Where do I find the age of accountability in the Bible?

The Age of Accountability and What Happens When Children Die

Where do I find the age of accountability in the Bible? And what happens to babies and young children when they die? We're going to answer those questions. The concept of the age of accountability is that children are not held accountable by God for their sins until they reach a certain age, meaning if a child dies before reaching the age of accountability, they will, by the grace of God, go to heaven.

However, is this concept biblical? Frequently lost in this topic of discussion is the fact that children, no matter how young, are not innocent in the sense of being sinless. The Bible tells us that, even if a child has not committed a sin, all people, including infants and children, are guilty before God.

The very sad fact that infants sometimes die demonstrates that even infants are impacted by Adam's sin, since physical and spiritual death were the results of Adam's original sin. Each person, infant or adult, stands guilty before God.

Christ Alone and the Universality of Human Guilt

Jesus said, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Also, Peter states, salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

Salvation is an individual choice. What about babies and young children who never attain the mental ability to make this individual choice? Since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities, his eternal power, and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made so that people are without excuse.

According to this, mankind's guilt is based, in part, on the fact that people reject what they can clearly see about God. Wouldn't children who have no faculty for clearly seeing have an excuse? Christ's death is presented as sufficient for all mankind.

Christ's Atoning Sacrifice for the Whole World

1 John 2 says Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world. The fact that Christ's death was sufficient for all sin would allow the possibility of God supplying that payment to those who were never capable of believing.

Some see a link between the age of accountability and the covenant relationship between the nation of Israel and the Lord. The question arises, does the inclusive nature of the old covenant apply to the church?

Acts 2 .39 indicates that forgiveness of sins is available to one and all, including future generations. It does not teach family or household salvation. The children of those who repented were also required to repent.

David and the Death of His Child

King David committed adultery with Bathsheba, with a resulting pregnancy. The prophet Nathan was sent by the Lord to inform David that because of his sin, the Lord would take the child in death. David began grieving and praying for the child.

But once the child was taken, David's mourning ended. David's servants were surprised by and questioned his actions. David's response was, While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. For I said, Who knows?

The Lord may be gracious to me, that the child may live. But now he has died. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me. In other words, David seemed to be saying that he would see his baby son in heaven, though he could not bring him back.

Although it is possible that God applies Christ's payment for sin to those who cannot believe, the Bible does not specifically say that he does this, although it would seem consistent with his love and mercy.

Why the Topic Should Not Be Treated Dogmatically

Therefore, this is a subject about which we should not be adamant or dogmatic. It is our position that God applies Christ's payment for sin to babies and those who are mentally handicapped, since they are not capable of understanding.

But again, we cannot be dogmatic. Of this we are certain, God is loving, holy, merciful, just, and gracious. Whatever God does is always right and good. And he loves children even more than we do. That answers the questions, Where do I find the age of accountability in the Bible?

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