The Redeemed Man - A Practical Guide to Biblical Manhood for Faith, Family, and Work

by Joel R. Beeke (Editor), Paul M. Smalley (Editor), Richard D. Phillips (Editor)

In an age of cowardice and compromise, the church is asking one

"Where are the men?"

The Redeemed Man prepares you to answer Christ's call to become a man in His image—the kind of man the world needs.

Featuring the contributions of trusted pastors, fathers, and husbands, this book answers the questions you're asking as you strive to glorify God in your relationships, work, and spiritual life. Each author gives a unique perspective on the urgent need for men to lead in their homes, churches, and society—all while addressing the confusion surrounding manhood in a godless culture.

Real manhood is redeemed manhood. Are you ready to answer the call?

Contents

Godly Manhood
Richard D. Phillips

Part 1: A Godly Man’s Relationship with God

1. The Redeemed Man Repenting and Believing
Joel R. Beeke and Paul M. Smalley
2. The Redeemed Man Knowing His God
Conrad Mbewe
3. The Redeemed Man Committed to God’s Word
Paul M. Smalley
4. The Redeemed Man Growing in Grace
Sinclair B. Ferguson

Part 2: A Godly Man’s Relationships with People

5. The Redeemed Man Honoring His Parents
Terry Johnson
6. The Redeemed Man Living in Singleness
Curt Daniel
7. The Redeemed Man Loving His Wife
Joel R. Beeke
8. The Redeemed Man Leading His Family
Jason Helopoulos
9. The Redeemed Man Discipling His Children
Richard D. Phillips
10. The Redeemed Man Growing in Family Worship
Joel R. Beeke
11. The Redeemed Man Cultivating Friendships
Michael A. G. Azad Haykin
12. The Redeemed Man Witnessing to Unbelievers
David Strain

Part 3: A Godly Man’s Work

13. The Redeemed Man Viewing Work Rightly
Richard D. Phillips
14. The Redeemed Man Laboring at His Work
Daniel Doriani
15. The Redeemed Man Serving in His Church
Kevin DeYoung
16. The Redeemed Man Managing His Resources
Jim Newheiser
17. The Redeemed Man Enjoying His Recreations
Gerard Hemmings
18. The Redeemed Man Governing as a Citizen
David C. Innes

Part 4: A Godly Man’s Finishing Well

19. The Redeemed Man Sustaining His Health
Joseph Pipa
20. The Redeemed Man Persevering in His Faith
Geoff Thomas
21. The Redeemed Man Entering Retirement
Derek W. H. Thomas
22. The Redeemed Man Preparing for His Death
Ian Hamilton

Contributors

Genres: Christian Living, Christian, Theology, Christianity, Nonfiction, Marriage, Parenting

296 pages, Paperback

Published December 9, 2025

About the author

Joel R. Beeke (PhD, Westminster Theological Seminary) is the chancellor and professor of homiletics and systematic theology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. He has served as a pastor since 1978 and currently ministers at the Heritage Reformed Congregation of Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is the editor of the Puritan Reformed Journal and The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth magazine, the board chairman of Reformation Heritage Books, the president of Inheritance Publishers, and the vice president of the Dutch Reformed Translation Society.

Beeke has written and coauthored 120 books, edited 120 books, and contributed 2,500 articles to Reformed books, journals, periodicals, and encyclopedias. He frequently lectures at seminaries and speaks at Reformed conferences around the world. The Lord has blessed him and his wife Mary with three children and eleven grandchildren.

Reviews

[Brenden Wentworth]

Of the making of books, there is no end. And as of late, of the making of books and articles in biblical manhood, it seems there are no end.
I would suggest that this tops all of them for many reasons:

First, it’s first and foremost, biblically rooted and theologically sound. Many biblical manhood books convey out of context aphorisms of the biblical text that are unhelpful and misleading. This book is grounded.

Second, I know of no other biblical manhood book that is as comprehensive as this one. It covers a wide range of topics like work, friendships, repentance, retirement, evangelism, wealth, family, marriage, etc. Makes for a great discipleship tool.
I hope a companion value on womanhood is in the works as it would be a gift to the church like this one!

Third, it never loses sight of the need for genuine piety. Biblical manhood must first and foremost be godly to be biblical. Lots of fringe manhood theories and concepts that come out of Podcasts and Twitter feeds are not godly and do not distinguish between law & gospel. This book avoids that.

- Reading this book alongside Owen Strachan’s “the war on men” would give a Christian man probably the most comprehensive and holistic understanding on biblical manhood in writing.
Beyond that, may the man seek out older godly men in his church and get regular lunch with them to pick their brains and find out what this looks like in practice!

[Cole Knecht]

Here’s the blurb.
“When Jesus changes a man, He changes everything. A redeemed man acts differently, speaks differently, thinks differently, and lives for something bigger than himself. A redeemed man honors God and blesses everyone around him when every area of his life is shaped by grace.”

I enjoyed this book. It addresses several spheres of a man’s life and how they ought to be lived out biblically. Even covers topics such as family worship, honoring parents, faithful labor, managing resources, cultivating friendships, entering retirement, and more. I found it humbling in the areas that apply to my life now and encouraging for what may come, Lord willing.

1 Peter 2:21

[Taylor Lazenby]

Highly biblical, highly practical, moderately helpful

[Stephen White]

I found this book a helpful encouragement to live in light of my status as a redeemed man in Christ as it applies to all areas of my life. Some of the chapters seemed more practical than others and some suited my stage of life more than others.

Positives:

-The authors consistently pointed the reader towards viewing each stage/situation of life in light of their faith and status as redeemed in Christ.
-The foundational chapters at the beginning were a beautiful reminder of our unique privilege of knowing and following our God as the basis for all other areas of life.
- The chapters in the book are a broad spread of various aspects and stages of being a redeemed man that can function independently of one another if you wanted a reminder of a particular topic in the future or to share with someone else.


Critiques:

- I did find it a bit disjointed due to the large number of contributors who tended to repeat similar themes while talking about their chapter’s topic. If the book had been written by just one author, it could have been significantly shorter while still covering each topic.
- I did also leave some of the chapters wishing there were more practical application involved. For instance, I left the chapter on the redeemed man honoring parents feeling less confident about how to honor and interact with my parents than I had before reading it. Instead, I left feeling shamed for not honoring and respecting my parents in all of their choices without question. I do believe there is room for recognition of both our call to honor our parents and the reality that living in a broken world, not all choices they made were Godly and to be revered.
- As expected for the strongly conservative/reformed perspective of the writers, I did also feel like a lot of things were stated far too much in black and white terms where there may be more room for nuance and Christian liberty.

[Joshua Madl]

A little repetitive at times. Overall a great book and would be a helpful resource for a men’s ministry to go through and discuss.

[Joshua Bremerman]

This is a very good book, and definitely worthwhile for group discussion with other men. It is comprehensive, almost like a premarital counseling book but for the life of a Christian man, so it draws out pretty much all of the conversations you want to have over manhood.

I felt challenged, and the book also helped me as a pastor to shepherd other men. If I want a comprehensive book on manhood, this is the one, though if I want to challenge or exhort more directly, other options might take the cake.

[Hector Barrowman]

Brilliant! Helped my perspective on many aspects of the Christian life.

[Ashton]

In this newly released work on godly manhood, nineteen God-fearing men set out to write a collection of ways the redeemed Christian man should live in light of the grace that flows out of Christ’s redeeming work. What does Christian manhood look like? These men take the opportunity to answer that question.

This book is broken up into four parts, each with a number of essays (and each essay with a different author) relating to its parent theme. These include a godly man’s relationship with God, relationship with people, work and finishing well.

I had few expectations going in, but I must say that I am impressed. This obviously was written with “reformed” glasses on, if that means anything to you, but I believe these subjects and portrayals are mostly beneficial to the Christian man and the church as a whole. I could imagine this book reading well with a small group of men, discussing ways each person was convicted or encouraged throughout.

While it was nice getting to read different perspectives, there was significant overlap in many of the chapters. Some chapters more than others. I didn't love that. Nonetheless, the information shared was often useful.

I did have a few gripes with this book. The first of which, something I cannot believe I am writing in a review, is that there were upwards of eleven textual and grammatical errors—probably more, maybe less. I know this is an early copy, but Reformation Heritage needs to do another proofread before the next reprint. Proofreading is a small part of my professional role, so I recognize that most people might overlook many of these errors. But still. Come on.

Another gripe is more of an internal conundrum. Perhaps we might be working with different dictionaries, but I’m conflicted with David Strain's assessment that “we live in a post-Christian society” (145). My knee jerk reaction is to say “I disagree,” but I understand that I could be wrong. In context, it was more of a passing statement and had no real bearing on the content of the chapter. But it did get my wheels turning. (I did revise this comment and fix an error in this section, in case you read an earlier edition of this review.)

That gripe didn’t take away from the book. In fact, none of them did. I’d still recommend it to someone who is looking for a discussion group or for personal and spiritual growth.

3.9/5

[Daniel Taylor]

Some chapters were incredible! While some were just ok. This is definitely a book you can pick and choose chapters based on the topics that are relevant to you. The chapter on Marriage by Beeke was my favorite.

[Benjamin Baker]

Wonderful book that’s probably gonna be the go to book for men’s book studies. It’s not 5 stars because some chapters were too repetitive while others didn’t go deep enough. The ordering of the chapters were ok for the most part but there were a few chapters that felt drastically different from the rest of the book. I still loved the read!

[Daniel Emil Cruz]

Great read. Feels like a collection of solid articles all in one book. Edited by Joel Beeke with different authors for each chapter, but it flows well and stays focused on what it means to be a redeemed man in every area of life.

I really liked the chapters on work, repentance, marriage, family, health, kids, wealth, and life and death. Honestly all of it was really good.

Verses that randomly stuck with me were Book of Proverbs 30:7–9 and Revelation 21:3.

“Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭30‬:‭7‬-‭9‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭21‬:‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Overall a really good and practical read. If you consider yourself a Christian man, I think this is a great practical book to go through.

[Graeme]

A wonderful, Biblically based collection of essays exploring what it means to be a "Redeemed man". It takes a variety of large ideas, turns them into palatable essays, and gives jumping off points and other book recommendations for further reading.

It starts off with the Gospel, continues on through what it looks like to be part of a church, and then hits off the Christian life section with singleness, featuring such quotes as "if you're married, God has not gifted you with the gift of singleness". It handles such topics as "how do I lead my family in their Christian walk?" and "How do I raise kids?" in small, palatable ways.

I found the chapter on "The Redeemed Man and Recreation" to be particularly insightful and something that helped me to slow down a little bit in my own life.

[Andrew Crawford]

Fantastic book covering how the Lord changes and calls men to act in a ton of different areas in life (family, church, work, financially, retirement, death, etc.). Because of the book having so many authors (a different one for each chapter) it feels a little more like reading 22 really solid articles than a cohesive book with some chapters being incredible and a couple lacking just a little. That being said it was such a helpful reminder of the Lord’s authority over every area of life and our calling as redeemed men to steward the many things the Lord has given us for His glory and our good.

[Ross Hearne]

This book was my summer read this year. I particularly liked the chapters on family worship, training children, and friendship. This book was a little clunky reading due to the many different writing styles from the many different authors who attributed to the book. This would be a good book to go through with younger Christian men in their faith.

[Derek Woodall]

This is a great resource to discuss with other men. It does not focus on cultural masculinity or pendulum swing to diminish biblical manhood to nothing. Instead, it explores how to live the Christian life as a man.

[Aaron Endsley]

This was by far one of the best books I've read on Christian manhood that was both practical, and theologically sound, I would recommend this book above all other books I've read in the past. I wish this book was around when I became a Christian almost 15 years ago. This is one I could see myself giving to my boys as a gift for them to read as well.

[Joshua Chatman]

Loved it! It blessed me. It’s a great discipleship resource to read with brothers in your local church.

[Alex Dunkin]

A great framework for godly manhood. Both doctrinal and applicational which makes it great for group discussion.

[Tim Franks]

Every Christian man, young and old need both need to read this! Great coverage of the whole walks of and seasons of life. This would be a great book for a men's ministry to go through together.

[JT Goodart]

This is probably the best book on biblical manhood I’ve read. It was so theologically rich and greatly practical. I also really appreciated that it at no point fell into culturally defined ideas of masculinity but kept everything purely biblical. It also touched on so many important topics. I highly recommend this book for every man.

The only things holding it back from 5 stars:
- Being an edited and compiled work, not all chapters are equally beneficial. Some chapters felt like they didn’t really address the topic at hand but were just reworked versions of pre-existing work that were attempted to be molded to the topic of the chapter. (This is only a few chapters, though, most are not like this.)

- Most of the Scripture references are in KJV which feels jarring to read to someone not used to reading that older form of English in a modern book. (This is more a personal preference issue, not really an issue with the quality of the book. It just did affect my reading experience.)

[Aardvark]

Loved this book! What stood out to me most was how comprehensive it is. It walks through virtually every aspect of life—from my personal walk with God to family, hobbies, career, and everything in between—showing how each area can be lived out faithfully. Despite its breadth however, the book was not endlessly long, but managed to stay succinct, practical, and concise.
I think this book would make an excellent discipleship tool for younger believers, showing them how God and His Word dictates every arena of life, but also for older believers, to be used as a check-up on how they are doing in these areas.
Given that each chapter was written by a different contributor, there were some that were better than others. But as a whole, I thought that this was a wonderful read and would highly recommend it to others.

[Matt Witten]

Inspiring, convicting, and needed. Great reminders and challenges for how we should live as Godly men. Gave 4 instead of 5 because, while I appreciate the breadth of topics covered, it felt overly topline at times and some of the chapters felt out of place. But overall a great and worthwhile read!

[R. Dwain]

It’s simply excellent. There are a lot of fluffy books on masculinity and this is not one of them. The authors did an excellent job here.

[Bill Pence]

This book features chapters by a number of respected authors, including Sinclair Ferguson, Joel Beeke, David Strain, Richard Phillips, Daniel Doriani, Kevin DeYoung, Ian Hamilton, and Derek Thomas. The twenty-two chapters are divided into four major parts:
Part 1: A Godly Man’s Relationship with God
Part 2: A Godly Man’s Relationships with People
Part 3: A Godly Man’s Work
Part 4: A Godly Man’s Finishing Well
Richard Phillips tells us that the book was written because of the conviction that the godliness, faith, and influence of Christian men are essential to the work of God in our world today. The editors produced the book because they perceived a need for a comprehensive and up to date guide for Christian men that is distinctly biblical in its approach. The aim of the book is to summon Christian men to embrace their calling in service to our Lord.
He tells us that the chapters in the book set forth a clear and compelling case for the biblical vision of redeemed manhood. The intent is to address the whole of a man’s life, starting with the priority that must be given to his relationship with God.
The chapters of the book were intentionally kept concise. I read all of the chapters, and in the case of a book like this some chapters were more interesting to me than others. I was particularly interested in the sections on work and finishing well.
This is an outstanding book that should be recommended reading for Christian men. Here are 20 quotes that I found helpful from the book:
• Whereas the man of the world sees work as a necessary evil by which he seeks to earn a living and, at the most, make himself rich, the redeemed man sees work as worship. Conrad Mbewe
• The godly man exerts himself with all the strength and giftings that God has given him to fill his time with fruitful labor. Conrad Mbewe
• The Christian man realizes that this life is temporal and must soon come to an end. This thought does not fill him with fear and despondency. Rather, it fills him with joy because he looks forward to meeting with his God, the God with whom he has walked since the day of his conversion. Conrad Mbewe
• The gospel is a story of grace from beginning to end. Sinclair Ferguson
• Only when our roots are sunk deeply into the soil of the divine indicatives will we be able to grow in the joy of obedience to the rigorous and vigorous divine imperatives that follow. Sinclair Ferguson
• It has never been more urgent that Christian men face honestly the scriptural imperative to bear witness for Christ and learn to open their mouths to speak—humbly, lovingly, and courageously—for their Savior. David Strain
• You can pray for your unconverted friends’ salvation only because you trust the God who has the power to save. He alone calls sinners from death to life. Salvation is in His alone to give. David Strain
• It is not our task to save people, change their minds, or manipulate a decision for Jesus from them. It is our task, simply, faithfully, clearly, and lovingly to tell them the gospel. David Strain
• The clearest way that we can assess if our vocation is God-honoring is to ensure that it does not involve violating the Ten Commandments. Richard Phillips
• Christians should seek to make their living through work that benefits people. Richard Phillips
• Our work is meaningful and challenging because God planned it that way. Daniel Doriani
• Through honest labor, anyone can become God’s hands, meeting the needs of family, friends, and neighbors near and far. Daniel Doriani
• When godly ambition matches with talent, a godly man may have found a place where he can well serve God and his neighbor. Daniel Doriani
• An unchurched Christian is a contradiction in terms. Kevin DeYoung
• The church needs Christian men who run the race all the way through the tape. Kevin DeYoung
• Christians do not retire from work; they retire from one kind of work to take up another. Derek Thomas
• Work—all work—is to be viewed as a service to God. Derek Thomas
• This fact, that death awaits everyone born of woman, is one that God Himself encourages us to face, but to face with faith, hope and calm assurance. Ian Hamilton
• The man in Christ, has a glorious and living hope. Death will not, indeed cannot, extinguish that glorious and living hope. Ian Hamilton
• The redeemed man must till his last breath be committed to the fellowship of the people of God. Solitary Christianity is a contradiction. Ian Hamilton

[Capt. Hornblower Of His Majesty’s Navy]

The Redeemed Man is an ambitious collaborative work that seeks to address nearly every area of Christian manhood—from repentance and prayer to marriage, vocation, leadership, aging, and death. With contributions from numerous respected Reformed pastors and theologians, the book has a broad pastoral scope and an earnest desire to encourage men toward godly living.

One of the book’s strengths is also one of its weaknesses: it covers a very large number of topics in a relatively short volume. Nearly every chapter introduces worthwhile insights, practical exhortations, or biblical reflections, but many of the subjects feel more like introductions than deeply developed treatments. Readers hoping for sustained theological depth or detailed practical guidance on particular issues may come away feeling that each topic only “scratched the surface.” The structure resembles a survey course on Christian manhood more than a comprehensive exploration of any single aspect of it.

Because the book includes many contributors and short chapters, it sometimes moves quickly from one idea to another without lingering long enough to develop nuance or complexity. There is a steady stream of exhortation and explanation, but comparatively little space devoted to wrestling deeply with difficult questions, tensions, or real-life applications in a sustained way.

The writing style also leans heavily toward exposition. Much of the material consists of explaining biblical principles, theological categories, and pastoral instruction in a straightforward, sermonic tone. While many readers within the Reformed tradition will appreciate that approach, others may find the book somewhat dense or repetitive at times. The emphasis on explanation over narrative, illustration, or personal engagement can make sections feel more like extended teaching notes than compelling prose. In particular, the book occasionally sacrifices readability for thoroughness of exposition.

That said, the pastoral heart behind the project is evident throughout. The contributors clearly desire to call men toward holiness, responsibility, and Christ-centered living in a culture confused about manhood. Readers looking for a broad introductory overview of Reformed perspectives on Christian manhood will likely find the book valuable and edifying. Those seeking deeper engagement with specific topics, however, may find themselves wishing the book had focused on fewer subjects with greater depth and less expository repetition.

[Justin Walker]

The Redeemed Man is an indispensable book focused on the Christian man’s life. While most books on this subject focus on a particular aspect such as leadership, cultivating manliness, etc., this book focuses on the whole of the redeemed man’s life, in his person, his faith, his work, his relationships, and even in his dying. Chapters are written by various men on a specific topic and are of themselves beneficial and worthy of consideration. I particularly benefited from the chapters on singleness (an often completely ignored subject), cultivating friendships, and recreations. The two that I considered to be most helpful and edifying were the chapters written by Geoff Thomas on perseverance and Ian Hamilton on preparing for death. My mind has been meditating on these subjects almost hourly since finishing them. This is a truly great work compiled by Reformation Heritage Books and will be a blessing and help to many men as they seek to glorify God in their daily lives. I have already given away several copies and plan to give away many more.

[Ben Hegan]

A solid book. Having said that, I think it was totally over-hyped by RHB. I often find books like this where each chapter has a different author hard work because each author has a totally different style of writing, and this was the case here. Certain chapters are much stronger than others. I also found it weird that certain chapters used the KJV and others the NKJV, it would have been better to have kept it consistent across all the chapters to improve the coherence and continuity. I think some of the chapters were very close in subject matter, verging on talking of the same exact things. It was helpful but nothing revolutionary either, although that's probably a good thing! I enjoyed reading it and will revisit it in the future. I preferred it over The Masculine Mandate by Richard Phillips, the reasoning is a whole other story. I really appreciate that this book tackles singleness and isn't all about family and married folks, although many of the chapters I feel swayed very heavily towards those who are married. A good book, one I will revisit. Recommended.

[Aaron Hand]

In The Redeemed Man (2025), Dr. Joel Beeke and 18 other reformed pastors and theologians join forces in what should be an amazing book for Christian men. This book has 22 chapters, divided up into four main sections, all with the intention of helping men fulfill their God-given roles with clarity and purpose.

Most of the 19 writers only contribute a chapter, and the theme is straightforward for a Christian man like myself. The book begins with a focus on a man’s relationship with God, then with his family as its head and leader. After that with his neighbors, the lost, as a citizen, and other topics pertinent to Christian living and finishing strong. I honestly think this would be a good book to guide a group of men with in a study.

I liked how the chapters were not overly long, yet the tone was practical and organized, with some illustrations along the way. I liked the heavy emphasis on family worship—not just in passing—but for three solid chapters. It’s written with a reformed, Calvinistic point of view.

My overall impression was positive and I’m thankful to have read this book. I’ll probably read it again in time, and may also lead a study with it. I recommend this book, giving it a healthy 5/5 stars.

[Drake Dulin]

This was a good book and beneficial to read with a group of men. I missed a few chapters towards the back half. Each chapter is its own article or subject so it wasn’t too detrimental to the book as a whole that I didn’t read these. This makes it a pretty good book to reference in the future. I found the book to be overall helpful and thought provoking. I appreciated the breadth of subjects that were covered. While there are pros to the chapter format, there also are a few cons. Mainly for me is that the book doesn’t necessarily build on itself like others or have a main point to come back to. Just makes it a different type of read. I enjoyed the earlier chapters on the redeemed man’s relationship with God given where I am in my life. I think it will be a nice resource to have to reference other chapters individually when needs arise in the future.

[Daniel]

A well-structured collection of essays on being a man, including discussinos of singleness, marriage, retirement, and finances. Most of them are excellent. Some of them are decent. And then there's the one that recommended homeopathy.


Also, speaking as someone who really likes the KJV and has memorized a good chunk of it - is this really the best translation to use in a book written in 2025? Is it really in the spirit of the KJV translators to rigidly cling to an old translation that is inreasingly difficult to understand? Isn't a little of the force of a passage lost when one has to insert a parenthesis in the middle of it to explain what "the goodman of the house" is?


Anyways, the book was mostly good, insightful, and helpful.