Thread: Some thoughts on "The Age of Accountability"

Last night my son told an interesting story from his day at school and it relates (imo) to this topic but that may come in the next post.

Meanwhile in his thread Do you remember when it was that you reached "The Age of Accountability?" GodismyJudge said "I really do not want this to become a debate (which I don't think that it will) about whether there even IS an "Age of Accountability"" so I'll put some thoughts here.

From a web site:

The concept of the "age of accountability" is that children are not held accountable by God for their sins until they reach a certain age, and that if a child dies before reaching the "age of accountability," that child will, by the grace and mercy of God, be granted entrance into heaven."

OK, a scenerio, three kids A, B and C are all born on the same day and have all just at this moment reached the "age of accountability".

Also two things, X which God says is wrong and Y which God says is OK.

Kid A was raised in a culture that taught that X is wrong therefore agreeing with God.
Kid B was raised in a culture that taught that X is OK therefore disagreeing with God.
Kid C was raised in a culture that taught that Y is wrong again disagreeing with God.

Kids A and B both do X and kid C does Y.

Immediately all three kids die; what is their eternal fate?

Kid A; did what was wrong "knowing" that it was wrong -> hell.
Kid B; did what was wrong but "thought" it was OK -> heaven.
Kid C; did what was right but "knew" it was wrong -> hell.

Success rate: 1 out of 3.

Happy with that?

Yesterday one of my son's seven year old students asked to go to the loo. While out of the classroom he could be seen squirting water on people.

When he returned asked if he was squirting water on people? "No".
We could see you, were you? "No".
How his shirt got wet? "I wiped my hands on it".
Are you lying? "No".

This sort of sinful behaviour doesn't just "happen" but some believe that God finds it acceptable; or so it seems.

Originally Posted by FunFromOz

Yesterday one of my son's seven year old students asked to go to the loo. While out of the classroom he could be seen squirting water on people.

When he returned asked if he was squirting water on people? "No".
We could see you, were you? "No".
How his shirt got wet? "I wiped my hands on it".
Are you lying? "No".

What a cute little kid

Originally Posted by Cardinal TT

What a cute little kid

The son of friends of a relative used to (at age four) walk around kicking people in the ankles. Some thought that was cute too.

I'm really glad that some kids are somebody else's problem.

Originally Posted by FunFromOz

Kid C; did what was right but "knew" it was wrong -> hell

That's amazingly clever but God judges according to the heart so no holiday package to Sydney, Australia for you.

Originally Posted by FunFromOz

The son of friends of a relative used to (at age four) walk around kicking people in the ankles. Some thought that was cute too.

How sweet

Originally Posted by Colonel

That's amazingly clever but God judges according to the heart so no holiday package to Sydney, Australia for you.

Yep and this Kid did what he "knew" in his heart was wrong did he not? So what's God to do?

Originally Posted by FunFromOz

Yep and this Kid did what he "knew" in his heart was wrong did he not? So what's God to do?

Bestow on him irresistable grace

Originally Posted by Cardinal TT

Bestow on him irresistable grace

Clever

However that (as I understand it) is not part ot your theology of salvation and anyway in my scenario the kids are past the point where God can "just apply" grace because they're now personally accountable.

So what does God (in your theology) do with Kid C, someone who intentionally does something he thinks is wrong but which in God's eye's isn't, and it happens in that moment between reaching the AoA and dying?