Can I bring him back again? When David and Bathsheba lost their baby, they grieved as any parent would, but David held out hope of seeing the child again. Does time exist, within the nature of God. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. At that point they are said to become a son or daughter of the commandments; from then onward they are expected to follow the law and be responsible spiritually for their own actions. Realistically, some children mature quicker than others. Notice how consistent scripture is on this point. Can I bring him back again? "Then the LORD said to Samuel: "Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. As a freelance writer for over 12 years, Crystal has written numerous Christian curricula for Sunday School and VBS as well as many articles dealing with marriage, motherhood, and relationships. Since we know He can do this to anyone at any time, then we can rest in the confidence that children are not outside His reach nor without His grace. But there are no passages in scripture which support this idea other than David’s comments about his dead child. Christianity Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for committed Christians, experts in Christianity and those interested in learning more. In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Having said all of this, we must recognize that just because an individual is considered to be a righteous person, it doesn't follow that he is a good parent. I don't know the situation since I don't know either of you. At what age are children responsible for their sins? Our condemnation before God is not a function of our awareness of our sin or of the Law; it is the consequence of having been born sinful. And what about a person today who lives in an isolated place and has no access to read the Law of God? ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Instead, we only needed to understand the way God teaches that He saves men: He intervenes mercifully into our sinful lives and grants us new life by His Spirit thereby making us new creatures in Christ. God in His mercy and grace forgives the inherited sin of babies and young children, and takes them to heaven when they die at this tender age. Deuteronomy 1:39 and Numbers 14:31 also tell us that children who are not at the age of knowing “good or evil” can’t be held responsible for their disbelief. Well, he held Eli responsible. Since the Bible is silent on the age of accountability, so will I be. It is something we have at birth because it is in our nature to sin. Their parents had no idea when they would be held responsible. Generally, wicked people tend to raise wicked children -- but not always. The past cannot be changed. Having established how we are saved, we can now understand the disposition of children who die at an early age. site design / logo © 2020 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under cc by-sa. A child is not of age to drive a car because they’re not responsible for that knowledge at their age, so when do we know a person will be held responsible for not trusting in Christ? What problem were they trying to solve that couldn't be solved by scripture alone? No one - no adult nor child - is "good" before God. Next, consider the example of John the Baptist: Like David, the parents of John the Baptist were promised that their son would receive the Holy Spirit even before he was born. Because our salvation is accomplished through a spiritual understanding (not by an intellectual understanding), salvation doesn't require that our brain have developed to any specific degree. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'whatchristianswanttoknow_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_0',115,'0','0']));The Bible doesn’t give us a specific age where someone will be held accountable for knowing the truth about the gospel and yet choosing to reject it. Rather, Paul is speaking in the first person from the perspective of a person who is ignorant of their debt before God. The Bible says the baby was struck with sickness and died. We are born into Adam's sin nature and our nature condemns us from our first breath. But there are no passages in scripture which support this idea other than David’s comments about his dead child. Many teach that we are not responsible at a young age. A righteous man can raise up a wicked son. how else can we explain God's treatment of young people who haven't the chance to make a decision? I also believe that young children that die go to heaven as well. God alone knows the heart. Because the son has done what is lawful and right, and has kept all My statutes and observed them, he shall surely live. Some people think that God sent babies and young children to hell when He destroyed the world with the flood. In the wilderness, did Jesus have supernatural power to resist temptation? In 2 Samuel 11:27 we discover that David’s new wife Bathsheba gave birth to a little baby boy. The soul who sins shall die. When Jesus introduced the gospel, He came, “saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15), so unless a person is brought to repentance by God (Acts 5:31, 11:18; 2 Tim 2:24-26), and been regenerated by the Spirit of God to believe (Eph 2:1-2), they don’t know what to repent of or what to believe in. In verse 3 Paul uses an analogy to illustrate his point. Why should I fast? Donations to this ministry are tax-deductible. Are you paying for his college education? In these verses, Paul teaches using the example of a sinner who doesn't know God's Law. This could not be further from the truth. Without this work of the Holy Spirit, we would never accept the things of God, as Paul said. Paul says that unbelievers are deserving God's wrath by "nature" not because they reach a certain age. And as I stated at the beginning, I cannot comment on your particular situation -- only you and the Lord know. She writes, speaks, and teaches with a passion to encourage women with Biblical truths. There is no excuse for ignorance no matter our age. Paul also teaches this truth in Ephesians: Paul teaches that our faith was a gift of God. It appears that the age of accountability is not the same for everyone, and it’s not a hard-fast rule like “At age 10” or “At age 18.” We just cannot say for sure. Has he suggested that dying before a certain age will save us from the punishment of sin? Brother, Gary, Your email address will not be published. Once the Law was revealed to me, however, sin "became alive" to me, Paul says. If there were an exception to the principle of the universality of sin, we should expect the Bible to call it out plainly and explain it explicitly, since something so important and so contrary to other teaching would require careful explanation. most christians claim that a fetus is without sin, and babies are innocent, so just wondering when are they suddenly accountable for sinning? Think about it: Does God hold parents who did a poor job raising their children responsible? Paul says that apart from (a knowledge of the) Law, sin is dead. I have no idea because each person is different. 12:15-16). (p.s. David confesses that he was made to trust in God (or believe) while he was still a nursing baby. No, Jesus’ blood, that was shed, is good for them even though they never understood or accepted it on this earth. Is it safe to look at a mercury gas discharge tube? Therefore, as we approach verse 9 we must guard against "reading in" any context other than the one Paul himself is teaching. These aunts were twins and were born severely mentally retarded. They had the understanding of probably a two or three year old, and they had lived their entire lives in this condition. He was not perfect but he spoke under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit when he gives this answer, 2 Samuel 12: 21-23. Were they able to understand their need of salvation? The Bible says that all men are accountable for sin and all have sinned, with or without knowledge of the Law: Paul shuts the door on any argument that presumes ignorance of the Law will save us from judgment. They have not yet come to that place where they understand right and wrong. God bless you. Advocates for this teaching are trying to provide an answer for what happens to children who die too young to profess faith in the Gospel because they don't understand how saving faith arrives in the first place. Sin was "dead" in the sense that it was unappreciated, and my conscience enjoyed a false sense of security, thinking myself alive when I was actually spirtually dead. Bible Verses, Quotes, Christian Answers, Songs and More. Add someone else to employer-sponsored health insurance? All rights reserved. Hi Brigette, Thank you for your kind comments. It was their parent’s disbelief that kept them from entering the Land, but the children must have believed the Lord because they did cross over after 40 years. All Rights Reserved. In reality, the Bible teaches that salvation occurs in a very different manner, which eliminates the necessity for inventions like an age of accountability. Then there are other verses that make it extremely clear that there is a time before which babies and young children are not held accountable for their actions. “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us"- Augustine, Copyright © 2010-2020 Telling Ministries LLC. First, the person comes to an understanding and acceptance of the Gospel recognizing their changed spiritual perspective. I know from the Bible that exceptions exist, but I haven't run into one personally. "As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, robbed his brother by violence, and did what is not good among his people, behold, he shall die for his iniquity. All rights reserved.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'whatchristianswanttoknow_com-banner-1','ezslot_4',118,'0','0'])); Tagged as: Regarding counseling parents whose children “seem” disinterested, I exhort them to continue teaching their children diligently (Dt. Bible Answer: God never tells us at what age is a child responsible for his or her sins. Ironically. There is an age of accountability when a person becomes responsible for knowing God and knowing right from wrong, but we don’t know what age that is. Jeremiah 9:23-24. What is not clearly revealed in Scripture cannot be clearly revealed to us.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'whatchristianswanttoknow_com-box-4','ezslot_1',117,'0','0'])); Here is some related reading for you: Where do Babies go if They Die? Paul responds may it never be. It is spiritually impossible for an unbeliever to seek the true living God, and even when the truth of the Gospel is presented to an unbeliever, they will always reject it since it cannot be accepted by the natural man, according to Paul. Therefore, since the reason for our eternal death is our own sin (and not our knowledge of the Law), then all men are under the curse of eternal death from the first moment of life, since all men are born sinful in the likeness of Adam. Questions and Answers regarding Child Rearing and Parenting, Cain, Abel, and Seth had the same parents, Eli was basically a good man, but raised wicked sons, Samuel was a righteous man, but raised wicked sons.

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