Age of Accountability

[Andy C]

Age of Accountability
By Kathy Overshiner

I know an individual whose child died at the age of twelve. She discussed with me if I thought her son had reached the age of accountability. I assured her that I thought her son was in heaven. Only God knows exactly when an individual arrives at the age of accountability ─ that moment when the individual knows right from wrong, good from evil, and becomes accountable to sin.

Each individual matures at a different pace but there are verses in the Bible that do indicate there is an age of accountability, although the phrase “age of accountability” appears nowhere in the Bible. Personal accountability before God is based upon one’s personal capacity to discern good and evil, right from wrong and to comprehend the fact that one’s choices in these areas are acts of willful rebellion against God and His purpose for one’s life. God does not hold accountable those who are incapable of appropriate responses such as someone with, Down’s syndrome. God is a gracious, loving, merciful Father and certainly would not treat those incapable of discerning the truth with cold, heartless abuse.

Some people have tried to fix a pre-teen theory of twelve to thirteen years of age for the age of accountability. This opinion is based on the fact that when Jesus was twelve he went to Jerusalem to observe the Passover with His earthly parents ─ Mary and Joseph. He said, “Why did you seek me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” Many believe because He said those words, that twelve is the age of accountability. Jesus was deity incarnate and fully human.

In Luke 2, verse 40 (which is in reference prior to the incident in Jerusalem when Jesus was twelve), Scripture states:

“And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and grace of God was upon Him.”

In Luke 2, verse 52 we learn: “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor of God and men.”

Age of Accountability - Rapture Forums

I know an individual whose child died at the age of twelve. She discussed with me if I thought her son had reached the age of accountability. I assured her

www.raptureforums.com

 

[mattfivefour]

Excellent article! One with which I am in one hundred percent agreement. It matches exactly what I believe the Holy Spirit has shown me as I have considered this subject.

 

[Cheeky200386]

Age of Accountability
By Kathy Overshiner

I know an individual whose child died at the age of twelve. She discussed with me if I thought her son had reached the age of accountability. I assured her that I thought her son was in heaven. Only God knows exactly when an individual arrives at the age of accountability ─ that moment when the individual knows right from wrong, good from evil, and becomes accountable to sin.

Each individual matures at a different pace but there are verses in the Bible that do indicate there is an age of accountability, although the phrase “age of accountability” appears nowhere in the Bible. Personal accountability before God is based upon one’s personal capacity to discern good and evil, right from wrong and to comprehend the fact that one’s choices in these areas are acts of willful rebellion against God and His purpose for one’s life. God does not hold accountable those who are incapable of appropriate responses such as someone with, Down’s syndrome. God is a gracious, loving, merciful Father and certainly would not treat those incapable of discerning the truth with cold, heartless abuse.

Some people have tried to fix a pre-teen theory of twelve to thirteen years of age for the age of accountability. This opinion is based on the fact that when Jesus was twelve he went to Jerusalem to observe the Passover with His earthly parents ─ Mary and Joseph. He said, “Why did you seek me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” Many believe because He said those words, that twelve is the age of accountability. Jesus was deity incarnate and fully human.

In Luke 2, verse 40 (which is in reference prior to the incident in Jerusalem when Jesus was twelve), Scripture states:

“And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and grace of God was upon Him.”

In Luke 2, verse 52 we learn: “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor of God and men.”

Age of Accountability - Rapture Forums

I know an individual whose child died at the age of twelve. She discussed with me if I thought her son had reached the age of accountability. I assured her

www.raptureforums.com

I would find it shocking if a 12 year old didn’t know right from wrong. Except if due to a mental disorder.

 

[mattfivefour]

I would find it shocking if a 12 year old didn’t know right from wrong. Except if due to a mental disorder.

True, sister. But a 2-year-old also knows right from wrong, but is incapable of governing themselves properly all of the time. And that ability --combined with a deeper development and cultivation of soul-- is, I believe, the point. It takes a certain maturity of mind to be fully accountable. I trust God's judgment on that in each individual life.

 

[Ghoti Ichthus]

None of us at any age is able to govern ourselves appropriately all the time (or really any of the time), otherwise we wouldn't sin anymore.

IDK about anyone else sinning, but I am still Chiefest among sinners

But Jesus died for all of my sins, both the weak-fleshed and impulsive ones, and the presumptive, willful and deliberate ones, and I accepted (and still accept) His gracious, priceless, unmerited gifts of Atonement, Forgiveness, Grace, and Salvation.


JESUS!!!

 

[Tall Timbers]

mattfivefour posted the best argument I've seen with regards to the age of accountability... posted it at RF. It would be nice if that post could find its way here. I don't think the argument in the article is near as good/strong as what M54 shared back then...

I've refrained from taking a position on the topic. I accept whatever is. I am interested in the topic however.

 

[Ghoti Ichthus]

I've refrained from taking a position on the topic. I accept whatever is. I am interested in the topic however.

I don't post on this topic for the same reason I don't post on some others

 

[mattfivefour]

mattfivefour posted the best argument I've seen with regards to the age of accountability... posted it at RF. It would be nice if that post could find its way here. I don't think the argument in the article is near as good/strong as what M54 shared back then...

I've refrained from taking a position on the topic. I accept whatever is. I am interested in the topic however.

Brother, thank you for your kind words. I have written a few posts on the age of accountability The one you may be referring to is the very last one back in the spring of 2022. This is that text:

Fascinating discussion. Lots of grist for the thought mill. But may I suggest one overarching thought? One foundation that should underpin everything we think on this subject. And that is this:​

GOD IS GOOD!​

As He, Himself, said to Moses: "The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness, maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin." (Exodus 34:6-8)​

Or as the apostle John summarized: "God is love."​

When Abraham looked the Lord in the face under the great trees of Mamre and said, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" it was a rhetorical question. He knew the answer. And so should we, if we know God.​

So, rest your heart on the truth that God is ultimate goodness, ultimate justice, ultimate righteousness, and ultimate love. Never let any thought on the subject of the eternal fate of little children (or any subject for which we cannot find a clear answer in Scripture) sit on any other foundation than that.​

​

I think many people can stop reading right there. That underlying theology is the bottom line for every single argument about scripture. We can trust God completely. He is perfect-- perfectly good, perfectly just, perfectly loving.

Delving further into theology can sometimes do little more than raise contentious questions, because people's readings are often fraught with personal conclusions. But for those who may be interested in my thinking on the details of a so-called age of that accountability, here are a few other posts on that subject, beginning with a statement someone made--

When children are under the age of accountability, they are not held responsible for their sin. I know this is a bone of contention among some theologians. The argument against the belief that children will go in the Rapture (and for that matter that children go to Heaven) is that it is the sin nature in us that causes our separation from God and thus unless we accept Christ by faith, we must die and be condemned to hell.

My response to that is that God has revealed his nature to us. He spoke of the trust and innocence of little children. As a God who by nature is love and also perfect Justice, the balance of the two would not condemn a child who is not sufficiently mature to be able to exercise his or her free will in full awareness of the consequences.

Now, I hear someone say, that is supposition. We need scripture. Well, I respond, it is not supposition, it is truth drawn from the revelation of God in His Word. But let's put scripture to it.

In type, the children of the Israelites in the desert were permitted to enter the Promised Land even though they were part and parcel of the people who murmured against the Lord. "Your carcasses 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, doubtless ye shall not come into the land, [concerning] which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised." —Numbers 14:28-31

David said that his child could not return to him but he would go to him. (2 Samuel 12:23)

The Bible says that the law applies to those who can hear it with understanding. This requires maturity of mind. "And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month." —Nehemiah 8:2 Thus children and the mentally infirm and deficient are exempted by God's own Word.

"Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve [them] alive...." —Jeremiah 49:11a

"The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him." —Ezekiel 18:20

"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." —Matthew 18:10

"Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put [his] hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. " —Matthew 19:13-14

"And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me." —Mark 9:36-37

"And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when [his] disciples saw [it], they rebuked them. But Jesus called them [unto him], and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God." —Luke 18:15-16

I also submit that the age of accountability may vary with each person. Then what is the "age"? Do we have any hint in Scripture what that age might be? Well, we have at least one. At what age did God hold those in the Wilderness accountable? Read Numbers 14:28-31 again: "28Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will surely do to you; 29your corpses will fall in this wilderness, even all your numbered men, according to your complete number from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against Me. 30Surely you shall not come into the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. 31Your children, however, whom you said would become a prey—I will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected.'" (NASB)

So what does God say was the age below which He did not hold the Israelites accountable?

I am not saying this is a hard and fast rule at all. We can never take a single scripture and build a doctrine on it. However, it does give us an indication. And, perhaps, to some, that provides a hope for their children.

Just to argue the other side of this, God did not always spare the children in his judgments....ex. Sodom and Gomorrah, the Flood, the Destruction of Jerusalem, the Rebellion of Korah, etc. But destroying their bodies does not necessarily mean He destroyed their spirits. The Bible is silent on their eternal fate. It is as possible that the children went to the good side of Sheol as to the bad side when they died. Their physical death was necessary both to remove a corruption in the midst of Israel and also as a figure of the spiritual death that those in future who rebelled against God faced. This required a complete removal of the offending family from the earth but does not necessarily mean that the children taken with them were condemned to the same fate as their evil parents. Since God knows every heart, and has perfect knowledge of all things at all times—in other words is omniscient—He knows those who would be His, given the chance, and those who would not be.

The one thing I know is that God is a God of mercy as well as justice. I have faith in the perfection of His mercy ... and faith in the perfection of His justice. I find the Word when studied as a whole reveals a God whose justice will never be unjust and thus would never condemn one who is as innocent as a child ... and that includes people who are insane, as well as those with mental retardation, to the degree that they cannot comprehend the gospel..

I think we can trust God to be perfectly just. And personally I am content to leave this with Him. Certainly His Word lets us know that some who are unable to fully understand the consequences of their actions are not held accountable. For most this is a matter of age ... which I think can differ from person to person. For a comparative very few it is a matter of mental incapacity. Whichever, God is good and perfectly just. And He calls us who are Christians to rest in Him ... to stop struggling and writhing and just trust Him completely to look after everything..

I hope this helps someone today as they seek God on this subject.

 

[Tall Timbers]

Brother, thank you for your kind words. I have written a few posts on the age of accountability The one you may be referring to is the very last one back in the spring of 2022.

I do believe that's the one. If I were to be convinced of anything regarding the age of accountability that would have likely done it, but I'm just leaving that whole question to God.

 

[Andy C]

Brother, thank you for your kind words. I have written a few posts on the age of accountability The one you may be referring to is the very last one back in the spring of 2022. This is that text:

Fascinating discussion. Lots of grist for the thought mill. But may I suggest one overarching thought? One foundation that should underpin everything we think on this subject. And that is this:​

GOD IS GOOD!​

As He, Himself, said to Moses: "The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness, maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin." (Exodus 34:6-8)​

Or as the apostle John summarized: "God is love."​

When Abraham looked the Lord in the face under the great trees of Mamre and said, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" it was a rhetorical question. He knew the answer. And so should we, if we know God.​

So, rest your heart on the truth that God is ultimate goodness, ultimate justice, ultimate righteousness, and ultimate love. Never let any thought on the subject of the eternal fate of little children (or any subject for which we cannot find a clear answer in Scripture) sit on any other foundation than that.​

​

I think many people can stop reading right there. That underlying theology is the bottom line for every single argument about scripture. We can trust God completely. He is perfect-- perfectly good, perfectly just, perfectly loving.

Delving further into theology can sometimes do little more than raise contentious questions, because people's readings are often fraught with personal conclusions. But for those who may be interested in my thinking on the details of a so-called age of that accountability, here are a few other posts on that subject, beginning with a statement someone made--

My response to that is that God has revealed his nature to us. He spoke of the trust and innocence of little children. As a God who by nature is love and also perfect Justice, the balance of the two would not condemn a child who is not sufficiently mature to be able to exercise his or her free will in full awareness of the consequences.

Now, I hear someone say, that is supposition. We need scripture. Well, I respond, it is not supposition, it is truth drawn from the revelation of God in His Word. But let's put scripture to it.

In type, the children of the Israelites in the desert were permitted to enter the Promised Land even though they were part and parcel of the people who murmured against the Lord. "Your carcasses 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, doubtless ye shall not come into the land, [concerning] which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised." —Numbers 14:28-31

David said that his child could not return to him but he would go to him. (2 Samuel 12:23)

The Bible says that the law applies to those who can hear it with understanding. This requires maturity of mind. "And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month." —Nehemiah 8:2 Thus children and the mentally infirm and deficient are exempted by God's own Word.

"Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve [them] alive...." —Jeremiah 49:11a

"The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him." —Ezekiel 18:20

"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." —Matthew 18:10

"Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put [his] hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. " —Matthew 19:13-14

"And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me." —Mark 9:36-37

"And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when [his] disciples saw [it], they rebuked them. But Jesus called them [unto him], and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God." —Luke 18:15-16

I also submit that the age of accountability may vary with each person. Then what is the "age"? Do we have any hint in Scripture what that age might be? Well, we have at least one. At what age did God hold those in the Wilderness accountable? Read Numbers 14:28-31 again: "28Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will surely do to you; 29your corpses will fall in this wilderness, even all your numbered men, according to your complete number from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against Me. 30Surely you shall not come into the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. 31Your children, however, whom you said would become a prey—I will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected.'" (NASB)

So what does God say was the age below which He did not hold the Israelites accountable?

I am not saying this is a hard and fast rule at all. We can never take a single scripture and build a doctrine on it. However, it does give us an indication. And, perhaps, to some, that provides a hope for their children.

Just to argue the other side of this, God did not always spare the children in his judgments....ex. Sodom and Gomorrah, the Flood, the Destruction of Jerusalem, the Rebellion of Korah, etc. But destroying their bodies does not necessarily mean He destroyed their spirits. The Bible is silent on their eternal fate. It is as possible that the children went to the good side of Sheol as to the bad side when they died. Their physical death was necessary both to remove a corruption in the midst of Israel and also as a figure of the spiritual death that those in future who rebelled against God faced. This required a complete removal of the offending family from the earth but does not necessarily mean that the children taken with them were condemned to the same fate as their evil parents. Since God knows every heart, and has perfect knowledge of all things at all times—in other words is omniscient—He knows those who would be His, given the chance, and those who would not be.

The one thing I know is that God is a God of mercy as well as justice. I have faith in the perfection of His mercy ... and faith in the perfection of His justice. I find the Word when studied as a whole reveals a God whose justice will never be unjust and thus would never condemn one who is as innocent as a child ... and that includes people who are insane, as well as those with mental retardation, to the degree that they cannot comprehend the gospel..

I think we can trust God to be perfectly just. And personally I am content to leave this with Him. Certainly His Word lets us know that some who are unable to fully understand the consequences of their actions are not held accountable. For most this is a matter of age ... which I think can differ from person to person. For a comparative very few it is a matter of mental incapacity. Whichever, God is good and perfectly just. And He calls us who are Christians to rest in Him ... to stop struggling and writhing and just trust Him completely to look after everything..

I hope this helps someone today as they seek God on this subject.

Excellent.

I have no idea what the AOC would be, but I suspect its younger than many believe.

Given all we have been told about the Nature of Good, through His written Word, I cant possibly reconcile that with the idea a toddler would spend eternity in hell because they did not, nor could they of understood what it means to confess Jesus as their Savior.

 

[Margery]

Brother, thank you for your kind words. I have written a few posts on the age of accountability The one you may be referring to is the very last one back in the spring of 2022. This is that text:

Fascinating discussion. Lots of grist for the thought mill. But may I suggest one overarching thought? One foundation that should underpin everything we think on this subject. And that is this:​

GOD IS GOOD!​

As He, Himself, said to Moses: "The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness, maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin." (Exodus 34:6-8)​

Or as the apostle John summarized: "God is love."​

When Abraham looked the Lord in the face under the great trees of Mamre and said, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" it was a rhetorical question. He knew the answer. And so should we, if we know God.​

So, rest your heart on the truth that God is ultimate goodness, ultimate justice, ultimate righteousness, and ultimate love. Never let any thought on the subject of the eternal fate of little children (or any subject for which we cannot find a clear answer in Scripture) sit on any other foundation than that.​

​

I think many people can stop reading right there. That underlying theology is the bottom line for every single argument about scripture. We can trust God completely. He is perfect-- perfectly good, perfectly just, perfectly loving.

Delving further into theology can sometimes do little more than raise contentious questions, because people's readings are often fraught with personal conclusions. But for those who may be interested in my thinking on the details of a so-called age of that accountability, here are a few other posts on that subject, beginning with a statement someone made--

My response to that is that God has revealed his nature to us. He spoke of the trust and innocence of little children. As a God who by nature is love and also perfect Justice, the balance of the two would not condemn a child who is not sufficiently mature to be able to exercise his or her free will in full awareness of the consequences.

Now, I hear someone say, that is supposition. We need scripture. Well, I respond, it is not supposition, it is truth drawn from the revelation of God in His Word. But let's put scripture to it.

In type, the children of the Israelites in the desert were permitted to enter the Promised Land even though they were part and parcel of the people who murmured against the Lord. "Your carcasses 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, doubtless ye shall not come into the land, [concerning] which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised." —Numbers 14:28-31

David said that his child could not return to him but he would go to him. (2 Samuel 12:23)

The Bible says that the law applies to those who can hear it with understanding. This requires maturity of mind. "And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month." —Nehemiah 8:2 Thus children and the mentally infirm and deficient are exempted by God's own Word.

"Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve [them] alive...." —Jeremiah 49:11a

"The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him." —Ezekiel 18:20

"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." —Matthew 18:10

"Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put [his] hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. " —Matthew 19:13-14

"And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me." —Mark 9:36-37

"And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when [his] disciples saw [it], they rebuked them. But Jesus called them [unto him], and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God." —Luke 18:15-16

I also submit that the age of accountability may vary with each person. Then what is the "age"? Do we have any hint in Scripture what that age might be? Well, we have at least one. At what age did God hold those in the Wilderness accountable? Read Numbers 14:28-31 again: "28Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will surely do to you; 29your corpses will fall in this wilderness, even all your numbered men, according to your complete number from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against Me. 30Surely you shall not come into the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. 31Your children, however, whom you said would become a prey—I will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected.'" (NASB)

So what does God say was the age below which He did not hold the Israelites accountable?

I am not saying this is a hard and fast rule at all. We can never take a single scripture and build a doctrine on it. However, it does give us an indication. And, perhaps, to some, that provides a hope for their children.

Just to argue the other side of this, God did not always spare the children in his judgments....ex. Sodom and Gomorrah, the Flood, the Destruction of Jerusalem, the Rebellion of Korah, etc. But destroying their bodies does not necessarily mean He destroyed their spirits. The Bible is silent on their eternal fate. It is as possible that the children went to the good side of Sheol as to the bad side when they died. Their physical death was necessary both to remove a corruption in the midst of Israel and also as a figure of the spiritual death that those in future who rebelled against God faced. This required a complete removal of the offending family from the earth but does not necessarily mean that the children taken with them were condemned to the same fate as their evil parents. Since God knows every heart, and has perfect knowledge of all things at all times—in other words is omniscient—He knows those who would be His, given the chance, and those who would not be.

The one thing I know is that God is a God of mercy as well as justice. I have faith in the perfection of His mercy ... and faith in the perfection of His justice. I find the Word when studied as a whole reveals a God whose justice will never be unjust and thus would never condemn one who is as innocent as a child ... and that includes people who are insane, as well as those with mental retardation, to the degree that they cannot comprehend the gospel..

I think we can trust God to be perfectly just. And personally I am content to leave this with Him. Certainly His Word lets us know that some who are unable to fully understand the consequences of their actions are not held accountable. For most this is a matter of age ... which I think can differ from person to person. For a comparative very few it is a matter of mental incapacity. Whichever, God is good and perfectly just. And He calls us who are Christians to rest in Him ... to stop struggling and writhing and just trust Him completely to look after everything..

I hope this helps someone today as they seek God on this subject.

I remember that article you wrote Adrian and I completely 100% agree! I trust in the Lord, not in some arbitrary number. He who knows the minds and hearts and is perfectly just and perfectly compassionate. God is perfectly able to judge.

Just as a side note to add to what you're saying here. Brain development continues till about 25 depending on the person. The prefrontal cortex is the last part to develop properly and that is the part that enables us to really determine right from wrong, to think deeply with understanding. To stop ourselves from impulsive behaviour, knowing the consequences of our actions. People in their 20's are considered adults but those under 18 are considered juveniles under the law because of their tendency to act on impulse without understanding the consequences. Alcohol and drug use can alter that timetable as can prenatal and early childhood problems.

I remember Pete Garcia wrote an article saying some of the same things, and yours and his finally helped me put to rest my concerns about the age of accountability.

Back when I was homeschooling the kids, I remember bumping head on into a brain maturation issue with math with our daughter. Kids vary in the ages at which they are able to reason with abstract math- specifically algebra. Our son was ahead of schedule, our daughter a couple of years behind schedule. Unfortunately they introduce algebra in Grade 7/8 when only about half the kids are physically able to reason that way. It sets a lot of kids up for failure in math who otherwise would do fine.

I was able to bend the schedule to fit our daughter who went on to tutor her classmates in calculus (so did our son) when she entered university at 16. Just because I bent the schedule and let her learn at her pace. It was a 2 steps forward, 1 back pattern and it worked for her.

 

[Bethlehem57]

True, sister. But a 2-year-old also knows right from wrong, but is incapable of governing themselves properly all of the time. And that ability --combined with a deeper development and cultivation of soul-- is, I believe, the point. It takes a certain maturity of mind to be fully accountable. I trust God's judgment on that in each individual life.

Totally agree and I’m adding my own personal experience, to say that this “age of accountability” age can also fluctuate if mental illness is diagnosed, like bi-polar depression. Our adopted DD (actually our granddaughter) has had this diagnosis for many years, and even as a young adult she’s not up to the mental acuity of those her age (22-24). Not saying that she’s past the age of accountability, however as she was growing up, she was years behind those her age, especially emotionally.

She accepted Jesus as Savior and was baptized, but hasn’t been in church for at least 2 years. Praying for her! I certainly don’t think she’d be raptured if it were to happen soon.