The So Called "Age of Accountability"

When Is a Human Being Accountable Before God?
Rom 1:19-20

Introductory Thoughts

· A troubling issue for many
· I don’t want to be misunderstood, so right up front, here is what I understand the Bible to teach:

Ø All human beings are born sinners
Ø God reveals Himself to us in Nature, through His Word, in the workings of divine Providence, and directly through the leading of the Spirit of God.
Ø God does not hold a human being accountable until and unless they are developed enough to discern the attributes of God in nature
Ø God takes care of the unborn, the infant, the very young child, and those with serious mental developmental difficulties, in a way which He does not specify, but which must involve the Blood of Christ and justification in Christ.
Ø God holds human beings accountable whether they have heard the Gospel or not, but those who have never heard have a lesser degree of accountability.

1. Background: The Basic Truths

God

(1) God is absolute, and whatever He says is true
(2) Whatever God does is right
(3) God’s will and justice may not be challenged by man—Rom 9:18-20
(4) God is merciful and loving: He defines what that means

Man and sin

(1) All are sinners from birth—Ps 58:3
(2) There is only one way to salvation, no exceptions, no excuses—Jn 14:6, Acts 4:12
(3) All human beings are incapable of acceptable moral or spiritual understanding, whatever our age or ability—1 Cor 2:14
(4) There is nothing in us or of us or from us which is acceptable to God – Rom 7:18
(5) Our spiritual and moral inability is no excuse before God

The problem:

(1) Well-meaning people who inject human ideas
(2) Mean-spirited people who inject human ideas
(3) The Bible does not have a lot to say on this (but it has enough)

What are God’s ways of revealing Himself?

(1) Natural Revelation (Ps 19:1-6)
(2) Written Revelation (Ps 19:7-12)
(3) The ways of Providence
(4) Direct revelation

2. What is accountability?

It consists of God holding a human being responsible before Him.
The Bible uniformly teaches that we will give an account to God.

(1) All will give account—Mat 12:36-37
(2) Believers will account to God for their Christian walk, at the Judgment Seat of Christ—Rom 14:10-12
(3) The Lost of the world give account at the Great White Throne—Rev 20:11-15.

3. What is a person accountable to God for?

The Law—Rom 3:19-20
(1) Define Law (briefly)
(2) Four uses of Law in Romans

(a) Law as in Torah
(b) Law as in The Bible in general
(c) Law as in Conscience—Rom 2:16
(d) Law as the general principle, whether written or not

(3) Law = God’s declared will for how we are to live how we are to worship Him.
(4) The Jews (and now the Christians) have God’s law written
(5) The unreached (then and now) have the Law written on the table of the heart.
The Person of God—Rom 1:19-20
The Gospel (if they have heard it).

4. When is a person accountable to God?

When they are old enough and sharp enough that God says they should be able to detect His Attributes in nature.
Rom 1:19-20

5. Questions that trouble people

What about those who die unaccountable (the unborn, the infant, the very young child, and those with serious mental developmental difficulties)?

(1) They do not fall under the category of those who are “without excuse.”
(2) God has saved the unborn and the very small in the past:
(a) John The Baptist—Luke 1:15
(b) Jeremiah—Jer 1:4-5
(c) David—Ps 22:10
(d) David’s first child by Bathsheba

(3) God will always do what is right—the unaccountable are safe.


What about those who have never heard the Gospel?

(1) If they are among those without excuse, they are without excuse—Rom 1:19-20
(2) Their responsibility will extend to what they did know: Luke 12:36-48
(3) Many cases cited of those ready to hear.


6. The Real Question: What about YOU?

If you are capable of understanding any of the things we have spoken of today, YOU are accountable to God!
You are accountable for the revelation of God in nature
You are accountable for the revelation of God’s Law in your conscience
You are accountable for the revelation of God’s Law in the Bible
You are accountable for the revelation of the Gospel