Icon, with all due respect, brother, you can keep repeating the Johanine passages until the cows come up , but none of them speak to the destiny of non-adults. In fact, the entire bible is written to people of the age of accountability since readers everywhere are commanded to repent and believe the Gospel! Infants, babies and small children are not capable of grasping these spiritual concepts -- not capable of understanding what it means to repent, believe, obey an invisible God, etc. When Jesus addressed Nicodemus, was he an an adult or an infant, baby or child? How are the sons of men justified? Is it not by faith!? Explain to me how a little baby is capable of believing the gospel? Even with Rom 8:29-30, one would have to assume that the very young or mentally incompetent are included in that passage.
Secondly, the "age of accountability" (or adulthood) clearly is implied. Avail yourself of a concordance and plug in the phrases "twenty years" and "twenty years old". the former show up in my NIV 41 times and for the latter 30 times . And then after you plug in those phrase, start to read those passages. Did you know, for example, that only the Israelities who were UNDER 20 years old were permitted into the promised Land (Num 14:29), because God did not allow virtually any of the first generation out of Egypt to enter due to their rebellious hearts? Did you know that God commanded that no one under 20 years old was to be conscripted into the army? Clearly, God drew the line between adulthood and younger at 20 years old. And even Natural Revelation (reality as we all know it to be in this world) pretty much agrees with God's age assessment since most of the world's governments set very similar guidelines. Even our judicial system recognizes, as God did, levels of accountability. Some children who commit crimes as charged as minors (or juveniles) while others are tried as adults, etc.
Furthermore, there is no such thing as "innocent" human beings -- whether they be adults or tiny infants! All are guilty of sin since God imputed Adam's sin upon all. One does not have to actually commit a personal sin to be found guilty of sin! Therefore, this is a huge assumption that you make that God just acquits the guilty-by-imputation; for He would not be unjust if he condemned infants, babies and young children. God is not morally obligated to save ANYONE, including the newborn!
So...to the best of my knowledge there are only two truly relevant passages in scripture with respect to the "underage": Mat 18:14 and 2Sam 12:23. And both are these are pretty strong in terms of how God very likely deals with the "underage" when they die. After all, how could David be so confident that he would see his deceased baby after he died!? And there's good reason to believe that the "little ones" in Mat 18 is used as a double entendre (i.e. used to refer literally to small children and spiritually to adults). Jesus clearly said of both, with a small child in his lap, that his Father is not willing that any of these "little ones" should perish! Therefore, these are two passages that one can truly hang their hat on without performing feats of mental gymnastics or eiesegesis. No assumptions need to be brought to bear upon either of these texts, which is certainly not the case with any of your cites -- all of which are non seqiturs.
Secondly, the "age of accountability" (or adulthood) clearly is implied. Avail yourself of a concordance and plug in the phrases "twenty years" and "twenty years old". the former show up in my NIV 41 times and for the latter 30 times . And then after you plug in those phrase, start to read those passages. Did you know, for example, that only the Israelities who were UNDER 20 years old were permitted into the promised Land (Num 14:29), because God did not allow virtually any of the first generation out of Egypt to enter due to their rebellious hearts? Did you know that God commanded that no one under 20 years old was to be conscripted into the army? Clearly, God drew the line between adulthood and younger at 20 years old. And even Natural Revelation (reality as we all know it to be in this world) pretty much agrees with God's age assessment since most of the world's governments set very similar guidelines. Even our judicial system recognizes, as God did, levels of accountability. Some children who commit crimes as charged as minors (or juveniles) while others are tried as adults, etc.
Furthermore, there is no such thing as "innocent" human beings -- whether they be adults or tiny infants! All are guilty of sin since God imputed Adam's sin upon all. One does not have to actually commit a personal sin to be found guilty of sin! Therefore, this is a huge assumption that you make that God just acquits the guilty-by-imputation; for He would not be unjust if he condemned infants, babies and young children. God is not morally obligated to save ANYONE, including the newborn!
So...to the best of my knowledge there are only two truly relevant passages in scripture with respect to the "underage": Mat 18:14 and 2Sam 12:23. And both are these are pretty strong in terms of how God very likely deals with the "underage" when they die. After all, how could David be so confident that he would see his deceased baby after he died!? And there's good reason to believe that the "little ones" in Mat 18 is used as a double entendre (i.e. used to refer literally to small children and spiritually to adults). Jesus clearly said of both, with a small child in his lap, that his Father is not willing that any of these "little ones" should perish! Therefore, these are two passages that one can truly hang their hat on without performing feats of mental gymnastics or eiesegesis. No assumptions need to be brought to bear upon either of these texts, which is certainly not the case with any of your cites -- all of which are non seqiturs.
1] God is perfect
2] Biblical election has already taken place before the world was created.
[ you did not comment on this Rufus...do you believe the bible teaching on election Rufus?]
] I am well aware of those who offer the verses about 20 year olds, but they are a red herring.
Rebellious children were to be stoned to death, they were fully accountable ; Deut:21
18 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them:
19 Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;
20 And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.
21 And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you;and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
The age of "accountability did not come into play, because it is not taught.
You not go to ;
22 And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live?
23 But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.
The only teaching here is that David would also go to the realm of the unseen dead [sheol] as the child had. It does not give any other information.