[rdb3]

Secondly, children are born into sin (not understanding sin yet), they are protected of God until age of accountability. Which is debatable (some say age 11 or 12, some earlier), near age of Jewish Barmitsva or Catechism for Catholics, and if anything happens to them they are under God's holy protection. He begins to deal with them around the age of accountability( developing a conscience), when they begin to know that what they are doing is very wrong.

Okay. I keep hearing of this "age of accountablity," yet I've never run across that in the Bible.

Where is it, exactly?

$710.96... The price of freedom.
VII-XXIII-MMIV

[Mamzelle]

There are two reasonable scriptures in the header of this thread. The problem of the age of accountability is one of Catholic/Protestant dispute. Many Protestants baptize infants, Baptists have a problem with that because of the inability of an infant to make a reasonable decision.

[bondserv]

Exo 30:11-14
11And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
12When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them....
...14 Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD.

Exo 14:29-30
29 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,
30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.


And refering to David and Bathsheba's son who God took to heaven shortly after his birth. David is looking forward to meeting his son in heaven in the future.

2 Sam 12:23
23 But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.

God is longsuffering, becoming twenty years old appears to be a landmark age n the scripture. Do a search on twenty to see how many references there are regarding that age.

[Cvengr]

Age of accountability tends to flow from doctrinal studies from the book of Romans. It also varies considerably between different denominations because of those doctrinal associations.

[Kackikat]

I believe in the sum of many parts where this teaching is concerned. Jesus said "Suffer little children. amd forbid them not, to come unto me, for such is the kingdom of heaven" Matt 19:14, meaning it was appropriate to come as a child for salvation to him. Jesus led by example more than anything. When he left his parents at age 12 to go into the Temple and learn, as well as teach...it was an example about the age of one's manhood. The pulling away from parents, also stressing the timing of accountability for what one believes. That is why this age has become so important for Jews Barmitsva?, Catholic Catechism, and the time Pastors begin personal witnessing to children. Prior to that most children are there to learn about God, not necessarily make any decisions.
Another scripture says in Joel 1:3 'showing spiritual understanding in children' that each generation should teach their children handed down from one to another.
There is no one scripture that says where accountability begins, and I believe that is because some children mature faster than others.

I think Jesus used his own age 12 as an example of a time when children can use their own faith, if it has been developed properly. It is one of those gray areas that the Bible is NOT 100% clear on, but it is clear that there is a day of accountability since we must accept Christ in order to go to heaven.

When puberty starts, I believe a child is ready to be accountable to God. It is a "God Given" time controlled by God's creation of man, that says I am no longer a child, but an adult capable of bearing children, and taking responsibility for my moral behavior.

[George W. Bush]

rdb3: I keep hearing of this "age of accountablity," yet I've never run across that in the Bible. Where is it, exactly?

I'm hoping someone will tell us. I think it's an Arminian myth, inherited from Roman notions on the idea.

rwfromkansas: There is no such thing as an age of accountability.

Let's not be too hasty here. There might be a good angle to this. Maybe we could set the age of accountability at, say, 75 or 80. You can see the advantages.

[Colonel Kangaroo]

Okay. I keep hearing of this "age of accountablity," yet I've never run across that in the Bible.------------------------------- Isaiah 7:16 teaches that there is a time before a child does to do good or evil. Children are born sinless. God creates every man.(Jeremiah 1:5) Every creation of the perfect God is perfect.

[HarleyD]

There is no place in the Bible that talks about an "age of accountability". This is a man made concept.

There are many places in the Bible where God commanded all the people, including children, to be destroyed. But, there is at least one place in the scripture where God took home a child, Abijah, because He didn't wish the child to live in the corrupted house of Jereboam.

1Ki 14:11-13 "Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city the dogs will eat. And he who dies in the field the birds of the heavens will eat; for the LORD has spoken it."' Now you, arise, go to your house. When your feet enter the city the child will die. All Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he alone of Jeroboam's family will come to the grave, because in him something good was found toward the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam."

This verse implies there are children who do not go to heaven and there are some that do. There is no such thing as an "age of accountability".

[Talking_Mouse]

Okay. I keep hearing of this "age of accountablity," yet I've never run across that in the Bible.

Rom 7:8b - 9 ... For apart from law, sin is dead. 9 Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.

Rom 5:13 for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.

OK, here is my understanding of these two New Covent scriptures. Sin is in the world. All people, even babies, are born into sin, due to Adams fall. The two year old sins by disobeying her parents. The law was given, by not keeping the law a person knows that s/he sins.

However, the Judge of the world is a just Judge. When a person breaks the law but does not know s/he has broken the law the Lord acknowledges that sin, but does not hold the person accountable for it. This is what Paul mean by being alive apart from the law. When he knows the commandment, in this case understanding that he covets, Paul is accountable for his sin of covertness, so he is dammed. Until he understood that he coveted, while he was still coveting he was not guilty of the sin.

Children, who do not understand that they are sinning, while still sinning, are not guilty of the sin. Until they understand, reach the age of reason, they are still saved.

[UsnDadof8]

Okay. I keep hearing of this "age of accountablity," yet I've never run across that in the Bible. Where is it, exactly?

I believe it's right next to the verse that says " All children are born sinners and therefore are condemned to a devil's hell."