There are some things that are characteristic of youth. Things like energy, strength, health, and ability may be some of the strengths of youth (cf. 1 John 2:13-14; Proverbs 20:29; Ecclesiastes 12:1). This freshness of life might be called the “dew of youth” (Psalm 110:3). Yet, there may be some things associated with youth that are not as favorable. Often, young people are not financially stable (cf. Ecclesiastes 4:13), and they may not be typically as wise as the older generation (cf. Proverbs 7:7).
Spiritually, it is expected for both the young and old to serve God (1 John 2:13-14). There is no distinction between the salvation that young people and older people enjoy (Galatians 3:28), and both the young and old are equally plagued by sin (Romans 3:23). Here, it should be noted that by “young” we mean beyond the age of accountability, as noted in Ecclesiastes 7:29 as children do not inherit the sin of their parents (Ezekiel 18:20). In this same line, temptation will come upon both young and old, as it is a problem faced by all humanity (1 John 2:15-17; 1 Corinthians 10:13; James 12-16; Hebrews 4:15).
However, there are various occasions where youthfulness is directly connected to sin. Consider these passages:
Job 13:23-14:1How many are mine iniquities and sins?
Make me to know my transgression and my sin.
Wherefore hidest thou thy face,
And holdest me for thine enemy?
Wilt thou harass a driven leaf?
And wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?
For thou writest bitter things against me,
And makest me to inherit the iniquities of my youth:
Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks,
And markest all my paths;
Thou settest a bound to the soles of my feet:
Though I am like a rotten thing that consumeth,
Like a garment that is moth-eaten.
Man, that is born of a woman,
Is of few days, and full of trouble.”
Psalm 25:7
“Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: According to thy lovingkindness remember thou me, For thy goodness’ sake, O Jehovah.”
Ecclesiastes 11:9
“Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart, and in the sight of thine eyes; but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.”
2 Timothy 2:22
“But flee youthful lusts, and follow after righteousness, faith, love, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
From these passages, we note that there are some specific sins and temptations that accompany youth. It may be the case that energy or poverty, health or foolishness, or something else entirely may contribute to the spiritual difficulties of being young. If we observe the world around us, we can observe that young people do face similar temptations to the older generation, yet young people also face youth-specific temptations. It is not difficult to imagine what these are: for example, cheating on exams in school, being unmarried, chasing money over people, wasting time, wasting money, giving in to peer pressure to break the law, or do immoral acts. These are sins and temptations that might affect young people more. Often we made decisions in our youth that we wish we had not made. Maybe we listen to our impulse over others’ advice or hormones over holiness, but even the righteous man from Uz acknowledged “the iniquities of my youth.” A good and godly man, a man after God’s own heart could reflect upon his life and beg of God: “remember not the sins of my youth.” When Solomon went to admonish his young audience, he admitted that they, like he in his youth, might simply try to chase the desires of their hearts, forgetting God and the “end of the matter.” You see, when we are young, we often think we will live forever…in this life. We have trouble imagining the end of our existence on this earth. Because of that, we may think that there will never be accountability or there will always be an opportunity to repent or temporary pleasure is worth eternal pain or something similar.
It is no wonder then that instructions to a young man would include this: “flee youthful lusts.” There are some unlawful desires that are both contrary to God and common to young people. It is okay to acknowledge this. In fact, it is empowering. This knowledge empowers us to be better able to face the temptations of our own youth (cf. James 1:13-16). Young Timothy was in a place where his youth might have been looked down on or despised (1 Timothy 4:12), but Paul’s advice at this crucial time in his life could arm him well to deal with the unique challenges he would face as a young, inexperienced man.
The answer to youthful lust was not to give in to it, nor was the answer pride against it. While some today might want to just ignore youthful lusts, the Bible does not allow us to take an inferior course of action either. So, what should young people do when faced with temptation? Maybe more specifically, what are our young people to do when they are faced with temptations that are common to youth? The answer is found in Scripture. To be more exact, the answer is found in 2 Timothy 2:22-23, the very context of these youthful lusts.
1. Flee
The first thing that someone needs to do when faced with unlawful desire is to run away from such temptations. If at all possible, we should remove ourselves from the situation at hand. Imagine a young woman who is tempted by alcohol. It would be foolish for her to keep returning to a bar where alcohol is served simply because she likes the music. Imagine a young man who struggles with internet porn who refuses to place safeguards on his computer or tablet. If we are serious about holiness, we have to get away from temptation so we are not ensnared in the sin that follows. Over and over again the admonishment goes out to Christians to “flee.” Flee fornication (1 Corinthians 6:18); flee idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:14); flee worldly things in general (1 Timothy 6:11). When we withstand temptation in this way, the Devil will flee from us (James 4:7). When we are commanded to flee, the picture in our mind should be moving away from sin as quickly as possible, running away from those worldly things as fast as we can move. Sometimes that might be with our feet like Joseph of old, who fled from Potiphar’s wife, sometimes it might be with our minds, and sometimes it might be on our browser. No matter where that lust is, Christians should flee and fast.
2. Follow
When God calls us to leave behind things of the world, He always calls us to replace it with something better. The answer to youthful lust was and is the pursuit of godly endeavors: righteousness, faith, love, and peace. When we begin to exchange our former habits and lusts for a new Christian life, we must find better, more faithful ways to occupy our minds and our time. When we pursue righteousness, we look for the things which are right in God’s sight. When we follow after faith, we put our full dependence and trust in God over anything this world has to offer. When we seek love, we find our commitment to God and man increasing with our service to both multiples. When we chase after peace, we extend grace to those around us and set them on a higher pedestal than we do ourselves.
3. Fellowship
We know that evil companionship can corrupt good morals and habits. We need to understand that our companions affect our attitudes, our goals, our schedules, and our focus. It is no wonder that Paul tells Timothy to follow godly things “with them that call on the Lord.” Since Christians have committed themselves to the family of God, then we should find companionship among the Lord’s people. When we spend time with other Christians, we can find it much easier to flee temptations. Christians from older generations can give us wisdom to face these temptations. Christians from younger generations model after us and motivate us to do better and be better. Christians from our generation can serve as sounding boards for strategies to overcome sin.
4. Filter
Finally, in order to flee youthful lusts, we need to filter the information coming into our minds and lives by refusing to indulge in foolish and ignorant questioning that engender strife. Maybe young people are more open to false ideas. Maybe young people are less established in their faith. Maybe young people are more willing or ready to argue and strive, it could be because they tend not to see the value of what is old and so easily chase after what is new which seems so exciting. Whatever the case, a filter is necessary in our youth. While there are good filters, the perfect filter is the Word of God. We should filter everything through God’s Book. When the Good Book guards our lives and lights our path, we will navigate the streets of the world without the weight and sin which so easily beset us.
We all know that all people face temptations. However, we should recognize that young people face some particular and peculiar temptations. Each and every generation will continue to face temptations both old and new…at least new in some way. Since that is the case, we need to recognize those temptations and equip our young people to face the world in which they live. Young people, you cannot ignore these temptations nor be prideful in your consideration. Instead, take stock of your youth, guard your heart and mind, stay close to brethren from all generations, run away from sin and temptation, and give yourself to the godly pursuit of righteousness, faith, love, and peace.