Posts Tagged ‘age of accountability’
Does John the Baptist Prove that Fetuses Know Good and Evil?
by Terry Wane Benton While it is true that John the Baptist, while yet unborn (what people call the fetus stage), leaped in his mother’s womb when Mary came and greeted Elizabeth (Luke 1:41), it is not true that this means that all infants are aware of sin or aware of Jesus, Mary, and what…
Read MoreCan 6-year-olds form a marriage covenant?
Question: If God takes every word I say into judgment … This is going to seem silly but when I was around 6 years old I got “married” to a boy on the playground. As a kid I took it as seriously as a 6-year-old could, I suppose. I know it shouldn’t make a marriage…
Read MoreYour article on the Age of Accountability gave us great things to consider with our son
Question: I just wanted to thank you for posting the article ‘Age of Accountability’ on your website. I noticed it was dated 2005 so thank you for keeping it on there! My son is 9 and has said he feels like he needs to be baptized, and we have gone back and forth over whether…
Read MoreI’m concerned that my 15-year-old still doesn’t want to be baptized
Question: My husband and I both attended Christian colleges and are life-long members of the church of Christ. We have two children, ages 12 and 15, who we have faithfully taken to church since they were babies. They are now both very involved in the church youth group. I am concerned about my 15-year-old…
Read MoreShould becoming a Christian and getting married be postponed until people are at least 20?
Question: Hello, I looked at a page dedicated to questions and answers about baptism. Could you read these two verses please, Numbers 32:11 and Deuteronomy 1:39, and tell me what is your understanding? Did you know them before? It seems that 20 years old was considered by God the age to know what is good…
Read MoreI don’t think I had that great of a need for baptism when I was 13. Should I get baptized again?
Question: Is it a biblical fact that those in the Bible recorded as being baptized are all in the context of being fully matured adults? If yes, is there any significance to this in regards to baptism? I was baptized at the early age of 13. I understood why, so thus I believe all was…
Read MoreShould a mentally impaired person be baptized?
Question: Scripturally speaking should an adult who is: mentally impaired, mentally retarded, unable to articulate or demonstrate an understanding of who God is, what baptism is, or what it accomplishes be baptized? Answer: A person is held accountable for their sins when they are old enough to have a knowledge of good and evil. This is why the…
Read MoreAge of Accountability
by Morris D. Norman via Gospel Power, Vol. 15, No. 42, Oct. 19, 2008. It has long been a question as to what age our young people ought to become Christians. Should it be as they enter their teens and begin at that early age in their service to Christ, or should they wait until…
Read MoreWhere did my stillborn child go upon his death?
Question: I was five months pregnant and was happy to hear I was having a little boy. My son was so active in me and kicked all the time. One day I noticed that he hadn’t kicked me at all, so I rushed into the hospital to make sure everything was all right and I…
Read MoreCan a woman teach a third-grade boy who has been baptized?
Question: We have a boy in the third grade who, after discussing it with his parents and with their agreement, was baptized. His Bible school teachers are female. Can they scripturally continue to teach the class with the boy in the class? I’ve heard the justifications both ways. If he’s mature enough to become a…
Read MoreThe Age of Accountability
by Ben Overby The Bible is clear in teaching that we are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). Therefore, to suggest we are born sinful is to say that God is sinful. We know that God is sinless, therefore, when we begin our journey in this world we are safe (spiritually), due to…
Read MoreIs there no salvation outside the church?
Question: Is there no salvation outside the church? Will those who never heard of Jesus and his gospel be damned because they have not obeyed it? Will people with brain defects like Downs Syndrome be damned because they do not obey the gospel being incapable of doing so? Answer: “Let it be known to you…
Read MoreAre people born good and do bad things, or are they born bad and do good things?
Question: Are people born good and do bad things, or are they born bad and do good things? Answer: “Truly, this only I have found: that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes” (Ecclesiastes 7:29). Thus we learn that people are born sinless, but become sinful as they grow up.
Read MoreAre children truly innocent?
Question: I am researching about sin and sin in children. I read your writings and agree with you for the most part, but I have a problem with the idea of children being innocent. If children are not sinful, wouldn’t that make them sinless and almost perfect? Christ was the only one I knew was…
Read MoreThe “Age” of Accountability
by Matt Hennecke published in Sentry Magazine, September 2005 I wrote the following when with the Sycamore, Illinois, congregation serving as an elder with Al Diestelkamp. We had lots of children and we were concerned some might be prematurely baptized. Parents in our congregation may be having some concerns about when a child is ready…
Read MoreCan small children commit morally wrong acts?
Question: Can small children actually commit morally wrong acts? Answer: It depends on the age and ability of the child, but in general, the answer is, unfortunately, “yes.” There are cases mentioned in the paper of children as young as eight or ten committing murder with guns. “They cited the example of Nathaniel Abrahams, a…
Read MoreAre children being baptized just to claim growth?
Question: I appreciate your words on the subject of “accountability.” I have met brother Al Diestelcamp at Sycamore and receive his paper “Think…….” While I am considered of the “traditional” camp, I am also searching to make sure that I am not just accepting the traditions of men. In the past year, I have been…
Read MoreSaving Our Own
by Connie W. Adams Over the years brethren have asked me a question which has always amazed me. Upon returning from a gospel meeting and reporting that so many obeyed the gospel, someone has been sure to ask “Were they just all young people?” Or “Were they just children of Christians?” Just young people? Just…
Read MoreNotes on Age of Accountability
Deuteronomy 1:39 Nehemiah 8:2-3 Isaiah 7:15-16 Luke 2:41-52 Romans 9:11
Read MoreAt what age is a person accountable?
Question: Are you trying to say the adult age or the age of accountability would either be around age 20 or in the teens? Are you also saying that the Bible doesn’t mention a specific age of accountability? What age do you believe it is? Because some people don’t understand when they are teens. Some…
Read MoreWhat is the age of accountability for a child?
Question: What is the age of accountability for a child? Answer: The Bible teaches us that each person is held accountable for his own sins. “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous…
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