3 Questions That Young People Are Asking and How We Can Help

A child used to grow up in a home with the limited influence of parents, siblings, neighbors, and friends. Then, the television, internet, and radio came into the picture, which added more outside voices. However, now with social media, it is as if there are hundreds of thousands of people and products speaking into the lives of children and teens. Where a parent could help point a child to who they are in Christ, they are now hearing, “Explore your sexuality, you are not defined. There is no truth.” When dealing with bullies at school, a young person would get a break, but now the bullies follow them into their former safe spaces of the home telling them lies. When there was privacy of thought, there is now no filter of what is shared with the public that might one day come back to haunt them. I know that I made some pretty fun homemade videos as a kid, but thankfully they were not floating around on the internet for everyone’s enjoyment. Young people are losing their safety, their privacy, and their confidence in who they are.

One of the most common struggles of young people is asking, “Who am I?” Many of us have asked this question, and we have been found with concrete answers. But in today’s society, they are met with more questions and insecurity about who they truly are because culture is afraid to define male and female by science (God’s design). Where the culture says that this is freedom to choose this is actually tormenting and entrapping young people to greater confusion as to who they are and what “category” they fit in. 

A very clear definition of who we are is found in Scripture. When the questions of this world cause us to wonder who we are, it is valuable to find ourselves in the Bible to see what God, who created us says. Here are a few reassuring Bible verses for young people about who God created them to be and who Jesus makes them to be when they put their faith in Him.

• Made Male or Female in His Image: Genesis 1:27
• Child of God: John 1:12, Ephesians 1:5, 
• Accepted: Romans 15:7
• Free from Sin: Romans 6:6
• Chosen: 1 Peter 2:9
• Not Your Own: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
• Greatly Loved:  John 15:9, 1 John 3:1-2
• Holy: 1 Peter 1:16

2. Who Is God?

It is an age-old question, but young people today are still asking, “Who is God?” We can help bring them clarity through Scriptures and personal testimonies. The difficulty becomes that young people are tempted to view God as loving but not just and holy. This is partly due to some negative approaches from previous Christian generations. There have been times before when there was much too heavy of an emphasis on wrath and punishment, and not enough on grace and forgiveness. My own mother was a part of a church atmosphere like this growing up. Thankfully, she found Christ at a later age and learned what true forgiveness and love were in Him. 

Because this generation is told so often that they can choose who they want to be, they are also told that their gods can be who they want their gods to be. Many young people today want to make Jesus fit their “ideal mold.” They just like to have Him be all love and all grace but no discipline or justice or laws. They are discounting who God really is. They are missing out on the whole picture. We can help them understand the beauty and the perfection of our Lord. We can help explain that God defines Himself, we are sinful humans who are not worthy of defining Him; yet, He in His greatness came to us and pursues us in perfect love and with ready forgiveness for all who believe in Him.

Here are some Bible verses about who God is.

• Creator:  Genesis 1:1, Proverbs 3:19, Jeremiah 32:17, Acts 17:24
• Compassionate, Gracious, Slow to Anger, Abounding in Lovingkindness: Exodus 34:6
• Not a Liar, Not a Sinner: Numbers 23:19, Hebrew 6:18
• No One Like Him: Deuteronomy 4:39, 1 Samuel 2:2
• He Loves Righteousness and Justice: Psalm 33:4-5
• Gracious and Righteous: Psalm 116:5,1 Peter 1:17
• Omnipresent: Psalm 139:7-8
• Eternal (No Beginning and No End): Isaiah 40:28, Isaiah 43:10-11, 1 Timothy 1:17, Revelation 1:8
• Holy: Isaiah 57:15
• All-Knowing: Hebrews 4:13
• Light (No Darkness in Him): 1 John 1:5
• Love: 1 John 4:8

3. Do I Really Need to Go to Church?

A common question that my husband and I get among students in college ministry is, “Do I really need to go to church?” They may phrase it that they love God, but they are not fans of “organized religion.” A common theme in this next generation is that they have less of a value of church community. Is this a result of parents not valuing church? Has COVID caused a major setback? Does hypocrisy create great fear in them so much so that they feel the need to stay away? Likely, it is a combination of the three. 

The truth is that the church is more than a building, it is the established community of believers founded in the Bible. Jesus sent His disciples out to share the gospel and part of this was growing church communities in various cities. No, they did not necessarily have buildings or the same flow of services, but the concept of gathering together with believers of all ages and sitting under a shepherd and elders was the same. When talking with young people it is important that we set the standard in our homes that church is not an optional extracurricular activity, it is a valued and sought-after community. When speaking with the next generation, it is important that we ask them questions, listen to their concerns and any church hurt that they have experienced, then direct them to what God says about it and gently invite them into church. 

Here are some Bible verses on Church:

• Hebrews 10:24-25
• 1 Corinthians 12
• Matthew 16:18
• Hebrews 13:17
• Matthew 28:19-20
• Acts 2:42
• Acts 14:23
• Acts 20:28
• Colossians 1:18

Photo credit: Unsplash/Becca Tapert

Emma Danzey’s mission in life stems from Ephesians 3:20-21, to embrace the extraordinary. One of her greatest joys is to journey with the Lord in His Scriptures. She is wife to Drew and mom to Graham. Emma serves alongside her husband in ministry, she focuses most of her time in the home, but loves to provide articles on the Bible, life questions, and Christian lifestyle. Her article on Interracial Marriage was the number 1 on Crosswalk in 2021. Most recently, Emma released Treasures for Tots, (Scripture memory songs) and multiple books and devotionals for young children. During her ministry career, Emma has released Wildflower: Blooming Through Singleness, two worship EP albums, founded and led Polished Conference Ministries, and ran the Refined Magazine. You can view her articles on her blog at emmadanzey.wordpress.com and check out her Instagram @Emmadanzey.