The Age of Accountability

1. The scriptures definitely teach accountability - Acts 10:34-35

2. The Bible does not teach inherited sin; so, the age of accountability does not occur at birth - Ezek 18:20

3. But when does one become truly accountable in their lives to God?

The Age of Accountability

A. Accountability is a knowledge of good and evilB. Relative to some of the children of the Israelites we

read, "Moreover your little ones…which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil…" (Dt 1: 39)

a. There is a time in the absence of a certain level of development in a child’s life that they do not know to choose good and refuse evil (cf. Isa 7: 16)

b. It is obvious that Jesus had such children in mind when he said, "Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Mt 18: 3)

I. Knowledge Of Good & Evil

A. Sin is lawlessness (IJn 3:4)B. Belief requires certain intellectual and

volitional abilities (Jn 8:24)C. Repentance, confession, and baptism

entail abilities which small children do not possess. (Acts 2:38; Rom 10:9-10)

D. Belief, repentance, confession, and baptism are all equally essential to initial salvation or, put another way, exercising accountability

II. Accountability is When One Understands, Able to Believe

A. "And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women’ - Acts 5:14

a. Again, "…they were baptized, both men and woman" - Acts 8:12

B. Those who are accountable are believers---Who CAN believe?

III. Men & Women Responded During the First Century

A. This is an arbitrary decisionB. If a young person can understand and

explain IJn 2:15-16, they may have reached a state where they are responsible to God

C. Knowledge of “the birds & the bees” as one physically matures and transforms into their teenage years prior to being an adult – can such as these commit sins? If they do, then they are in a lost state w/o Christ

IV. Is A Child Accountable?

Conclusion: Since there is no stated age when one becomes responsible, each case must be individually considered. Parents can be of great help in arriving at such a judgment of their own children