Does the Bible support an age of accountability?

--- COMMENT --- ask us a question!
--- SHARE --- with all your friends and family

Bibleline is a ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida and is hosted by Pastor Jesse Martinez.

LIKE THIS? CHECK THESE GUYS OUT:
(Tom Cucuzza)
(Jim Scudder)
(Freddie Coile)
(Yankee Arnold)
(Kees Boer)
#ageofaccountability #bibleline #children #abortion #aborted #child #accountability #question #answer #bible #salvation #david

[jayhoover]

I just shared your Channel for theology and the Kees Boer Ministry Channel for its cultural insights with someone who had been out of fellowship lately

[gregorylatta]

The character of God would indicate accountability is based on the individual ability to be accountable. This would also explain medical issues such as handicapped and theoretically anyone who truly hasn't heard the gospel

[Song_of_Praise]

“Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me:”
‭‭Numbers‬ ‭32:11‬ ‭

Thoughts?

[samuelcastora]

Have to agree there is no specific age of accountability given in the word of God. I do believe we have some indication toward age 20 based here. My prayer with your ministry.

Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,
Numbers 14:28‭-‬29

[randyd]

I firmly believe that when a child comes to a point in time where they know the difference between right and wrong and choose to do something wrong or sinful, they at that point become accountable for their sins, and sins are charged to their record in heaven from that point on. When I was only 4 y/o I got hold of some kitchen matches for lighting the pilot light on our stove. I began to strike them and toss them into the dirty laundry. With a family of 9, we had plenty of laundry! When I saw the fire coming up out of our laundry basket I KNEW I had done something really bad. I ran through the house and on my way out the front door I said to my Mom and big sister, " You better go put that fire out!" and I kept running across the street and sat down on the neighbor's porch to see what would happen. Fortunately, my older brother came home about that time and put the fire out with the garden hose.

From that day forward my conscience was fully awake and I knew the difference between right and wrong. I am dogmatic about this. I fully believe children who do not yet know right from wrong or good from evil are in innocence just like Adam & Eve before they fell. They will be in heaven and of that, I have zero doubts. Sin cannot be imputed to one who does not even understand the concept of sins. They are not yet accountable. Btw, when I was only 5 y/o I stole a Hershey's candy bar at the local store. You better believe I KNEW it was wrong.

[Gasowsj]

I understood what's right and what's wrong from the age of 4. So yeah I think it's different for everyone.

[AppalachianHistoryDetectives]

I love how you bring out the Book of Romans passages and show we are all guilty before God, even at birth. I'm not sure all peoples of the world who have not heard of the Savior (much of China) will be in Heaven because of the inability to make a conscience decision. By human reasoning if all babies who die go to Heaven, babies of the heathen and unbelieving parents of the world, then a sadistic argument could be made that would support infanticide so they are assured eternity in Heaven, for what parent would knowingly want a child born to go to Hell? Even unchristian world faiths would support this position if a child's death guarantees their entrance into Heaven and spares that child certain Hell if they are born to unbelieving parents of foreign religions. Therefore I understand that David's son is in Heaven because David is a believer. I would also surmise that I Cor 7:14 which Paul talks about a family that has a Believing parent, even one, their children are seen by God as clean. This to me implies the children of unbelieving parents are not clean and may suffer eternal loss if not one parent becomes a believer. Paul uses the term "sanctified" or declared Holy in this passage. To me this is why it is critical that marriages are equally yoked, but even if one parent is believing any child lost would be sanctified by the one believing parent. These are just my thoughts on this...my heart says I hope all children who die go to Heaven.

[spiritjoerr]

Exodus 30:11-16 The LORD also spoke to Moses, saying, “When you take a census of the sons of Israel to number them, then each one of them shall give a ransom for himself to the LORD, when you number them, so that there will be no plague among them when you number them. “THIS IS WHAT EVERYONE WHO IS NUMBERED SHALL GIVE: HALF A SHEKEL ACCORDING TO THE SHEKEL OF THE SANCTUARY (THE SHEKEL IS TWENTY GERAHS), HALF A SHEKEL AS A CONTRIBUTION TO THE LORD. “EVERYONE WHO IS NUMBERED, FROM TWENTY YEARS OLD AND OVER, SHALL GIVE THE CONTRIBUTION TO THE LORD. “THE RICH SHALL NOT PAY MORE AND THE POOR SHALL NOT PAY LESS THAN THE HALF SHEKEL WHEN YOU GIVE THE CONTRIBUTION TO THE LORD TO MAKE ATONEMENT FOR YOURSELVES. “You shall take the atonement money from the sons of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may be a memorial for the sons of Israel before the LORD, to make atonement for yourselves.”

Question Why only Israelites of years old and upward pay for a ramson/ atonement for sin?

[spiritjoerr]

Read Numbers chapters 13 and 14 for those that were 20 years old;

Exodus 30 the giving of
money for a ransom of sins

Numbers 1:3-45, serving in the military

Numbers 14:28-30 Punishment for disobedience those 20 years and upward, not permitted into the promised land. Read chapters 13 and 14 of the book of Numbers. (Those twenty years old and upward accountable for actions/sin)

In the books of the Law (Torah) the age of 13 goes unmentioned entirely as a significant age.

Numbers 26:3-4 Counted in the census, The age of accountability is 20 years old under the Old Covenant and the New Covenant unless somewhere the lord the His age of accountability.

Not one time in the New Covenant writings does one child get immersed into Christ Jesus.
Children are without sin in the eyes of the Lord.