4 Good Bible Study Topics For Teens

Here are four great Bible study topics for teens to use.

Avoiding Temptation

How can you avoid temptation? You can get a better grasp on resisting temptation if you memorize Scripture. Listen to how this verse shows a cause and effect relationship from memorizing or hiding God’s Word in his heart; “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11). The psalmist hid God’s Word in his hear so that he “might not sin against” God. You could read this verse like this; “I have memorized Your Word in order that I might not sin against You.” He did say “that I might not sin” meaning it is no guarantee that he will not sin just because he memorized certain Scriptures but Psalm 119:11 does seem to say it might help us not sin.

Joseph’s a great example of living a holy life. We see this example when Potiphar’s wife wanted to go to bed with Joseph and he literally ran out of his coat (Gen 39). By his running away, he was resisting temptation in a biblical way just as James wrote “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Joseph certainly submitted to God and His law and he most certainly ran as fast as he could and the Devil had no chance of causing him to stumble.

Who your friends Are

Pau writes to all of us; “Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character” (1st Cor 15:33). There is no way that my wife and I could live together all these years and not rub off on one another. I find myself saying things that she does and that is because I’ve been blessed to be associated with her so very long now. She is a treasure and every friend of hers that I know are women of good character. Maybe they’ve developed their character by associating with good people. Of course, the Bible teaches that none are good (Rom 3:10) but relatively speaking, my wife and her friends are very much alike and are positive influences upon one another but for those who have friends who choose to make poor choices (drugs, alcohol, sex outside of marriage) they will be influenced in a negative way. You become like those you are with the most. That’s why Solomon wrote, “Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare” (Prov 22:24-25). You learn the ways of those you run with. In a sense, you are who your friends are.

Controlling the Tongue

James wrote a lot about the tongue and controlling it as one of the most difficult things that we have to do. James writes “For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body” (James 3:2) meaning none of us perfectly control our tongue and so even though “the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things” and “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire” (James 3:5)! The fact is that “no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:8) and “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God” (James 3:9). We use the same tongue to bless people but also to curse people (James 3:10) even though they’re made in the image of God (Gen 1:27). Solomon wrote that “A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit” (Prov 15:4) and a “dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends” (Prov 16:28) meaning that gossiping about someone can come back to drive a wedge between those who ever close friends. This would make a great teen Bible study but it also is applicable to adults as well.

Forgiveness

I love Psalm 119:165 which says “Great peace have those who love your law; nothing shall offend them” and yet it seems we are offended so easily and often over minor issues. A Bible study on forgiveness is not just a good idea for teens…it is a good idea for anyone as this seems to be one of the most misunderstood and difficult of all teachings in the Bible. Forgiving someone doesn’t mean you keep letting them take advantage of you but you forgive them because God has forgiven us exponentially more than we could ever forgive someone else. Our debt could never be pain in a million lifetimes but we can and should forgive others even if they choose to not forgive us or apologize to us. We should pray for God’s Spirit to convict them of the need to forgive others and not be offended by what others say or do. At the same time, we should not be doing anything to cause others to take offense.

Conclusion

Teens are in a tough situation in this world today because they are surrounded by so many temptations to sin and it seems each newer generation is faced with even more temptations than the previous generation. A teen Bible study is not only good for them, it is good for their family, for their church, and for society at large.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.