The Problem Is Not Young Men’s Zeal, But Discipleship

Every so often a regular concern is raised: Young men are too zealous.

They discover the doctrines of grace. They begin reading the Reformers and Puritans. They embrace the Westminster Standards. They become convinced that Christ deserves greater faithfulness from His church and greater courage from His people. And almost immediately, the warnings begin. “Be careful. Don’t become a cage-stage Calvinist. Slow down. You’re too intense.”

To be sure, some of these warnings are warranted. Young men can be impatient and argumentative. They can mistake controversy for courage and conviction for maturity. Scripture itself warns against pride, quarrelsomeness, and youthful passions. But perhaps we have misdiagnosed the primary problem.

The greatest challenge facing many churches today is not the existence of zealous young men. It is the absence of mature men willing to disciple that zeal and direct it toward faithful service in Christ’s kingdom.

Scripture never presents zeal itself as a vice. David declared, “Zeal for your house has consumed me” (Ps. 69:9). Elijah was known for his zeal for the Lord. Paul described himself as zealous even before his conversion, though his zeal was tragically misdirected. Most importantly, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself was consumed with zeal for His Father’s house.

The problem has never been zeal itself. The problem is zeal detached from wisdom, humility, and love. A fire contained within a fireplace warms a home. The same fire left unattended can burn it down. The solution is not to extinguish the fire but to steward it properly. Likewise, the church should not desire fewer zealous young men. The church should desire more mature men capable of discipling them.

One of the great misunderstandings of our moment is the assumption that young men are rejecting authority. In reality, many of them are desperately searching for it. They want fathers in the faith, mentors, and godly examples to imitate. They want faithful men who can show them what biblical manhood, churchmanship, marriage, fatherhood, leadership, sacrifice, and Christian courage actually look like. The irony is that many of the things young men are criticized for wanting are precisely what Scripture commands. They want conviction, purpose, responsibility, and courage. They want something worthy of giving their lives to.

We should not look at these desires as liabilities, but as raw materials that need to be shaped into biblical faithfulness and Christian maturity. The question is not whether young men should possess these desires. The question is whether the church will help direct them…

*To read this full article, please follow the link*