THE AGE OF ACCOUNTABILITY

According to Erickson1:”There are several indications in Scripture that persons are not morally responsible before a certain point, which we sometimes call the ‘age of accountability’ . In Deuteronomy 1:39 Moses says ‘And the little ones that you said would be taken captive, your children who do not yet know good from bad—they will enter the land. I will give it to them and they will take possession of it.’”

He then goes on to say that even with the Hebrew ideas of corporate personality and a corporate responsibility these children were not held responsible for the sins of Israel. In other words they still were not considered as knowing good from evil and this extrapolates not only to Hebrews but also to Gentiles. Erickson2 goes on to say that in the Messianic prophecy in Isaiah 7 , there are two references to the time when the child, ‘knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right( Isaiah 7:15-16).’

But we can input blessings to children from an early age in order that when they reach the age of accountability, they might choose right from evil and preferably they have made or will make a choice for Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord with understanding because they have been blessed at an early start.

Early in children’s lives, they can be introduced to the concept of God, Jesus Christ, either through taking them to Sunday School or reading them children’s Christian stories, praying simple prayers at mealtimes or bedtime; or taking them to children’s events , such as vacation Bible camps where the events are Bible centered and filled with the Holy Spirit.

NOTES
1-2 Millard J Erickson, Christian Theology, ( Grand Rapids: Baker Academic 2006).