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Adstar

Senior Member
Jul 24, 2016
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I wouldn't want to think babies are eternally separated from God, but I can't find this age of accountability in the bible. What age of is it? I even just tried google for perspective on it. None of the articles could pin down anything.
We are sinners at conception, so there is a bit of inherent sin.
Where Adam and Eve acceptable to God as Good before they came to the knowledge of Good and Evil?

Yes. This is revealed in the book of Genesis..

So if a little one has not yet come to the knowledge of Good and Evil they likewise are acceptable to God as good... Do you agree?

So then lets look at what happened during the time of the exodus when the Hebrews first came to the borders of the promised land, they sent is scouts to spy out the land and after the scouts came back and gave their report the Hebrews refused to go into the promised land to take possession of it.. We read::

(Deuteronomy 1:29-39) "Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them. {30} The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes; {31} And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place. {32} Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God, {33} Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day. {34} And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying, {35} Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers, {36} Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the LORD. {37} Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither. {38} But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. {39} 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."

So on the day the Hebrews rebelled God decided to make them wander in the wilderness for 40 years so that the Hebrews who had knowledge of good and evil would die and never see the promised land.. But the little ones who did not have the knowledge of good and evil God allowed them to enter into the promised land after the 40 years where completed.. So little ones exist and do not have the knowledge of good and evil and thus they are still good and acceptable to God..
 

jsr1221

Senior Member
Jul 7, 2013
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Well, you COULD ask Stephen......uh, er, no, wait........
Amazing how fellow Christians find humor in someone potentially being in hell. I don't find it anywhere in the Bible where it's regarded as a joking matter.
 

jsr1221

Senior Member
Jul 7, 2013
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Not sure where you get your theology but you're a long way off in your opinions according to the Bible.Children that die go to heaven.They are not yet at the age of understanding and accountability.So thats a moot point.

Secondly,the Bible states there is only One Way and that is through Christ alone,which is what the Christian faith teaches. There are not many paths there is one and one only. God created heaven for us all to go there,but man was disobedient so He made a way through Christ. None of us have to end up in hell,we do have a choice. God is a completely just God,He made a way,all we have to do is accept Him.
There is no specific age, though. A 17 year old is still a child. Our brains aren't even fully developed yet in our mid 20s. Plenty of adults on the spectrum can't function on their own and can't tell the difference between right/wrong. There is a lot of grey in this area. At the end of the day, you and I (along with everyone else) don't know a person's final destination. That's why it's best to live out what Christ preached and not speculate. At the end of the day, it's Biblical speculation. God did give us all the ability to think and interpret differently from one another.
 

Didymous

Senior Member
Feb 22, 2018
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I often hear people say that the Bible has mistakes, because men made mistakes in copying, but I would think that God is powerful enough to oversee and make sure there aren't any.
 

jsr1221

Senior Member
Jul 7, 2013
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Like any complex subject, theology requires the use of heuristics to explain and hopefully simplify certain concepts.

Simply reading the Bible is good enough, but shouldn't we strive for more than good enough?
By that logic, shouldn't everyone be Biblical scholars? No need to for people to become teachers, doctors, and police. Just to name some of the most important jobs in the country.
 
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Susanna

Guest
I often hear people say that the Bible has mistakes, because men made mistakes in copying, but I would think that God is powerful enough to oversee and make sure there aren't any.
He has also given us a free will so that anyone can feel free to make mistakes when copying the Bible...by accident or not...so I believe corrupted Bibles are a fact.
 
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Gabriel2020

Senior Member
May 6, 2017
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Age of accountability is between twelve and thirteen. Jesus started at the age of twelve because his Father was ready for him at that age. His learning from the Father began at the age of twelve. He grew in wisdom and knowledge as he was taught by God. everyone at that age must be brought up in the right way before they reach that age. How they are raised will determine their outcome.
 

jsr1221

Senior Member
Jul 7, 2013
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Age of accountability is between twelve and thirteen. Jesus started at the age of twelve because his Father was ready for him at that age. His learning from the Father began at the age of twelve. He grew in wisdom and knowledge as he was taught by God. everyone at that age must be brought up in the right way before they reach that age. How they are raised will determine their outcome.
You can raise someone with autism or severe mental health issues. As I said, there is always a grey area. Someone who goes through life with severe schizophrenia isn't competent enough to stand trial, let alone understand the concept of sin.
 

posthuman

Senior Member
Jul 31, 2013
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By that logic, shouldn't everyone be Biblical scholars? No need to for people to become teachers, doctors, and police. Just to name some of the most important jobs in the country.
is being a 'Biblical scholar' incompatible with performing any other function in society?
 

Gabriel2020

Senior Member
May 6, 2017
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These type of people are chosen by God for his glory only. they don't understand right from wrong. only what you teach them will they remember to do. I have a special needs son with ADDH, and I know he will be saved, because he do not have the knowledge of good and evil. God communes with special needs people in his way. They have not soiled themselves with the things of this world.
 

jsr1221

Senior Member
Jul 7, 2013
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is being a 'Biblical scholar' incompatible with performing any other function in society?
Don't we go to church in part to hear a sermon from the pastor? Are we not trusting that what the pastor is teaching lines up with the Bible? That pastor went through years of seminary to do what he does. Not everyone has the ability to be beyond good enough. If we were, we'd either all go to seminary, or there wouldn't be a need for seminary.
 

jsr1221

Senior Member
Jul 7, 2013
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These type of people are chosen by God for his glory only. they don't understand right from wrong. only what you teach them will they remember to do. I have a special needs son with ADDH, and I know he will be saved, because he do not have the knowledge of good and evil. God communes with special needs people in his way. They have not soiled themselves with the things of this world.
Which goes back to what I previously said. There are grey areas.
 

Didymous

Senior Member
Feb 22, 2018
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Susanna, which parts of the Bible are mistakes?
 

tanakh

Senior Member
Dec 1, 2015
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He was an amazing Man. Apart from his brilliant intellect the way he overcame his disability is an inspiration to us all considering at just age 22 he was given only a few years to live.
 

posthuman

Senior Member
Jul 31, 2013
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Don't we go to church in part to hear a sermon from the pastor? Are we not trusting that what the pastor is teaching lines up with the Bible? That pastor went through years of seminary to do what he does. Not everyone has the ability to be beyond good enough. If we were, we'd either all go to seminary, or there wouldn't be a nees for seminary.
i don't necessarily agree that in order to be a preacher one needs to have a seminary education, and i don't necessarily identify being a 'Biblical scholar' with either spending 4 years in seminary or preaching.

i do believe that we should all try to understand and learn the things in the Bible as much as possible, though. if we believe what is in it, can there be any more important book in the world to read? and that's not incompatible with having any other kind of career other than preaching and living & supporting your family from the offering plate.

i think i did not see the term 'Biblical scholar' in the same way you did -- but it would be a tragic state of affairs, i believe, if we would be content with having only the person(s) standing behind a dais at church being more Biblically literate than the average human. we ought all to grow in knowledge of God, continually, and an obvious source of such wisdom is the Bible itself, therefore we ought all to study it, and it doesn't necessarily follow that a person weekly sermonizing is the most knowledgeable, much less the only one, or one of a few, who has spent or does spend a great deal of time studying the scriptures.
 

jsr1221

Senior Member
Jul 7, 2013
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i don't necessarily agree that in order to be a preacher one needs to have a seminary education, and i don't necessarily identify being a 'Biblical scholar' with either spending 4 years in seminary or preaching.

i do believe that we should all try to understand and learn the things in the Bible as much as possible, though. if we believe what is in it, can there be any more important book in the world to read? and that's not incompatible with having any other kind of career other than preaching and living & supporting your family from the offering plate.

i think i did not see the term 'Biblical scholar' in the same way you did -- but it would be a tragic state of affairs, i believe, if we would be content with having only the person(s) standing behind a dais at church being more Biblically literate than the average human. we ought all to grow in knowledge of God, continually, and an obvious source of such wisdom is the Bible itself, therefore we ought all to study it, and it doesn't necessarily follow that a person weekly sermonizing is the most knowledgeable, much less the only one, or one of a few, who has spent or does spend a great deal of time studying the scriptures.
It is important for us to read it. Look up Jim Jones and Jonestown. The largest mass suicide all because people blindly followed a false prophet. There are times in which all of us won't agree with a pastor, whether it's something small or large. It does take years and years of practice to be great at understanding everything there is Biblically, though. Not everyone has that capability. That shouldn't stop us from learning, however.
 

Gabriel2020

Senior Member
May 6, 2017
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That old saying as it goes, you study long, you study wrong. traditions of men. always have been. they are what you call converts.
 
D

Depleted

Guest


Not sure where you get your theology but you're a long way off in your opinions according to the Bible.Children that die go to heaven.They are not yet at the age of understanding and accountability.So thats a moot point.

Secondly,the Bible states there is only One Way and that is through Christ alone,which is what the Christian faith teaches. There are not many paths there is one and one only. God created heaven for us all to go there,but man was disobedient so He made a way through Christ. None of us have to end up in hell,we do have a choice. God is a completely just God,He made a way,all we have to do is accept Him.
There is nothing in the Bible that says children that die go to heaven. There is nothing that says they don't either. Biblically speaking, there is no evidence of Age of Accountability.
 

LaurieB

Senior Member
Mar 12, 2018
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Amazing how fellow Christians find humor in someone potentially being in hell. I don't find it anywhere in the Bible where it's regarded as a joking matter.
Yep, it is mind blowing. Perhaps they dont really believe in hell FIRE and TORMENT. In any case, only God knows the fate of anyone's heart. I would rather go with judge not because judging "righteously" is often NOT judging correctly at all. Thanks.