Growing Spiritually as Young Men Believers
“I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.” — 1 John 2:14
Just as we experience physical growth—from childhood to youth and then to adulthood—we also undergo stages of growth in our spiritual lives. However, unlike physical growth, which is easily observed in our bodies, spiritual growth happens within our hearts and behaviours. This inner transformation manifests in our attitudes, actions, and our relationship with God, but it is not always visible to others.
When a person is born again, he begins to grow spiritually. At a certain point, they enter what we can call the “young men” stage of spiritual growth. This stage is often marked by passion, strength, and deep hunger for God’s Word. But with that also come certain attitudes and tendencies that need to be guided and matured.
Common Traits of Spiritually Young Believers
This stage is exciting because the believer is growing strong in faith. They often have great energy and enthusiasm for God. But this excitement can sometimes lead to certain problems if not guided well. At this stage, spiritually young believers may:
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Young believers are sometimes too eager and act impulsively without fully understanding the situation. This can lead to mistakes, as they may be overly confident in their understanding of the Bible.
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Sometimes they judge others too quickly, thinking they have the right understanding, even when they don’t.
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They may feel confident in their knowledge and refuse correction, thinking they already “know enough.”
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They may use scriptures to justify actions that are harsh, immature, or extreme, even if they don’t grasp the full meaning or context.
These behaviours are similar to how young people behave in their natural youth, full of energy and youthful exuberance, but lacking the wisdom and patience that come with age and experience.
Lessons from Jesus’ Disciples
“An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”
“Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him because he is not one of us.” Do not stop him, Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”
As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them. Then he and his disciples went to another village. Luke 9:46-56.
Even Jesus’ disciples, while walking with Him, showed signs of spiritual youthfulness:
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Pride and competition: They argued about who among them was the greatest (Luke 9:46). Also, you could tell there was competition when James and John went to ask Jesus to let one of them sit at his right hand and the other at his left in glory. And when the other disciples heard about it, they became annoyed with James and John (Mark 10:35-37, 41).
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Discrimination and Judgemental Attitude: John tried to stop someone from casting out demons in Jesus’ name simply because he wasn’t part of their group. But Jesus corrected him, saying, “Whoever is not against you is for you” (Luke 9:49–50).
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Impetuousness and the Desire for Power and Attention: James and John asked Jesus to call down fire on a village that didn’t welcome Him (Luke 9:54)—but Jesus rebuked them.
They were sincere, but their actions were often immature. They wanted to do powerful things for God but lacked the wisdom and love needed to do them rightly. So the Bible tells us about faith that works through love.
Why Do Young Believers Act This Way?
At this youthful stage of spiritual growth, believers may know a lot of scripture and feel the power of God, but they haven’t yet learnt how to use or apply it skilfully with experience. It’s like giving a powerful sword to someone who hasn’t learnt how to use it properly. The Word of God, which is like a sword, is powerful, but we must learn how to use it wisely—and that only comes with time, obedience, and practice.
Paul’s Encouragement to Timothy: Grow Steadily
Paul’s letter to Timothy gives great insight:
“Continue in what you have learnt and have become convinced of, because you know from whom you learnt it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures. All Scripture is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” — 2 Timothy 3:14-17
Timothy was a young leader, still growing spiritually. Paul reminds him to stay faithful to what he has learnt and to keep practicing God’s Word. Only through consistent learning and living by Scripture will Timothy grow into a mature, well-equipped servant of God, ready to do every good work.
Furthermore, Hebrews 5:14 even sheds more light on the process of growing up spiritually:
“Solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”
In conclusion, I would say that if you’re in the youthful or the ‘young men’ stage of your spiritual journey, thank God for your zeal and hunger! But also remember:
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Stay humble and teachable.
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Don’t rush to judge others.
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Let love guide your actions.
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Be patient with yourself and others.
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Keep practicing the Word until it becomes wisdom in action.
Just like natural youthfulness comes with energy and mistakes, spiritual youthfulness also comes with passion and the need to grow. Trust the process, and keep walking closely with God, young men in Christ.
Read also some behavioural traits of the spiritually young and the naturally young, and see how they compare.
