God of Hope---Age of Accountability

Recently my husband and I were asked what our opinion is on "the age of accountability". My husband and I have debated this issue with many people who believe that babies and infants who die in utero go to hell.

My husband has written a very good article on this very topic and I hope that it gives hope to those who were not sure on this issue. I am sure there are Calvinists out there that after reading this article will feel that their point of "Total Depravity" is being threatened with this post. It surely is not. Feel free to comment, remembering to remain respectful and support your position using scripture; in context of course!

Do babies and children go to hell if they die? This is a very important question that is not specifically addressed in scripture. One must wonder why. I would argue that the reason it is not specifically addressed is the same reason abortion is not specifically addressed: it is simply understood and need not be said. However, just because it is a matter of right thinking or "spiritual common sense", doesn't mean it does not have biblical support. The "age of accountability" is the biblical teaching of the imputation of sin being relative to a person's knowledge of the Law. The phrase itself is not found in scripture but much like the doctrine of the Trinity it is explicitly implied by many passages, and in harmony with the rest of scripture.

Other than Jesus and Adam, everyone is born into sin (Psalm 51:5). What does "born into sin" mean exactly? Does it mean that at the time of conception the individual has committed an act against God and His Law, or is it treating the word "sin" like a noun, a thing as opposed to an act, as in the state of corruption and death which was spawned by the sin Adam committed and is passed down like a cursed inheritance through the male? It is obviously the latter. An innocent child whose very spirit was formed by God Himself (Zechariah 12:1) may be born into corruption, and also subsequently have a natural pre-disposition to commit sin, but those are conditions about the environment that the individual is born into, not conditions describing the state of his soul at conception or birth. A baby cannot knowingly commit an act against God anymore than he can commit an act for God. Consider these passages:

Romans 9:11 "for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad…"

Deuteronomy 1:39 "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…"

Some may say "children do commit sins, even if they aren't aware of it". That is very true. God will not turn a blind eye toward any sin. All sin will be punished. Just ask Jesus, He knows firsthand. In fact the very state of sin that all man is born in has been dramatically altered by the work of Christ on the Cross. 1 Corinthians 15:21-22
states "For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." I'm not one to put words in anyone's mouth, but that verse seems to say "what has been done by Adam's sin has been undone by Christ's sacrifice". Not to say that we are born incorruptible due to Christ's work, or that no one needs salvation, after all you must be born again in order to ultimately put on "incorruption" (1 Corinthians 15:53), but rather the inherited state of spiritual death has been negated somehow. The fallen nature still remains even mature born again Christians can attest to that. However, there was something about the Old Testament saints that demanded they wait in Abraham's bosom until the work of the cross was complete (Luke 16:22-31), and it is that very same condition that has been removed by the Cross. Something very significant has been changed. We see now that to be separate from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). A reversal of sorts has taken place. I liken it to this: some classes may start a student with a grade of zero, and it is up to that student to work their way up to a passing grade, whereas another class may start the student with a 4.0 GPA and deduct points as errors come up in their work. This is a good illustration of the Old covenant in contrast to the new. It is important to note, that even though we are born during the time of the new covenant, all will eventually transgress the Laws of God. No one can "maintain their 4.0" so to speak. But what the after effects of the Cross do is offer provision for the innocent, while still punishing sin. This makes perfect sense in light of Jesus' own opinion of children: Matthew 19:14 "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven". Notice how in Matthew 18:3, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven", Jesus is calling us to return to the state that we came into the world as. This is very interesting to say the least. No wonder it's called being "born again". It's not a transition to becoming something further off more than it is a transition to becoming what we used to be. Now I think it can be agreed that it is better to become a Spirit filled born again adult, with the ability to actively be used by God as Christ to this dying world, rather than being taken to meet the Lord as a child, but nonetheless we must return to innocence, a state we had before our fallen nature took its toll on our soul. No wonder Jesus fiercely demanded protection for children and did not mince words about what will happen to those who offend them "but whoever
causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea" (Matthew 18:6).

 

    Now let's play devil's advocate. There are some who teach that because man is fallen in nature by birth, it naturally follows that babies and children alike go to hell if they die without repenting of their sins and receiving Christ as their savior. My answer to that is, why be reconciled to someone whom you are presently still in favor with? As seen above, children are already in favor with Jesus, so much so that He demands we become like them. But what about their sins? There are two answers to that:

 

1. As we already established by Romans 9:11 and Deuteronomy 1:39, children are not born with the knowledge of good and evil. Original Sin does not impart into the little minds of their offspring what Adam and Eve gained by eating the forbidden fruit; rather it predisposes them to gravitate toward the bad instead of the good. It is not until they obtain that knowledge of good and evil for themselves does sin become imputed to     them. Paul makes this clear by saying:

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned, (for until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law." Romans 5:12-14

"…Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, "You shall not covet." But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead. I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me." Romans 7:7-1

 

So Paul is echoing the biblical idea that children, let alone babies, simply don't know any better until they are made aware of it by conviction that comes from the knowledge of the Law which produces the knowledge of good and evil. The point in time this happens is probably different for each individual, but it does happen nonetheless. So are children covered from the sins they commit in their ignorance? Yes. Even adults were given provision for sins committed in ignorance: "And the Priest shall make atonement for the Soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance before the lord, to make atonement for him. and it shall be forgiven him" (Numbers 15:28). Is Christ's atonement not enough for the children He loves so dearly?

2. Now if these children's souls were hell bound from the start, I would like to ask what provision would be in place for them to turn from their sins? Can a baby (in utero or born) or a young child "Confess with their mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart God raised Him from the dead" (Romans 10:9)? If you have a very talented child, maybe so, but even then can they comprehend what they are even saying? No, of course not. At best they are simply repeating what they know is pleasing to their parents. So again, if the souls of children belong to hell at the get go, and they are cognitively and physically unable to follow the biblical remedy for salvation…then wouldn't that be in direct contradiction to 1 Corinthians 10:13 which assures us that "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it." Amen and Amen! This reveals the heart of God, that He does not put anyone in a place where there is no way out. He is the God of Hope not hopelessness. To suggest otherwise is to willfully deny the established character of God and purposefully disregard Who He is personally. It is simply inconsistent with Who God has revealed Himself to be, to suggest that He puts people in a situation void of any hope. King David was intimately familiar with this truth, listen to his statement regarding his deceased baby boy, and you tell me whether or not you can hear the sweet song of hope echoing throughout it:"and now, he hath died, why is this -- I fast? am I able to bring him back again? I am going unto him, and he doth not turn back unto me.'" (2 Samuel 12:23)

 

Serving God and My Family,

Crystal <>< (SAHM)