This is how I view ---the age of accountability
I agree we are all born with a sin nature but we are not born with sin committed ----- here is the thing ------this is what God says ------
verse 39 says this -----Your children, who are still too young to know right from wrong, will enter the land—the children you said would be seized by your enemies. I will give the land to them, and they will occupy it.40 But as for you people, turn around and go back into the desert on the road to the Gulf of Aqaba.’
Deuteronomy 1---this is the whole verse
TheLordPunishes Israel(G)
34 (
H)“The Lord heard your complaints and became angry, and so he solemnly declared,35 ‘Not one of you from this evil generation will enter the fertile land that I promised to give your ancestors.36 Only Caleb son of Jephunneh will enter it. He has remained faithful to me, and I will give him and his descendants the land that he has explored.’37 Because of you theLordalso became angry with me and said, ‘Not even you, Moses, will enter the land.38 But strengthen the determination of your helper, Joshua son of Nun. He will lead Israel to occupy the land.’
39 “Then the Lord said to all of us, ‘Your children, who are still too young to know right from wrong, will enter the land—the children you said would be seized by your enemies. I will give the land to them, and they will occupy it.40 But as for you people, turn around and go back into the desert on the road to the Gulf of Aqaba.’
41 “You replied, ‘Moses, we have sinned against theLord. But now we will attack, just as the Lord our God commanded us.’ Then each one of you got ready to fight, thinking it would be easy to invade the hill country.
42 “But theLordsaid to me, ‘Warn them not to attack, for I will not be with them, and their enemies will defeat them.’43 I told you what theLordhad said, but you paid no attention. You rebelled against him, and in your pride you marched into the hill country.44 Then the Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you like a swarm of bees. They chased you as far as Hormah and defeated you there in the hill country of Edom.45 So you cried out to the Lord for help, but he would not listen to you or pay any attention to you.
So it seems to me that God shows His Mercy where the child is not aware of right and wrong --------good and evil ------we are born with the nature to sin but we have to be aware of right and wrong actions -----
1Peter 2 scripture below ----So here we see newborn babies described as pure -----it doesn't mean they are not fallen ---it to me means that are sinless in their actions -----you cannot commit a sin where there is no law ----- babies and young children have no knowledge of laws and obeying them -----it is iniquity that is passed on ---the sin nature not the sin the parent or ancestor did but the Character of the sin ------we are innocent until we act ----Cain killed his brother --God didn't charge him with sin as there was no Law against murder -----God wasn't pleased about his actions but no transgression was committed and God protected him -------
The Living Stone and the Holy Nation
2 Rid yourselves, then, of all evil; no more lying or hypocrisy or jealousy or insulting language.
2 Be like newborn babies, always thirsty for the
pure spiritual milk, so that by drinking it you may grow up and be saved.
Paul made and unusual statement in Romans 7 that he was alive once without The Law ---was he referring to his infancy ??????
Rom 7:9…For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
Babies and young children because of their lack of knowledge I believe are deemed innocent ---innocence is lost when guilt is acknowledged through enlightenment to God -----accountability comes not by age in my view but by knowledge of God and that could be why there is no age given in the Bible ----some believe the age is 12 as that is when Jesus was found in the temple -----some believe it is the age when confirmation happens ---etc ----
It is not how we view the accountability ---it is how God views it ------and regardless what we believe about how we are born ----what matters is how God sees the baby ---infant --young child when they pass on -----we will only continue to speculate ----until we see babies and infants and young children in heaven for ourselves -------Then we will know the real Truth ---
So of course babies and kiddies need to have access to Hell or else all those grown ups might think their on vocation down there.
Always glad to help a friend take a load off.
I keep my beauty on the inside.
Well sometimes anyway.
