1 Timothy 4:12 (Youthfulness)
“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).
You are never too young to be used by God. That was the instruction the apostle Paul gave to his #1 gun, Timothy, as he was charged to lead the church in Ephesus. That is also the reminder we need regarding how we minister and allow others to minister to us.
Based on the apprentice-type role Timothy held under Paul, one would assume he was in his early twenties, but various commentaries calculate Timothy's age around thirty years old at the time of this letter (which is surprising compared to what many of us would have assumed).
It is true that wisdom typically comes with age. For Job 12:12 affirms, "Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days." However, it is imperative additional Scripture verses be considered when evaluating the correlation between age and wisdom.
For example, Solomon was anointed king at the age of twenty. Yet when given the opportunity to receive any gift which God graciously agreed to bestow upon him, Solomon chose understanding. His youthful age was not a detriment to his decision-making capability but an asset at the time, and he was subsequently blessed as a result.
“At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, ‘Ask what I shall give you.’ And Solomon said, ‘You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?’” (1 Kings 3:5–9).
The greater emphasis Paul made to Timothy centered around how he lived out his faith as a pastor. Timothy's conduct was paramount to ensure others did not look down upon him in a condescending way by leveraging his age against him.
The same is true for us. We are called to not only hear the Word of God but actively apply and implement it in our daily actions to avoid deceiving ourselves (James 1:22). Therefore, age is not the primary focus of attention in Paul's instruction, but rather the quality of Timothy’s leadership by example.
Not surprisingly, the initial focus of Paul's attention was speech, for as the book of James warns, "The tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God" (James 3:6,9). Consequently, we must guard the words which flow out from our mouths just as Jesus instructed His disciples.
"It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person" (Matthew 15:11).
In addition, we must choose our words carefully to encourage and build one another up rather than tear one's character, attitude, and countenance down. “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
Note the purity Paul instructed Timothy to exemplify—it had to come from a selfless heart which longed for righteousness. Therefore, let us not fall into the same trap the prophet Isaiah warned about: "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me" (Isaiah 29:13).
We must ensure our motivations align with God's will because He is sovereign and can do all things according to His perfect plan. However, we must allow the Holy Spirit to transform us from the inside out (Matthew 23:25-26) so that our words and actions are pure and holy.
They derive from the central location of our spirit (our heart), flowing out through love, faith, purity, communication, etc. That is, if we are indeed born-again and sanctified in the image of Christ.
What is most compelling is that has been God's design from the beginning. Scripture reminds us, "Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright" (Proverbs 20:11).
Consequently, God must be our ultimate source of wisdom and understanding. "Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds" (Psalm 36:5).
Moreover, God provides the definition for what love truly is in 1 John 4:7-21 and then calls us to be examples of love to our world by adhering to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).
In other words, if we do not believe by faith that Jesus died for our sins, we will never know how to love because love is from God and is God. And if we do not know how to love others through the love of Christ, our motives will be impure, directly affecting our speech and actions.
What then is the prescription for such an ailment? James 2:17 teaches, "Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead," meaning our obedient display of works reflect an inward decision and commitment to righteousness by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8).
Therefore, in order to make the greatest impact for the kingdom of God, we must live out our faith by humbling ourselves and allowing our life in Christ to speak for itself.
Age is not the issue to worry about as Paul reminds us. Rather, how we live our lives for Christ truly is. "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35). May we never forget that we’re never too young (or too old for that matter) to be used by God for His glory in expanding His kingdom.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on October 19, 2009 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
