do children in the bible have a safe age that ends at which they are considered to be responsible for sin?

Question

What I mean is there an age when a child becomes responible for their sin

Answer 1

Contrary to popular opinion, there is no biblical warrant for an "Age of Accountability."

We are born into sin. We aren't sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners.

This doctrine comes to us through a variety of traditions. The most relevant is the Bar (or Bat) Mitzvah of the Jewish heritage. Under Jewish tradition, the boy at 13, and the girl at 12, become responsible for their own sin and religious devotion.

Christianity has no real counterpart. There are extra-biblical traditions such as infant baptism, but again, there is no biblical warrant for this.

There are several verses that deal with children and their responsibility:

"Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sins shall die." (Ezekiel 18:4)

"For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified because of her husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but now they are holy." (I Corinthians 7:14)

Answer 2

purely as Adam and Eve weren't responsible until they knew the version between good and evil, so is the same for babies. a newborn is born into sin yet their hearts are organic. while they arrive to an age (regardless of that could properly be, each and each newborn is distinctive) the place they understand the version between good and evil (Have know-how of it) Then they could make a call.

Answer 3

In the Catholic Church, the age of reason is 8 yrs. A child is deemed old enough to know right from wrong at that age. It used to be 7. I don't know if this is a church law or if it came from the Bible.

EDIT
I've been given two thumbs down for giving a simple reply, which amuses me. However, both of my children at 8 yrs old would have known right from wrong within their own spectrum. They would have known that to steal was wrong, to be unkind to each other was wrong etc. Colombo wouldn't have called them up to discuss the finer points of law, but, they had an understanding of what was right and what was wrong. Is this unusual? I would imagine it would kick in with most children at that age.

Answer 4

Even the Catholic church now says there is no 'limbo', so I guess that means that children either go to heaven or hell.

With reference to 'age of accountability', that is a Jewish belief because in Jewish customs 13 in when a child becomes an adult.

All of us are responsible for sin. But as Matthew 12:31-32 says:

Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

Obviously a baby has not had a chance to rebel against the Holy Spirit so should be forgiven for any sin that they commit.

I think the big verse for this topic is 2 Samuel 12:21-23. In this passage King David has had his child taken away from him by God due to sin:

And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live? Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread. But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.

Interpretations vary, but 'I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.' is commonly thought to show that David is happy once his child is gone because he knows that he will meet him in heaven.

So yes, I think babies go to heaven as their sins can be forgiven.

Answer 5

Thats' funny, my wife and I just had this dicussion. we really looked into it and found an answer in a strange place

Romans 7

It talks about the law, and when someone knows what the law is, It makes sin exeedingly sinful. and brought spiritual death to paul.

Answer 6

Its the age of accountability but no specific age is given. Could be 18 could be 5. Could depend on the maturity of the individual.

Answer 7

Scripture says the children are( a heritage from God) P.S 127. there are other places it says that they belong to God. I think the age of atonement occurs when the child willingly turns from God and understands what he is doing.

Answer 8

the human race became responsible for our sins when we learned right from wrong like when eve and adam ate the forbidden fruit of knowledge that gave them the ability to learn right from wrong. children though the bible says are innocent because they don't know the difference so i guess when they learn the difference it is. i'm paraphrasing and stuff but thats the gist of it

Answer 9

all children are born in the sin of their parents of something like that- which means that we are never without sin- It's the thought that leads us to believe that Jesus died for our sins so we go to heaven-

Answer 10

It's called the Age of Reason. Don't know if it's in the Bible I can't remember. But, yes there is.