Age of accountability for children in regards to sin

[Sevenseas]

Yeah..this is a deep subject I think, even though I didn't used to think so.  I was taught that if an infant or child dies...they go straight up to heaven and live happily ever after which is very comforting

for bereaved parents and those who cannot imagine God not loving a baby or a young child.  Which He does, but I don't think in the way we might understand.

 

Read the OT...God sure ordered an awful lot of children and infants killed....along with their parents.  He didn't say save the babies and bring them up different.  In fact, that is one of the things that

those who say God is not loving will point to and want an explanation for.

 

Interestingly, the Bible says 'Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.' Proverbs 22:6...which makes me wonder then why not all the children?

 

Do you see what I am getting at?

 

Then, we also have the sins of the fathers to the third and fourth generations....

 

Does it help to remember that God alone is Holy and righteous and that sin was/is so vile and so destructive, that God HAD to send His only beloved Son to die in the place of those He created

because He still loved His creation but BECAUSE of His absolute HOLINESS., He could not allow them to approach Him other that through the substitutionary blood of animals and that only as 

a sort of 'patch' until the blood of His sinless Son was shed in our place.  

 

I don't think we really understand it.  I think we have given to us what we can understand so that we will understand and accept or not.  

 

I'm saying, I think, that when I really think about it or maybe when any of us really think about it, we may end up with more questions then we have answers for.  We find ourselves in a boat that is

sailing for a destination we really don't much about and the sails are full with the wind of the Holy Spirit and we want to understand more because we still do have some of the nature of God in us

and He knows all things.  But...we see through a dirty glass and cannot really make things out.

 

Just thinking out loud...

[firestormx]

Yeah..this is a deep subject I think, even though I didn't used to think so.  I was taught that if an infant or child dies...they go straight up to heaven and live happily ever after which is very comforting

for bereaved parents and those who cannot imagine God not loving a baby or a young child.  Which He does, but I don't think in the way we might understand.

 

Read the OT...God sure ordered an awful lot of children and infants killed....along with their parents.  He didn't say save the babies and bring them up different.  In fact, that is one of the things that

those who say God is not loving will point to and want an explanation for.

 

Interestingly, the Bible says 'Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.' Proverbs 22:6...which makes me wonder then why not all the children?

 

Do you see what I am getting at?

 

Then, we also have the sins of the fathers to the third and fourth generations....

 

Does it help to remember that God alone is Holy and righteous and that sin was/is so vile and so destructive, that God HAD to send His only beloved Son to die in the place of those He created

because He still loved His creation but BECAUSE of His absolute HOLINESS., He could not allow them to approach Him other that through the substitutionary blood of animals and that only as 

a sort of 'patch' until the blood of His sinless Son was shed in our place.  

 

I don't think we really understand it.  I think we have given to us what we can understand so that we will understand and accept or not.  

 

I'm saying, I think, that when I really think about it or maybe when any of us really think about it, we may end up with more questions then we have answers for.  We find ourselves in a boat that is

sailing for a destination we really don't much about and the sails are full with the wind of the Holy Spirit and we want to understand more because we still do have some of the nature of God in us

and He knows all things.  But...we see through a dirty glass and cannot really make things out.

 

Just thinking out loud...

Thanks for the post. I started thinking about this because of a couple posts about Original sin. That got me thinking about this and if all babies go to heaven is in the bible or tradition of men. I can't say I feel comfortable or confident enough to say all children go to heaven or the children of unsaved parents goes to hell. I just don't know. I was hoping by posting this topic, I could see why so many people assume or know, why all children go to heaven. Is it scripture or not? Is it just our hopeful wishing or not? Anyways, thanks again for the post.

[Sevenseas]

I guess I was saying that there are more opinions on this one then answers.  God does not evaluate things the way we do.  I don't think most of us would agree to killing babies and young

children.  Yet, God ordered it and I think we have to look beyond our understanding.

 

Sin kills.  Forever.

[Guest Butero]

It is not often I agree with SS, but I do in this case.  We really don't know for sure what happens to children that die?  It is like many other topics in scripture.  We do our best to search for answers, and come up with what seems to fit best?  For me, that means that children of Christians are under the blood covering of their parents, but only God knows for sure?  What is really troubling for me about this is thinking about all those children being aborted, and their eternal souls.  I would love to simply say they are all in heaven, but I don't have any scripture pointing in that direction?  The age of accountability doctrine is just something that would seem to make sense, but it has no basis in fact.  I have never seen age 13 mentioned in the Bible as an age of accountability. 

[clark thompson]

The age of accountiblity ws first taught due to the idea God would not send the innocent to hell.

[firestormx]

I want to thank everyone for there posts on such a difficult topic. I guess I was hoping there was something in the bible that I missed. I guess where I stumble at this, is how could this subject not be in the word of God.

 

Thanks again

Firestormx

Joseph

[Guest Butero]

I want to thank everyone for there posts on such a difficult topic. I guess I was hoping there was something in the bible that I missed. I guess where I stumble at this, is how could this subject not be in the word of God.

 

Thanks again

Firestormx

Joseph

It may be, but perhaps we don't want to accept it?  Imagine this.  God knew everyone before they were created in the womb.  That is what he said of Jeremiah, so why not everyone?  He created some to be a prophet, like Jeremiah, and others to be evil, like Judas Iscariot.  That person is who he or she is from the start.  They are good or evil from the start, so if a child dies and goes to hell that was created evil, why is that worse than an adult who dies and goes to hell?  They were both created evil. 

 

I had a difficult time with this concept, just because it didn't seem right?  I rejected it without giving it proper consideration.  We need to be open to accept the Word of God, regardless of where it leads, and that can be hard to do?   Anyway, these are just thoughts.  I can't tell you how many things people told me turned out to be wrong after I read the Bible.  You have what people tell you about the Bible, and what is really in the Bible, and they can be quite different. 

[missmuffet]

 

The Bible says that even if an infant has not committed personal sin,all people,including infants and children,are guilty before God because of inherited and imputed sin.Thirteen is the most common number given for the age of accountability.This is based on the Jewish custom that a child becomes an adult at 13.Although the Bible gives no direct support to the age of 13.It varies from child to child.It is once he or she is capable of making a faith decision.

Capable of making a faith decision. Can you please use some verses to support this? I'm out of idea's to look for bible phrases trying to find bible verses about this.

 

It would be a child who really knew who Jesus Christ was.Also a boy or girl who knew Christ died on the Cross for them.Salvation issues.As far as scripture I really don't know of any.

[Micheal Westin]

 

 

The age of accountability doctrine is man made.  I believe it was you that brought up the scripture in 1 Corinthians that tells how children are under the covering of their Christian parents?  I believe that children of Christians are clean because of the blood covering their parents are under, but not the children of sinners.  You remember the story of the death of the firstborn of Egypt all dying?  I don't believe those children were clean, and went to heaven. 

 

The closest thing I can give you to an actual age that could be an age of accountability is 20.  When the children of Israel sinned by refusing to go into Canaan, God spared those 20 and under.  You first see that mentioned in Numbers 13:26-34.  When God was numbering the people to go to war, he numbered those 20 and upward.  See Numbers 26:2.  I mentioned that those 20 and under were spared.  Notice what the Lord says about them in Deuteronomy 1:39 "Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither..."  The age of 20 comes up several times, so even though that may seem a bit old to us, if we are to find a possible age of accountability, I believe it would be 20?  Again, I don't really believe their is one, but I am just saying that is the closest thing to one I could find. 

Thanks for the post, Do you have any idea why the Jewish bar mitzvah is held at the age it is? Is that custom based on scripture? I guess I could have summed up the question by putting it another way. Do children go to the lake of fire, or hell? Thanks for the input.

 

I don't know of any scripture that would explain the Jewish bar mitzvah?  I think it is just a custom?  This would be controversial, but in my opinion, I do believe some children go to hell and some go to heaven.  This opens up another can of worms, in pre-destination and election.  I believe God has created some good and some evil, and we are what we are, regardless of age.  If we were supposed to be saved, we will be saved.  A lot of the doctrine we hear is based on people going by what seems right to them.  You feel like there must be some age of accountability, and that children are innocent, so you create a doctrine where we become accountable based on when we have enough understanding to accept or reject Christ.  It sounds good, but it isn't found in the Bible, and there is no direct mention of a specific age. 

 

well this post explains why you believe children go to hell......"God created some good and some evil"  one of the most destructive doctrines ever invented

[firestormx]

 

 

 

The age of accountability doctrine is man made.  I believe it was you that brought up the scripture in 1 Corinthians that tells how children are under the covering of their Christian parents?  I believe that children of Christians are clean because of the blood covering their parents are under, but not the children of sinners.  You remember the story of the death of the firstborn of Egypt all dying?  I don't believe those children were clean, and went to heaven. 

 

The closest thing I can give you to an actual age that could be an age of accountability is 20.  When the children of Israel sinned by refusing to go into Canaan, God spared those 20 and under.  You first see that mentioned in Numbers 13:26-34.  When God was numbering the people to go to war, he numbered those 20 and upward.  See Numbers 26:2.  I mentioned that those 20 and under were spared.  Notice what the Lord says about them in Deuteronomy 1:39 "Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither..."  The age of 20 comes up several times, so even though that may seem a bit old to us, if we are to find a possible age of accountability, I believe it would be 20?  Again, I don't really believe their is one, but I am just saying that is the closest thing to one I could find. 

Thanks for the post, Do you have any idea why the Jewish bar mitzvah is held at the age it is? Is that custom based on scripture? I guess I could have summed up the question by putting it another way. Do children go to the lake of fire, or hell? Thanks for the input.

 

I don't know of any scripture that would explain the Jewish bar mitzvah?  I think it is just a custom?  This would be controversial, but in my opinion, I do believe some children go to hell and some go to heaven.  This opens up another can of worms, in pre-destination and election.  I believe God has created some good and some evil, and we are what we are, regardless of age.  If we were supposed to be saved, we will be saved.  A lot of the doctrine we hear is based on people going by what seems right to them.  You feel like there must be some age of accountability, and that children are innocent, so you create a doctrine where we become accountable based on when we have enough understanding to accept or reject Christ.  It sounds good, but it isn't found in the Bible, and there is no direct mention of a specific age. 

 

well this post explains why you believe children go to hell......"God created some good and some evil"  one of the most destructive doctrines ever invented

 

I am all for a debate. But can you please use scripture to show the scriptural age of accountability. The age the Word of God says we become accountable for our sins. Which means the age a person is old enough to go to Hell. Thank you. I am whole heartedly seeking God's truth on this. Not man's traditions or opinions. So please, can you use scripture to show why you disagree with what the other person said.

 

Thank you

Edited August 31, 2013 by firestormx