Students in the Real World, 6-2

As we mentioned at the beginning, the university is the real world, that is, a part of it. And as part of the real world, it fosters temptations that are common to adults in other circumstances, although they might present themselves in different forms. Spiritual failures and tragedies can happen here just as readily as in a working environment, at the church, or in the home. And the consequences can be just as dire. But then, spiritual triumphs are just as possible and meaningful. Therefore, even without further comment, you can apply all that you have learned from Scripture about our spiritual resources and responsibilities, and the enemies and trials that we face in this world.

At this time, many of you have no need to concern yourself about raising a family or even making a living, but even so, now is the time to practice what Scripture teaches about covetousness, worry, diligence, labor, overspending, saving, and for some, even investment. As an unmarried person, the sin of adultery is not possible for you in the fullest sense, but sexual temptations are very strong at this age and in this setting. Now is the time to learn about the biblical view on sex, to maintain sexual purity, and to prepare your thinking and your character for marriage.

Other common temptations are easy to name.

Even if there are no future applications, academic integrity is important now – again, you are in the real world already, and what you do matters. But there are indeed future applications. We often hear about plagiarism in novels, in non-fiction works, in scientific reports, and so on. Questionable business practices are common, and sometimes become major corporate scandals. People are people – they get more complicated, but they do not always get better or smarter. Sin plagues all of humanity, and thus the need for the power of Christ is universal.

Cases of drug and alcohol abuse are of course widespread in the university environment. You would think that college material would have better sense, but as I stated, college students are not intelligent, and the fact that they think they are just makes them even more stupid. It would seem that anyone who has enough going on in his mind would do anything to avoid intoxication, or any unnecessary suspension of clear thinking and sober judgment. But when there is nothing much going on in there, self-destruction becomes a form of entertainment.

These are the typical issues that people mention, but it seems that some sins never quite get the attention that they deserve. For example, the Bible stresses speech that is clean, sober, and honest. Read through the Book of Proverbs, and you will see that this is one of the most important lessons Scripture wishes to teach the youngster. Yet the opposite is modeled by parents, friends, television and movies, and popular music. How you talk matters. In fact, even if you are not confronted with other temptations every day, you still need to talk to people, so that holiness in the area of speech should be your constant concern.

Let no dishonesty, vulgarity, and malice come from your mouth. And let a holy terror prevent you from saying anything that implies irreverence toward God, or that can be construed as irreverent. How about gossip? It is also a sin. And it is better to be silent or humorless than to tell coarse jokes, or to be entertained by them. Jokes about God, biblical doctrines, and moral principles are to be avoided.

Some Christians go to great lengths to avoid appearing prudish to unbelievers. To truly accomplish this, however, the Christians must show that they can live just like unbelievers, or that they can have what even unbelievers would call "fun." But this would destroy our own faith and witness rather than contribute to the conversion of others. The truth is that some believers simply wish to indulge in their old lusts, and they use this excuse to appear spiritual and even self-sacrificial at the same time.

Christianity will never be acceptable or interesting to the unregenerate man, and we might as well confront unbelief from this standpoint. That is, instead of trying to show that Christianity is not prudish, it is more productive just to condemn the unbelievers for their licentiousness. In the university, and among young unbelievers, this will mean that Christian students ought to display such moral distinction and superiority that they will at times be mocked and ostracized, if not something more severe. But in exchange, you will be able to speak with a spiritual authority that comes from another world, and that is worthy of the people's attention.