have failed to read what He says in the book of Revelation. We will all stand before Him one day. Those of us who are saved through Him, will have nothing to fear. Those who are not, will wish they had not been so foolish.
Is it possible that many men see Jesus as weak because they visualize much of the artwork depicting Jesus, and some who have portrayed Him in films? As an effeminate Jesus, none of those are real. We do not know what He looked like while in the flesh upon this earth. There is no doubt, in my mind anyway, that there was anything effeminate about Him. Of course, Satan wants us to have these erroneous thoughts in order to pull us away from any chance to come to Him to be saved.
Have you ever considered the physical torment Jesus suffered on our behalf? No sissy could endure that. Dr. C. Thomas Davis, among others, have provided us a detailed explanation of a Roman crucifixion. (By the way, the Persians were the first to come up with this ghastly form of slowly putting someone to death.) It isn’t pretty. But get this. The thing that makes Jesus’ crucifixion even worse is the fact that He knew exactly what He would endure physically, could have easily avoided it, but because of His great love for us, He suffered death by crucifixion anyway. It was the only way to provide for us eternal life through Him. Now that is love of the highest order.
How many of us, would willingly allow ourselves to be beaten and crucified, as Jesus was, especially if we knew we could easily avoid it? For those of you men who think submitting to Jesus is sissy, He didn’t think it was sissy to submit to a gnarly, wooden cross and be crucified for you.
So where does this put the issue of submission? Let’s throw it out the window, and get over it guys. If you stand before Him on judgment day without His Spirit living within you, you will sob like a little girl, knowing the tortures of hell that await you. That is why He submitted for you! He doesn’t want you to be lost forever in Satan’s hell. He wants to give you all the riches of His glory in Heaven, and He will, if you will submit to Him now. If you’re alive, and I’m sure you are if you’re reading this article, you can call upon Him now. But once the last breath leaves your body, it will be forever too late.
So, are you going to hang on to this nonsensical sissy idea of Jesus, or are you going to wise up and realize that He is God in the flesh, and the only hope you have of eternal life?
By the way, I haven’t even mentioned the Apostles and thousands and thousands of others who have suffered the tortures of hell while upon this earth, because they knew that Jesus has something much better in store for those who are His.
Grant Phillips