The Age of Accountability as Defined by God
- Preceding paragraphs have shown that the Word of God says children are not fully capable of distinguishing between good and evil (Deu. 1:39, Isa 7:16).
- Numbers 14:29 and Deuteronomy 1:39 establish the precedent that God will NOT hold children responsible when He brings judgment for sin.
- What is a "child?" By inference from Numbers 14:29, a "child" is a person who is aged 19 or younger.
- CONCLUSION: Only those persons age 20 and older are held accountable for sin.
I am not sure this was for establishing the age of accountability for all times as it was just for coming into the promised land of the coming generations that did not rebel against the Lord out of the generations that had rebelled against the Lord for not entering the promised land when they were supposed to.
When Israel was a nation inhabiting the land, we find this verse.
Deuteronomy 24:16The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
So we need to address how you are applying those verses to mean.
Preceding paragraphs have shown that the Word of God says children are not fully capable of distinguishing between good and evil (Deu. 1:39, Isa 7:16).
Deuteronomy 1:[SUP]39 [/SUP]Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.
Numbers 14:29 and Deuteronomy 1:39 establish the precedent that God will NOT hold children responsible when He brings judgment for sin.
Perhaps we should include this verse with this.
Numbers 14:[SUP]29 [/SUP]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.
So that judgment regarding the age of 20 & above was given because those people that murmured were 20 years of age and older. So that was addressing the youngest age of the rebellious generation and upward that had refused to enter the promised land.
So when I read this below...
Deuteronomy 1:[SUP]39 [/SUP]Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.
That can be attributed to applying to that day of rebellion.. those children under the age of 20 that had not rebelled against the Lord by murmuring against Him to enter the promised land. It is in that, they had no knowledge of good & evil because they had not murmured against the Lord. We look at your statement and that reference to see...
Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD. Exodus 30:14
Exodus 30:[SUP]14 [/SUP]Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the Lord.
This was being done when they were already in the promised land. The age of 20 could just be a reminder of the age of rebellion and on up as to why an offering was to be given at that age. If we look back from that chapter for the whys of all that was being done in setting up the "Temple" for God to dwell among them...
Exodus 29:[SUP]42 [/SUP]This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.[SUP] 43 [/SUP]And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory.[SUP] 44 [/SUP]And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest's office.[SUP] 45 [/SUP]And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.[SUP]46 [/SUP]And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the Lord their God.
We go unto Isaiah 7:16...
Isaiah 7:[SUP]16 [/SUP]For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.
In context....
Isaiah 7:[SUP]14 [/SUP]Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.[SUP] 15 [/SUP]Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.[SUP] 16 [/SUP]For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.
I doubt eating butter & honey are the means for a child to know to refuse the evil and choose the good as stated in verse 15, but any parent out there can try that diet if you want. I'd use scripture myself, not that I am a parent or even married yet.
But as for context, this was a prophecy about Jesus Christ... if you note verse 14. And Israel was abhorred of both her kings before Jesus was born. I doubt King Herod being a subject to Roman rulers counted as a ruling king over both lands when he was just a pawn. Anyway, Jesus knew to refuse the evil and choose the good when he was born since the land was abhorred of both her kings.
I am sure the baby Jesus, being God, knew everything. Look at Him when He was 12 years old.
Luke 2:[SUP]41 [/SUP]Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.[SUP] 42[/SUP]And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.[SUP] 43 [/SUP]And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.[SUP] 44 [/SUP]But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.[SUP] 45 [/SUP]And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.[SUP] 46 [/SUP]And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.[SUP]47 [/SUP]And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.[SUP]48 [/SUP]And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.[SUP] 49 [/SUP]And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?
So Jesus was about His Father's business before He was water baptized by John the Baptist in Jordan.
Anyway. Isaiah 7:16 would be raising the bar on children knowing good and evil and lowering the age of accountability from the age of 20, would it not? So I do not believe you can apply Isaiah 7:16 towards all children when that was a prophesy about Jesus Christ, and the land was abhorred of both her ruling kings before Jesus was born.
[/QUOTE]Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD. Exodus 30:14
God commanded those who were twenty years old and above to pay a ransom for their souls because anyone nineteen years and below were consider by God to be children and were under the protective head of the household. If he was only nineteen he was not old enough to pay a ransom for his own soul, he was still covered under his father as ransom.
God will confirm this again in two other places of scripture. I am a firm believer in the "two witness theory," which is that there should be at least two scriptures to verify any Bible teaching that we use.
He decided to punish them by allowing them to die in the Wilderness. Israel was condemned to wander for the next forty years in the Wilderness while these people died. But God did not sentence everyone to die in the Wilderness. Along with Joshua, Caleb and their families he spared the children of those that had sinned against him. Anyone who was twenty years and older was condemned to die in the Wilderness because God held them accountable for their sin against him. But God in his mercy spared the children. Anyone who was nineteen years and under were spared and not held accountable because God saw them as children. Above are some of the scriptures to confirm this.
[/QUOTE]
Let's reconsider that application as you have done it. Think about it. The rebellious people wandered in the desert ... how long? 40 years in the wilderness.
So out of that rebellious people, no children were born unto them until 20 years later or so that was allowed to enter the promised land? That does not seem right.
So I have to lean towards the age of 20 being chosen, not as the age of accountability, but from the age of 20 on up was the age of the rebellious people that murmured and thus refused to enter the promised land.
Granted, one could say... that by that incident, those under the age of 20 did not know good from evil to join in murmuring against the Lord to refuse to enter into the promised land, but I am likely to believe that not one under the age of 20 had murmured because they wanted to go into the promised land.
Deuteronomy 24:16The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
Numbers 14:[SUP]29 [/SUP]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.
Since as a nation of Israel, the children are to be put to death for their own sins and thus the fathers are excluded from the sins of the children, I would have to believe that the age of 20 was not to establish the age of accountability, but signifying the youngest age and up of the rebellious people that murmured and thus refused to enter the promised land. AND that offering at the tabernacle required for any one passing from the age of 20 on up was to commemorate the passing into the promised land by the grace of God... kind of symbolic of the offering of Christ for sinners of all ages for eternal life... by the grace of God.
So I stand firm in believing that all christian parents should be free to share the gospel to even babes as it is not by the persuasion of a man's speech, but the Spirit's power since it is on the Father to reveal His Son to any one, including babes as Jesus has testified that this is true.
Matthew 11:[SUP]25 [/SUP]At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.[SUP] 26 [/SUP]Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.[SUP]27 [/SUP]All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
Although OneFaith's reference gives hope to a married couple where only one is a believer, that does not include children where both parents are unbelievers.
1 Corinthians 7:[SUP]12 [/SUP]But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.[SUP]13 [/SUP]And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. [SUP]14[/SUP]For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.[SUP]15 [/SUP]But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.[SUP] 16 [/SUP]For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?[SUP] 17 [/SUP]But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches.
Since Paul is signifying that he is speaking and not the Lord, regarding not to depart from an unbelieving spouse, as he seems to be declaring that if one spouse is a believer, then the other spouse is sanctified and the children are holy, but yet verses 16-17 raises the question for the believing spouse that by remaining married to the unbelieving spouse, maybe the believing spouse can save them that way.... depending on the faith you have been given by the Lord to believe that.
But does that mean do not bother to share the gospel to the unbelieving spouse? No. When opportunity arises... especially after the unbelieving spouse does not want to hear it any more.. but of course, if the unbelieving spouse is going to talk negatively about it, that unbelieving spouse cannot expect the other to remain silent. Granted, they can have their say, but as long as they respect the believing spouse to have their say, otherwise, the believing spouse should be free to walk away from that "one sided discussion" just as the unbelieving does when they do not want to hear it. It just have to be understood to the unbeliever that if they do not want to talk about it any more, then that means they cannot talk about it at all, and expect the other not to contribute to that discussion whenever they feel like blurting something out. The believing souse can inquire before allowing the unbeieving spouse to continue on if they want to discuss it openly, but if not, then the unbelieving spouse should be equally respectful and stop talking about it... but do let the unbelieving spouse know that you are open to discussion whenever they want to talk about Him.
I reckon the same can be said for children, to make sure they know the door is open for discussion or else how can any parent train a child in the way they ought to go. I still see nothing wrong with singing lullabyes to infants since it is on God to cause the increase... & Jesus testified that the Father is able to reveal His Son even unto babes... so believe Him and preach the gospel to them.
Mark 10:[SUP]13 [/SUP]And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.[SUP] 14 [/SUP]But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.[SUP]15 [/SUP]Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.
What can a child do but trust the Lord at His word that by believing in Him, they are saved?