Age of Accountability

 

Biblical References...
Matthew 18:3... "
...
Truly I say to you, unless you change and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 18:10... "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones; for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven."
Matthew 19:14... "
But Jesus said, “Leave the children alone, and do not forbid them to come to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Deuteronomy 1:39... "
... and your sons, who this day have no knowledge of good and evil, shall enter there, and I will give it to them and they shall take possession of it.
Isaiah 7:15... "
He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good."
Psalm 51:5... "Behold, I was brought forth in guilt, and in sin my mother conceived me.
1st John 2:2... "
and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Discussion thoughts... The bible does not give definitive answers about how old a person is when they reach the "age of accountability".  In Psalm 51:5 David wrote that surely he was sinful at birth?  In Isaiah 7:15 Isaiah told about the birth of Jesus and said Jesus would know right from wrong by the time he could eat yogurt and honey!  Babies cannot eat honey, but after age one they can... does that mean the age of accountability starts at age 1?  Some scholars take the position that Adam's original sin has been passed down to everyone and that everyone is a sinner until they have received forgiveness by faith in Christ.  According to Jewish custom the age of accountability starts when they are considered to be an adult, which is commonly recognized as age 13.  Some scholars take the position that Jesus's death on the cross was payment for babies sin and for those who are incapable of understanding the difference between right and wrong.

My Beliefs... This is one of those questions that cannot be finitely and definitely answered by scriptures.  Those of us who have children understand that by age 2 most children know what is right or wrong... but they certainly do not understand the biblical consequences of what doing wrong can do to their salvation!  "Understanding" right from wrong will be different for every child... my view is simple... when they are old enough to understand the biblical consequences of doing wrong (sin), they have reached the "age of accountability".
 

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