Consider for a moment the modern concept
of an adolescent in the United States.
It is a young person who is neither a child nor an adult but is a
combination of the two. By this concept,
American culture expects for such a person to be freely given provisions as if
he is still a dependent child but also to be allowed to make decisions for
himself as if he is an independent adult.
In this way, he gets the benefits of both childhood and adulthood without
the restrictions of childhood or the responsibilities of adulthood.
This concept of adolescence is not found
in the Bible, but rather it is based solely on the teachings of man. It began in 1904 when G. Stanley Hall, the
first president of the American Psychological Association, published his book Adolescence. (The word "adolescence" comes from a Latin
word that means "to be nourished.")
Hall's teachings were based on Charles Darwin's theory of evolution and
Sigmund Freud's psychodynamic theory.
Applying these theories, Hall compared children to man's supposed savage
ancestors and adolescence to the process of evolution that brought about modern
man. Just as Darwin's and Freud's
theories were contrary to Biblical teachings, so also was Hall's theory. Since the time of Hall, his unbiblical
teachings have been modified and developed into the modern concept of
adolescence that we see in our culture today.
Nothing
in the Bible condones an irresponsible period of youthful self-indulgence. Instead, the Bible teaches an ever-present
sense of accountability to God that transcends all stages of life. For example, consider Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:1:
Rejoice, young man,
during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young
manhood. And follow the impulses of your
heart and the desires of your eyes. Yet
know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things. So, remove grief and anger from your heart
and put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are
fleeting. Remember also your Creator in
the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when
you will say, "I have no delight in them."
This passage comes as close as any to
expressing the modern concept of adolescence and the idea of young people
"sowing their wild oats." However, the
emphasis of this passage is for young people to always remember God and their
accountability before Him. By no means
does this passage condone irresponsible young people indulging every desire of
the flesh, but instead it demands that young people use their youthful vitality
in the fear of God. "The conclusion,
when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this
applies to every person. For God will
bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or
evil" (Eccl. 12:13-14).
The culture's expectations for young
people in terms of morality and spirituality are appallingly low, but God's
expectations are divinely high. For
example, by inspiration Paul told Timothy, "Let no one look down on your
youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show
yourself an example of those who believe" (1Tim. 4:12). Timothy was not a teenager when Paul wrote
this, but the principle of godly youth found in this passage applies to all
young believers. Also consider the
standard set forth for young men in Titus 2:6-8 -- "Likewise urge the young men
to be sensible; in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds,
with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach,
so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us." In these passages, there is no place allowed
for selfishness, fleshly indulgence, or foolishness among young people.
Young people (children, teenagers, young
adults) are quite capable of fulfilling these high expectations, for God had
made it possible for them. In Psalm
119:9, the way to fulfill these expectations is given: "How can a young man
keep his way pure? By keeping it
according to Your word." Indeed, many
young people have succeeded in keeping God's word from their youth (see Matt.
19:20; Acts 26:4; 2Tim. 3:14-15), but to do so they had to apply themselves
diligently to study and practice (2Tim. 2:15).
Today's young people are just as capable as those of the past, but they
and their parents must make the study of God's word a high priority. The Pew Research Center reported that the
average teenager sent sixty text messages per day in 2011; what if the time
spent texting was used in Bible study?
Much more needs to be said concerning
adolescence, but for now let us make a few resolutions. Let every young person, whether a child, a
teenager, or a young adult, resolve to serve God to the best of his or her
ability while refusing to be absorbed by the culture. Let every mature person resolve to encourage
the young to keep their ways pure by following God's word. Let every parent resolve to set high
standards for their young people and instill in them the priority to seek first
the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33). Let them also resolve to not to place their
young people into situations they are not prepared to handle. In these ways, our young people can have
great success as they grow from childhood into maturity.
