Is There Such A Thing As An Age Of Accountability ?

After children are born innocent/upright (Ezekiel 18:20, Ecclesiastes 7:29), they usually do many things that need correcting by their parents, but are still deemed innocent (Jeremiah 19:4 “and have filled this place with the blood of innocents”) because they have not reached an age (maturity level) of accountability before God. Notice the following passages that teach this concept:

· Isaiah 7:16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good … – children don’t have the ability to choose between right and wrong

· Jonah 4:11 And should not I spare Nineveh … wherein are more than six score thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left – little ones don’t even have the maturity to discern between their right and left

· Romans 9:11 For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil …

· II Samuel 12:23 But now he is dead, therefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me. – David was expecting to see his dead son in heaven one day, leading to the conclusion that children are not held accountable for any unruly behavior.

This is just another nail in the cog against both the inherited total depravity theory and the infant baptism practice.