Thanks for an encouraging post !

@JStump. I do respect the boy's decision. The boy has the privilege and responsibility to practice what he believes, and he decided to forfeit. And BTW, I do respect your questions and viewpoint as well.

Just to provide additional context, Paul had just a few verese before exhorted Timothy (very possibly a pastor of a church at the time), to be an example. Hence, if Timothy was to be an example to other Christians, the exhortation to treat younger women as sisters in all purity would in turn easily apply to the young male wrestler. 1 Timothy 4:12 Let no one despise your youth, but be an examp...more

Just to provide additional context, Paul had just a few verese before exhorted Timothy (very possibly a pastor of a church at the time), to be an example. Hence, if Timothy was to be an example to other Christians, the exhortation to treat younger women as sisters in all purity would in turn easily apply to the young male wrestler. 1 Timothy 4:12 Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.less

@JStump. Respectfully, in addition to the passages that believer has posted, 1 Timothy 5:1-2 is also applicable. It is an exhortation from the Apostle Paul to Timothy to interact with older men as he would to a father, to older women as he would to a mother, to younger men as brothers, and to younger women as sisters in all purity. I respect the young wrestler's decision to forfeit his match...more

@JStump. Respectfully, in addition to the passages that believer has posted, 1 Timothy 5:1-2 is also applicable. It is an exhortation from the Apostle Paul to Timothy to interact with older men as he would to a father, to older women as he would to a mother, to younger men as brothers, and to younger women as sisters in all purity. I respect the young wrestler's decision to forfeit his match with the girl wrestler. As a fellow follower of Jesus Christ, I see his decision as a very good and reasonable application of 1 Timothy 5:1-2. I also agree with Dr. Mohler's observation that "...there is no way that a boy and a girl wrestling as opponents in a competitive match would not have contact where boys and girls should not have contact. In fact, we are talking about contact of a nature that the boy would be in great and proper trouble if the contact happened anywhere else."less