Time to Stir the Hornet’s Nest – Age of Accountability

Pulpit Magazine has posted the response from John MacArthur to a question about the infamous age of accountability. I encourage you to go read it and then let me know what you think. I have posted a couple of comments to the article, but as of this writing they have not been approved, so I will repost them here for you to see.

Comment #1 -

I have been looking all morning for any passages in the OT that refer to children as innocent…and I can’t find any. I too would appreciate some Scriptural references for this assertion.

The other thing that makes little sense to me is how one could say a child is fallen and sinful, yet at the same time say that God treats them as innocent in spite of that if they have not yet reached this “age of accountability”.

We are either born guilty and sinful, or we are not. Which is it?

Comment #2 -

Secondly, to use the same consistent line of thought regarding the use of the description “innocent” for children (I hope we see some examples of this)…adults in the OT are described with that term quite a bit. Does that mean they too are guiltless before God? If not, why not?

Thanks.

Comment #3 -

I found two references to the “innocents”…

Jer. 2:34 and 19:4…

neither of which lend any real support to an age of accountability and children being guiltless before God.

The most interesting comment to me by MacArthur in the whole article is when he says the following:

so I believe that God, prior to the “age of accountability” treats them [children] as “innocent.” It doesn’t mean that they are not fallen; it doesn’t mean that they are not sinful — it does mean that God mercifully treats them as “innocent” in spite of that, and He has to exercise grace to do that, just as He exercises grace to save those who believe.

You heard it straight from Johnny Mac’s own words. Two ways of salvation. ONE – faith. TWO – death prior to reaching the age of accountability. Unless I am missing something, is he not implying here that God saves children who have not reached this age  by a means other than repentance and faith and trust in the person and work of Christ? Yes, he says their salvation is the result of God’s exercising of grace. But, he seems to differentiate that work of grace from the work of grace which saves those who believe.

For those Mac-idolaters out there, know that I love and respect him greatly. But I strongly disagree with his position on the state of children and their position before God prior to reaching some age where they know right from wrong. If  it pleases God to save children who die, He does it in the same way He saves anyone else…by grace, through faith. Are we really willing to set up alternative scenarios for salvation just to comfort someone who has lost a child?

Any thoughts?

Dishonoring God With Family Worship

I’ll get right to the point. I struggle with maintaining a consistent dedication to a routine schedule of family devotions, or family worship, as it is commonly called. And I have struggled in the past with my guilt over that inconsistency. It is usually not long after Pam and I have resolved to implement some new devotional book or course of action with our family for the purpose of family worship that we soon notice that we have gone several days, or a couple of weeks, and have failed to keep up our plans on a regular basis. That’s usually when the guilt sets in and we resolve anew to maintain a consistent routine with respect to having a specific time set aside for some type of devotion or discussion about all things pertaining to God. There is certainly nothing wrong with having consistent family devotions or family worship. But, I am here to tell you right now that I do not believe there is anything wrong either with having an inconsistent (or even non-existent) record of maintaining special times set aside for family devotions or family worship. You read me correctly, and I’ll type it again. There is nothing wrong or sinful about a family not having special time set aside for family worship.

Conversely, there is definitely something that can be wrong – and sinful – about your family’s special time for devotions or family worship. And I might (might) even go so far as to say that, if you are following the revealed will of God as set down in Scripture with respect to bringing your children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, then there may be no need for a special family devotion or worship time to even be scheduled. If, however, the only time your children hear about the things of God from your lips (and see them from your actions) is during your family worship time, then I say you are probably dishonoring God with your family worship, and are sinning by doing them. Was that too harsh?

Is the training and instruction of your children in the things of God a lifestyle, or is it something your turn on and off depending on the day of the week (Sunday) or the time of day (family devotion time)? True belief is revealed by actions. What are you telling your family that you really believe, that your faith is who you are as it pours forth in every area of your life, or that it is something to be activated at certain times and concealed at certain times depending upon the situation? As far as I can tell, we are instructed nowhere in Scripture to set aside special times for family devotions or family worship. We are instructed, however, to make the instructing of our children in the things of God a day-in-and-day-out lifestyle…a way of life. Scripture says,

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

In other words…ALL THE TIME. It shouldn’t be what you do, instead it should be who you are.

Will Pam and I continue to try and have a special time at the dinner table to have a “devotion” and discussion with our kids where we focus on catechism questions or some biblical issue or teaching? Most likely we will, because those talks are always good and interesting and edifying to the whole family. But what concerns me more than consistency with that is whether or not my life – day in and day out, hour by hour, from one crisis to another – is teaching my kids that my concern all the time is bringing honor to my heavenly Father…not just when it’s time to read a verse or say a prayer. I want to strive to be honorable in my parenting. And, as Pastor Butch said this past Sunday, “Make all of life God-saturated.”

Parents, and especially fathers…our actions – not our words – become family doctrine (that one is credited to my pastor also). Our whole life, 24/7, should be family worship. Not just a few minutes around the dinner table or before bedtime. Lord, I need to to hear this more than anyone!

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.