What is the age of accountability?

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What is the age, I mean specifically in years. Someone mentioned 8 years old before puberty? Why is this. What is it about puberty that becomes sinful or recognised as sin. Do children become adults after 8 years?

I have heard the phrase about taking a child at 7 and you can see the man..or something like that. Meaning a child's personality/character are fully shown at 7 what kind of person he will be. (This is talking about sons or boys becoming men, it's not specifically mentioning girls)

Or is it about brain development, when a child knows right from left. I mean right from wrong. Jesus was teaching his elders at the temple when he was 12 years old and they marvelled at his wisdom for someone so young. This was the day he went missing and his parents, Mary and Joseph but particularly Mary, worried about him. Jesus wasn't worried. He was responsible for his own actions.
Maybe before that he did hold Mary's hand when crossing the road. IDK
 
Lanolin said:
What is the age, I mean specifically in years. Someone mentioned 8 years old before puberty? Why is this. What is it about puberty that becomes sinful or recognised as sin. Do children become adults after 8 years?

I have heard the phrase about taking a child at 7 and you can see the man..or something like that. Meaning a child's personality/character are fully shown at 7 what kind of person he will be. (This is talking about sons or boys becoming men, it's not specifically mentioning girls)

Or is it about brain development, when a child knows right from left. I mean right from wrong. Jesus was teaching his elders at the temple when he was 12 years old and they marvelled at his wisdom for someone so young. This was the day he went missing and his parents, Mary and Joseph but particularly Mary, worried about him. Jesus wasn't worried. He was responsible for his own actions.
Maybe before that he did hold Mary's hand when crossing the road. IDK
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About eight is when a child's brain is able to understand the Gospel more fully and to go beyond "concrete" obedience of parents
to "abstract" thinking including cooperation with God's Word, and puberty activates sexual temptation and aggressive emotions.
 
Lanolin said:
I would think 13 but I can't find it in the Bible what the exact age is. 20 seems to be the age that God wanted his soldiers in the army.

Some churches talk about this but are vague on what the age is. It's either this or 'confirmation' or 'first communion' but since I didn't go to church when I was younger I missed out on all this.

Also is it different for boys and girls. Or the same?
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I would say it is when the person can discern between right and wrong, based on Isaiah 7:16, God Bless You.
 
GWH said:
About eight is when a child's brain is able to understand the Gospel more fully and to go beyond "concrete" obedience of parents
to "abstract" thinking including cooperation with God's Word, and puberty activates sexual temptation and aggressive emotions.
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I thought puberty was a natural thing everyone goes through when they are growing up. It doesn't have to necessarily involve temptation and aggression.
 
Lanolin said:
I thought puberty was a natural thing everyone goes through when they are growing up. It doesn't have to necessarily involve temptation and aggression.
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Yes, sinning is not necessary, but everyone voluntarily follows in the footsteps of Adam and Eve, so sin seems inevitable.
 
rewriter said:
God's law was present before the Mosaic law came into being. The Mosaic law was specifically for the group that would eventually become Israel/the Jews.
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This answer conveniently avoids addressing the verse. I assent to what you claim. Any thoughts on Romans 5:14?
 
Lanolin said:
I would think 13 but I can't find it in the Bible what the exact age is. 20 seems to be the age that God wanted his soldiers in the army.

Some churches talk about this but are vague on what the age is. It's either this or 'confirmation' or 'first communion' but since I didn't go to church when I was younger I missed out on all this.

Also is it different for boys and girls. Or the same?
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There's no numerical age of accountability in the Bible. Ability to account is the real issue. That ability develops in each boy and girl at different ages. I know of one girl who put her trust in Jesus and got saved at age 4. 13 or 20 would be way too old in most cases; children know they're sinners well before that (because God reveals it to them, Romans 1).
 
Cameron143 said:
This answer conveniently avoids addressing the verse. I assent to what you claim. Any thoughts on Romans 5:14?
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I am not certain what you are looking for that is not obvious. Adam had a relationship with God that was unlike what any other human had until Jesus at least. So what are you looking for?

Your question makes about as much sense as if I cited Psalm 23 in support of my position without any explanation as to why it was appropriate. It is appropriate by the way, don't you agree?
 
rewriter said:
I am not certain what you are looking for that is not obvious. Adam had a relationship with God that was unlike what any other human had until Jesus at least. So what are you looking for?

Your question makes about as much sense as if I cited Psalm 23 in support of my position without any explanation as to why it was appropriate. It is appropriate by the way, don't you agree?
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The question isn't whether or not there were laws present before the Mosaic law, but whether or not sin was imputed. In Romans 5, and particularly in Romans 5:14, scripture teaches that while death occurs from the time of Adam to Moses, sin was not being imputed. Thus, something other than the imputation of sin was responsible for death.
 
Lanolin said:
I would think 13 but I can't find it in the Bible what the exact age is. 20 seems to be the age that God wanted his soldiers in the army.

Some churches talk about this but are vague on what the age is. It's either this or 'confirmation' or 'first communion' but since I didn't go to church when I was younger I missed out on all this.

Also is it different for boys and girls. Or the same?
Click to expand...
God said the son shall not bear the sins of the father and the father will not bear the sins of the son.

But every person will bear their own sins.

So the sin of Adam and Eve does not come upon their offspring.

It would of not entered their mind to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil unless an outside source tempted them with an alternate reality.

For all they could know and think was what God told them having no other reality to know.

Since God gave them a choice He allowed Satan to tempt Eve which she said they could not eat of the tree for that is all she could think and know.

So Satan tempted her with an alternate reality and she ate and sinned.

Then Eve was the outside source that tempted Adam and he ate and sinned.

Then they had a choice to choose their own behavior.

So all their offspring which is all of humanity has a choice so they are born not knowing God so they will sin before they do it God's way.

So all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

Matthew 18:10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

Since we are not blamed for the sin of Adam and Eve we are born innocent with no sin on our record until we sin.

In order to be accountable for sin we have to understand good and evil knowing evil is wrong with our conscious bearing witness.

The age of accountability will be when the person understands good from evil and know that evil is wrong which would be offending people.

Which love is the fulfilling of the law and it is not hard to understand that offending people and hurting them is not right.

Which the Bible says nature teaches that and creation testifies of a higher power and His attributes which one of them is love.

And testifies of the 2 greatest laws love God, and love people so the world is without excuse.
 
Cameron143 said:
The question isn't whether or not there were laws present before the Mosaic law, but whether or not sin was imputed. In Romans 5, and particularly in Romans 5:14, scripture teaches that while death occurs from the time of Adam to Moses, sin was not being imputed. Thus, something other than the imputation of sin was responsible for death.
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Cain had a mark on him for when he sinned (murdering his brother) Abel was the person first to die in the Bible.
JohnRH said:
There's no numerical age of accountability in the Bible. Ability to account is the real issue. That ability develops in each boy and girl at different ages. I know of one girl who put her trust in Jesus and got saved at age 4. 13 or 20 would be way too old in most cases; children know they're sinners well before that (because God reveals it to them, Romans 1).
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So you reckon age 4?

When a toddler can walk and talk? I can't actually remember much before age 4. I wouldn't have actually known what was right or wrong back then.
 
Lanolin said:
Cain had a mark on him for when he sinned (murdering his brother) Abel was the person first to die in the Bible.

So you reckon age 4?

When a toddler can walk and talk? I can't actually remember much before age 4. I wouldn't have actually known what was right or wrong back then.
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How does your reply relate to the imputation of sin?
 
tablet123 said:
God said the son shall not bear the sins of the father and the father will not bear the sins of the son.

But every person will bear their own sins.

So the sin of Adam and Eve does not come upon their offspring.

It would of not entered their mind to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil unless an outside source tempted them with an alternate reality.

For all they could know and think was what God told them having no other reality to know.

Since God gave them a choice He allowed Satan to tempt Eve which she said they could not eat of the tree for that is all she could think and know.

So Satan tempted her with an alternate reality and she ate and sinned.

Then Eve was the outside source that tempted Adam and he ate and sinned.

Then they had a choice to choose their own behavior.

So all their offspring which is all of humanity has a choice so they are born not knowing God so they will sin before they do it God's way.

So all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

Matthew 18:10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

Since we are not blamed for the sin of Adam and Eve we are born innocent with no sin on our record until we sin.

In order to be accountable for sin we have to understand good and evil knowing evil is wrong with our conscious bearing witness.

The age of accountability will be when the person understands good from evil and know that evil is wrong which would be offending people.

Which love is the fulfilling of the law and it is not hard to understand that offending people and hurting them is not right.

Which the Bible says nature teaches that and creation testifies of a higher power and His attributes which one of them is love.

And testifies of the 2 greatest laws love God, and love people so the world is without excuse.
Click to expand...
So what would you say the earliest age sin would be -- or the earliest knowledge what the difference is between good and evil. For a person.

Otherwise it is a nonsense notion that there is a certain age if it's different for everyone.
 
Cameron143 said:
How does your reply relate to the imputation of sin?
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It doesn't.

Not talking about imputation of sin, I don't even know what this is.

Cain was responsible for his own sin wasn't he? He couldn't blame his mum, dad or his brother.
 
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