The Purity of Youth

The Purity of Youth

God’s light must be permitted to penetrate all situations so that the spirit of the world can—by all means—be shut out from the church of the living God.

Some people ask: “Can teenage engagements be justified?” They are referring to the early teens. It must be said that engagement and marriage speaks of maturity; therefore one should refrain from entertaining thoughts of getting engaged until such a time when one is in a position to get married. It must be a vital matter for every child and every young person who wants to live for Christ to keep his path pure; this can be done by obeying God’s Word. Ps. 119:9. God’s peace, which surpasses all understanding, will guard the hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

God’s Word exhorts us to flee youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. If you pursue these virtues in the time of your youth, your mind and thoughts will be filled with these good things, and evil and impure thoughts will be shut out. You will have God’s blessing and pleasure over your life, and the promise that in the days ahead, God will show you the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward you in Christ Jesus. Eph. 2:7. Jesus says that we must not be like the heathen, who let their thoughts wander hither and thither in their anxiety over the future, but that we should seek God’s kingdom first. He who has all power in heaven and on earth will then make it as blessed and as good as possible for us here in this life, and then in all eternity. However, if you choose to go your own ways, you will stay behind in an evil and dark world without God’s blessing; this will be a hard and hopeless life in the long run.

Quite often it is the parents using their human reasoning who are behind these teenage engagements. Because they are afraid that something might come up that could hinder a union which they consider ideal, they try to arrange an engagement as quickly as possible. Quite often earthly advantages weigh heavily in the scales. Such relationships must be cursed since God’s blessing is not over them.

Parents can also—with good intentions—recommend a good union to their children, thinking that by so doing, their children will be preserved from seeking a marriage partner in the world. However, parents in the church of the living God must always lead their children to the things that are perfect.

It is often the young boy who becomes interested in a young sister and considers her something to be held on to, something he has to secure for himself in good time. This is unbelief and must be rejected. Our marriage partner has been decided for us from eternity, and no one can take him or her away from us if we live before God. “Whoever believes will not act hastily.” Isa. 28:16.

Each young person should therefore seek God with all his heart and then believe that when he is the right age and needs a marriage partner, God will lead him to the right wife or husband as a gift. Teenage engagements can in no way be recommended in the church, because we must seek the things that are perfect, in this area as well.

Children in the world are now beginning to be occupied with boyfriends and girlfriends (and thoughts of getting engaged) in elementary school. Impurity is getting the upper hand; modesty has almost disappeared from among the young people. This way of thinking, together with lightmindedness and vain talk, is finding its way more and more into the ranks of religious groups. They water down the truth to keep the young people in their Christian clubs, but the standards are being lowered all the time. However, even if they do manage to keep the young people in their clubs for a certain length of time through entertainment and cozy gatherings, they do not win anyone for Christ by watering down the truth. Only a wholehearted life, and a message that points the way to it, can satisfy a young person in the long run. Young Daniel did not give in the least little bit, neither to the king nor to the people; he put God’s law above everything else. He had to suffer for his faith, but he had God’s blessing with him, and in the end he won everyone’s heart. If he had succumbed on the day of trial to be on good terms with the others, he would not have won them, and they would have mocked him and put him to shame. A wholehearted, pure life lived in the fear of God is therefore the only thing that is worthwhile in the long run.