The Age of Accountability

Introduction

Sorry to cut you short a little bit there, Michael. You were doing a great job, and everybody, I think, was singing beautifully. That’s so encouraging to sing songs of praise to our God. And we’re not only singing to God, we’re singing to one another. And that’s an uplifting thing. So I appreciate so much the uh the good job of song leading and the good job that you all have done. And hopefully God is pleased. That’s what really matters. Well, the the lesson that I want to give this morning will be practical if you are a child or a teenager. So do you have any? Do we have any children and teenagers in uh in the audience? Of course we do. Uh but it’s also going to be practical for anybody who used to be a child.

Uh in other words, there’s going to be something for all of us here. We want to talk to you today about the age of accountability. That term is not found actually in the Bible, but it is a term that many Christians use commonly to talk about uh the point at which a child reaches this maturity where he is now or she is accountable before the Lord, where sin now enters the picture. It might not be the best of terms because age really isn’t the point. Maturity is. So we might talk about uh instead of chronological age, maybe emotional age, or uh mental age. But uh we’re gonna use the term anyway because it’s one that we’re used to, and it’s a fine term uh as long as we really know what we’re trying to get at.

The age really isn’t the point. So, when does a child reach the age of maturity? Now, you ask different Christians this, and your answers that you’ll get are are just all over the map. Uh I remember one preacher talking about that he preached a sermon, and afterwards this boy came and wanted to get baptized and was pretty young. And so there’s usually a set of questions that a preacher might ask just to see where the child is, and that’s always a nerve-wracking thing because really the child and the parent should be talking to the preacher ahead of time, before that. But anyway, so the preacher asked the child one of the questions was, who is the mother of Jesus? Who was the mother of Jesus? And this child just looked at him like a deer in the headlights and said, Mrs.

God. And we just are kind of shocked by that, that a child wouldn’t even know who the mother of Jesus was, that it was Mary. And I don’t think we would have that problem with kids here. Now, certainly, if that were me, as the preacher, I would be uncomfortable baptizing a child who doesn’t even know something as basic as who’s the mother of Jesus. Now, this may be somewhat of a subjective thing, but isn’t there some degree of knowledge and understanding that a child needs to have? Absolutely. Absolutely. But is it just that when a child can answer the right questions and they they know some of the basics of the Bible and of the gospel? Is that all it really comes down to? Or is there more to it?

1. What Jesus Had to Say About Little Children

I want to suggest that there is much more to it, and I think that we’ll see that implicit throughout scripture. Now, the Bible doesn’t just give us any real plain uh clear indicator of, well, this is the point when a child passes from not being accountable to being accountable, but there are some things we can look at and draw some conclusions from. And so, first let’s consider what Jesus had to say about little children. In Matthew 18 and in Matthew 19, first in Matthew chapter 18. In verse 1, at that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And he called a child to himself and set him before them and said, Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. So you got you need to become like a child. That’s the only way you’re going to enter heaven. We go on down to verse 10. See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of my Father who is in heaven. Isn’t that a fascinating verse? Their angels are continually looking at the face of God. One point we can definitely get from that is that these children are not in a lost condition. They are bound for heaven at that age. We go into chapter 19, verse 13 says, Then some children were brought to him so that he might lay his hands on them and pray.

And the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Let the children alone and do not hinder them from coming to me, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. After laying his hands on them, he departed from there. You know, I spend a lot of my time with my kids trying to teach them how to be like an adult. You want to train them to be mature and to be responsible and not to eat pickles off of the floor and so on, which happened this morning. Not from our youngest one. But, you know, it’s ironic, really, that in a way we need to become like children. The humility of children. And the purity of children. Even my three-year-old. I need to be learning how to become more like Juni Lee’s.

And so there’s really a powerful point there. But one of the things we can certainly see is that they are not lost. Now I wasn’t supposed to move forward on that slide yet, so we’re going to blank that out for a second. Really, we could put all humanity into three categories. There are the saved and the lost. And then there are the safe.

2. Older Children and Teenagers

They never had the need for salvation. Children are in that third category. Little children, anyway, are safe. Well, what does the Bible have to say about older children and teenagers? I want to look at just two examples. Just two examples. First, consider Jesus at age 12. You remember in Luke 2 where it talks about how his parents and he went to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover, and then they left to go back home and thought he was with the group and he wasn’t, and went back to find him and looked for three days and finally found him in the temple, talking with the teachers and asking them questions, and everybody was amazed at his understanding. At twelve years old. Now, that was Jesus Christ, of course.

But it does show the potential for a 12-year-old to be pretty mature and to have a pretty good amount of understanding. And I’ve known 12-year-olds that were capable of that. We’re talking about the capability of maturity. Another example to consider is Josiah. 2 Chronicles 34 talks about in verse 1 that he was eight years old when he became king. And he was doing good things for the Lord. But he did not begin to seek the Lord until age 16. It was at 16 that he began to seek the Lord, verse 3 says. So there’s a difference there. You see, there’s a maturity that happened between 8 and in the eighth year of his reign, when he was 16, when he began to seek the Lord. And there’s a very valuable point there that, you know, a child doesn’t need to become a Christian until that child is ready to seek the Lord, until there’s a change ready to be made.

But what we’re talking here is not about when the child feels ready, but we’re talking about when the child is capable, even capable of seeking the Lord. That would be a point at which I think we would all agree that that child would be accountable before the Lord. I think we could reason that. Older children and teenagers can be very capable of seeking the Lord. And therefore I think that would make them accountable before him. But again, we’re just being careful here because we’re just looking at some concepts. The Bible is very clear about men and women. In the book of Acts, we see biblical examples of men and women being baptized, not only individuals by name, but we read in Acts 5, verse 14, and all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women were constantly added to their number.

And in chapter 8 and verse 12, but when they believe Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike. Notice it doesn’t say men and women and children. Now am I trying to say that I think, therefore, that there should be nobody that’s younger than an adult that goes and gets baptized. That’s not what I think we are to draw from this. But the point is, men and women are mature enough to make this decision. We simply see no examples of young children getting baptized. Now you might say, well, what about Lydia’s household? Or what about the jailer’s household? Maybe, I mean, surely weren’t there young children in that? Well, that would be an assumption, wouldn’t it?

3. The Requirements of Discipleship

To assume that young children were in those numbers. Well, now let’s turn our attention to the requires requirements of discipleship. In Luke chapter 14. This is a passage you’re familiar with, but it’s so important. Absolute commitment and extreme sacrifice are required to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Now, this is something that we all need to apply to ourselves. This is not only a lesson that just applies to children. There are practical points all through here. Jesus says, beginning in verse 26 of Luke 14, if anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life. He cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

Jesus said to hate your parents and your brother and sister. You know, kids, you might be saying, Well, I already had the brother and sister part down, right? Well, what did he mean? He didn’t really mean to hate anybody. Jesus taught to even love your enemies. He meant in comparison to your love for God, that your love for your parents and your family pales in comparison. And that you put God first, and that you’re willing to even cut off relationship, if need be with your own family. Now that would take a great deal of maturity to be able to make that kind of decision, would it not? Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. That is the language of crucifixion.

What do people who carry their crosses do? They get crucified. It’s the same idea as Galatians 2 and verse 20, where Paul says, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and so on. That is a powerful passage. And so it’s this maturity that we must reach before we’re accountable before God, that we can even do these things to be able to give up even our own life. Verse 28 continues, for which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it. Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying this man began to build and was not able to finish.

And so there’s some forethought that must go into this. Now, Jesus wasn’t talking about the age of accountability. But he was talking about what it means to be a disciple. And we’ve got to count the cost. We’ve got to have the maturity and the foresight to sit down and think about now, am I going to be able to finish this job? Do I have what it takes? Do I realize what I’m really doing here? What I’m up against? Because if we don’t, if we don’t set our minds and have the wherewithal to finish, then really we have no business starting. And that’s a big thing. You think about a child becoming a Christian. It’s a lifelong commitment to the end of your life. And until a child is mature enough to be able to make a lifelong decision like that and commitment, they’re not mature enough.

They’re not mature enough. Verse 31, or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with 10,000 men to encounter one coming against him with 20,000. Or else while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and that’s returns a peace. Same idea. Don’t set out on this unless you’ve thought through what it’s going to take to finish. And there’s a just practical point for all of us that don’t just be a good starter. Finish well. And to do that means to serve God until the day that you die. Verse 3 33, that’s supposed to say. So then none of you can be my disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.

Does a young child have that maturity? Now, as we think about this, I want to give you just two illustrations. We have an age that is the legal requirement for somebody to be able to vote. Why? 18. Why? Is it because by 18, you know, they maybe they’re tall enough to vote. Does that have anything to do with it? No, they’re mature. They have matured. Hopefully, they’re capable of the maturity of making a decision on who can be voted into office. Driving. There’s a minimum age required for being able to drive. 15 with uh with parental guidance and 16 all by yourself. Why? Aren’t there 10-year-olds who are probably at least as tall as my wife? They can reach the pedals and they can see over the steering wheel.

Now I’m going to get in trouble for that. I just know I’m going to get in trouble for that. Well, sure, there are 10-year-olds who are big enough. There might be eight-year-olds who could reach the pedals. Is that the point of 16 being the age? No, the point is maturity. And there are a lot of them who just aren’t mature enough. You get behind that steering wheel, that’s a big deal, isn’t it? This is a big, heavy object that you are steering. And it goes fast and it can kill you and kill others. So you need to realize the weighty responsibility of doing this. Well, there’s a similar point about this maturity that needs to be reached before a child says, okay, I’m going to become a Christian.

They need to be able, just even be able to conceive of this great, heavy, weighty responsibility that is being a Christian. And it is weighty when you look at what Jesus said in Luke 14. And I’m not trying to discourage somebody from being a Christian, neither was Jesus. But it’s a serious, serious matter. And there requires a great deal of maturity before that point is reached. Repentance is also required. Now I’m kind of getting ahead of myself again. Which Jesus said in Luke 13 and verse 3, when he said, I tell you no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Now that’s one of the conditions for salvation. Now, certainly, if we think a child is accountable before the Lord, I think we would have to say that that child is at least capable of doing the things that the Lord says to even become a Christian.

But what if a child is not even capable of repentance? You can really think about it. Repentance isn’t just saying I was wrong and I don’t want to do bad things. It is actually having the independent thought process to say, I’m not going to do that anymore. I’m going to do this, and I’m going to commit myself to righteous living. My children might do good things from time to time. And they do a lot of time. But why? Because mom and daddy put their foot down. And we continually discipline them throughout the day, every day, as we train them, and they do things that are right, but a lot of times it’s because it’s what mom and daddy told them to do, right? And so until a child can reach the maturity to say, all right, I’m going to commit myself to the Lord because that’s the Lord’s will, then that child is not yet mature enough to actually be able to even truly repent.

4. The Ability to Choose for Themselves

Young children are not mentally or emotionally capable of meeting these heavy responsibilities. And until they are, then I think we need to discourage them from getting baptized. Finally, let’s talk about the ability of people to choose for themselves.

In Romans 1 and verse 20, for since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes have been clearly seen, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they, that is, the unbelievers, are without excuse. And the point of that passage is that God has shown us with the creation evidence to know that he is God. And what have the Gentiles done about that? They’ve seen this evidence and they just shunned it. But they know better. God has revealed himself in ways that there is powerful evidence for believing in him. Peter said in 2 Peter 1 16, for we do not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his testimony or his majesty.

What is the point of that? The point is, listen, I am speaking to you something that is believable. It’s eyewitness testimony. And as adults and those who are mature enough and old enough that are children, we say, yes, I can reason through that critical thinking that that is powerful. But a lot of children still believe in fairy tales. And I’m not going to go naming the fairy tales. Because you might not want your kids to stop believing the fairy tales. But do you think that it’s right to take a child who still believes in this or that fairy tale, because that’s just what they’ve been told is true, and to baptize them because they also believe in Jesus Christ? Would they not believe in the Bible and in Jesus on the same basis that they believe in fairy tales at that young age?

Why? Because that’s what I’ve been told is true. A lot of times Ty will come and he’ll talk to me about things that he’ll tell me something somebody told him. And he thinks it’s true. And I’ll say, Well, Ty, how do you how do you know that’s true? Well, because uh G Dad told me. Well, G Dad pulls his leg a lot. But Ty thinks that if G Dad, which is grandfather, tells him anything, it’s got to be true because it’s coming from G Dad. And that is his rationale. If he trusts in that person, he’ll trust in anything they say. He’s going to believe anything that Holly and me say. If a child is still reasoning in that way, then I do not believe they they have the critical thinking uh apparatus to really be able to weigh the evidence.

And if they still believe in fairy tales and we baptize them in water, I really don’t believe that’s fair to the child. They need to be able to grow and be mature enough to at least be able to weigh the evidence for themselves. Joshua exhorted Israel, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve in Joshua 24 and verse 15. Choose for yourselves. Well, a lot of children are still just doing what they’re doing because that’s what mom and daddy say to do. They haven’t chosen for themselves. They haven’t really had that option yet. Uh they’re not even mature enough yet to be able to do that. They’re not emotionally equipped to choose their own path. And until they are, then I think we would all agree that they would not be accountable before the Lord.

Conclusion

So, when is the age of accountability? Well, we can’t just set an arbitrary age, can we? Because every child matures at a different pace. It’s different for every child. You know, I’ve known some 12-year-olds who are like 18-year-olds. And I’ve known some 18-year-olds that are like five-year-olds. I think we’ve all experienced that. Everybody matures at a different pace. So it’s not, it’s not a clear-cut science to be able to figure it out. But apparently, from what we’ve looked at in Scripture, a child becomes accountable when he or she becomes capable, just capable of number one, understanding the gospel, and second of all, capable of being able to independently choose for themselves to commit his or her life fully to the Lord. And then being able to follow through on that lifelong marriage that they have entered into with Jesus Christ.

It’s pretty heavy stuff. So what do we need to do as parents if we have young children? What if you have a young child who you you are sure is not ready yet? I have children. I have a nine year old who talks about baptism from time to time. But I don’t believe he’s mature enough yet to make this lifelong commitment. I just don’t believe he’s mature enough. So what do we do as parents? Well, first of all, we need to assure our children who are too young that they’re not going to hell. Because that is scary. You take any child of any age and tell them you might go to hell and describe what hell is like and they’re going to jump in the water.

So you assure them, now listen, you are safe. You are safe. Jesus said that little children are, they’re not lost. They’re safe. And make sure they know that whenever you hear about hell being talked about from the pulpit, that doesn’t apply to them yet. So that they’re not afraid. And we’re not trying to discourage them from ever becoming a Christian, but we do want to discourage them from doing it before they’ve even been lost. Isn’t that what becoming a Christian is all about? Is to save us from the clutches of the devil and from the depths of sin and the darkness. Well, yes. But what if the child is not there in the darkness? Then why are we trying to rescue them from it? You see, if they haven’t even reached it yet.

So assure your child, comfort your child, and teach them what the Bible has to say about the maturity that needs to be reached before they can be expected, even expected, to actually be a disciple of the Lord. And let them grow and let them mature until they reach what we call the age of accountability. Now, if you are of the age of accountability, if there is no doubt about it that you have reached that point as an older child or a teenager or an adult, you are aware, yes, I am mature enough. I am capable, anyway, of being able to understand the gospel and of being able to commit myself fully to the Lord with all that that entails and to be crucified with Christ. I’m capable of that.

Then it’s just a matter of, are you going to choose to do it? And if that is you and you haven’t done it, then you know what waits for you? Hell. An eternity of the darkest and deepest pain and separation from God that you can’t even begin to fathom. And loneliness. And I don’t wish that for anybody. If you are of that age of accountability, you need to be terrified of hell if you haven’t made the commitment to the G to the Lord Jesus Christ. But if you haven’t reached that point yet, children, I don’t want that to scare you. Realize that you’re bound for heaven. Until you reach that mature, accountable maturity, as I like to call it. Would you bow your head with me in prayer?

Our Father God, we’re so thankful for your word. And we’re so thankful that. We’re so thankful that you have given us instructions on what it means to be a disciple. Help us, as followers of yours, to take that very seriously. And we pray for those who are parents and have young children that they will work this issue out and understand it from Scripture of what it really requires for a child to be mature enough to become a Christian. And that they will help to teach their children so that they will not be getting baptized before they’re actually even in sin. Please comfort us and guide us and help us to always look to your word for all the answers. It is through your Son that we pray.

Amen. Thank you for your attention. We’ll now be dismissed to our Bible classes.