And the Protestant world has hers too. Some of them are borrowed from Rome, but some we came up with all by ourselves, out of perceived necessity, that logical bugaboo that shadows every man and every congregation... the things we think we "must" believe to be consistent in our faith. But they are not stated in Scripture, and a tradition evolves to the point where, as the Pharisees, our traditions make the very Word of God ineffective. These strongholds are so fortified that you can show a brother a clear Word of Scripture, and he will simply say to you, yes I understand, but I just believe... He just believes. For no reason except that he... just believes...
For today's topic, the "age pf accountability" that states that persons reach a certain age after which they are liable for their sins before God, there's surely a "logical", but not Scriptural pattern of thought. Goes like this:
God is love. God is fair. He wants everyone to hear the Gospel. Young children, babies, the unborn, surely they have never "heard" in the proper sense. Therefore they must all be automatically saved until a certain age. But when? the parents want to know. When is my child truly able to hear? Can you set a time?
Head-scratching. Surface Bible-searching... Aha! Jesus was 12 when He was answering questions in the Temple. That must be God's way of telling us that the age of 12 is the age when all children are "accountable." For the first 11 years and 364 days of his life, sin does not count...
Does sound sort of ludicrous, don't you think? And whether you use Jesus' 12 years or Josiah's 8 years (when he began to reign over Israel), or whatever you use, there's always going to be a child that does not fit the mold.
Fact is, the Bible does not talk about an "age of accountability". The subject is muted, not totally spelled out. The one verse most used is probably one that ought not to be used at all... Jesus said that we should allow children to come to Him, for "of such" is the Kingdom of God. Surely Jesus was not saying that the entirety of the Kingdom of God is small children? Where do all of us oldsters fit in?
Most understand that Jesus was referring to the relative innocence of a child, the carefreeness of a child, the simplicity and humility of a child. People, whether old or young, who are like this, go in, and the rest will not be a part of that final number.
But to say that all children everywhere are by these few words granted a carte blanche and declared sinless, is a bit of a stretch. We need to learn to dig a little deeper on our way to solving Bible problems. There are a couple passages that offer some guidance. Though I caution that this subject needs further study.
Joshua 6:21 will serve to point out that when God is ready to judge a nation - or a world - one's age is not a factor. The destruction of Jericho and much of Canaan was - locally - total. "Young and old" fell by the sword. The age of accountability did not seem to have factored in. The parents were unholy. The children were likewise unholy. They were slaughtered. Many many such passages dot the Old Testament and also preview the coming judgment of this earth by a Righteous Judge, the Man Christ Jesus.
That same concept is put into a succinct teaching by the apostle Paul, who never seems to shy away from difficult subjects. In I Corinthians 7:14 he seems to say that two ungodly unsaved persons produce an ungodly offspring.
But, he says, if even one of those parents is saved, the children are "holy." I shall not "explain" here. Just let it sink in.
Rather than placing a universal age whereby all children are suddenly made accountable before God, the Scriptures that speak to this subject seem to indicate that it is the parent that determines the state of a child who cannot yet believe for himself.
Let's call this a search in progress. I shall not swear by what I have said. But neither will I accept traditions of men whether they come from the Pope or from well-meaning Protestors trying to "improve on the justice of God."
For those of you who care about Christ and your children, I believe the Bible offers good news. And there's no need to wait for that magical age, as though the Christians have some sort of believer Bar-Mitzvah! Just keep planting that good seed of the Kingdom in their hearts as they grow, and see what Jesus does in His own time.
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