At what age is it determined that a child will go to heaven or hell?

Sincerely, Thinking of the Children

Dear Thinking of the Children,

That is an excellent question… that I can’t answer. I could leave it at that, but I have a feeling you were looking for a little more in-depth of an answer. I’ll tell you what the Bible says on the subject, but it doesn’t say much.

We know any babies that die all go to heaven. David’s son died, and David made it clear that his son was in heaven (2 Sam 12:23). Also, Paul uses the immaturity of children as an example (1 Cor 13:11). This tells us God doesn’t have the same expectation of a child’s behavior as He does of an adult’s. Children are not bound by the same rules as adults. A child doesn’t have the mental capacity or maturity to be held accountable for their mistakes like adults are.

In order to become a christian, there are several things God expects you to be capable of doing:

1. Take responsibility for your sins (Acts 3:19).
2. Hear and understand the Word of God (Rom 10:17).
3. Be responsible for your own spiritual growth (1 Pet 2:1-2).

If a child is not capable of doing those things, they cannot be held accountable for their eternal future.

This still doesn’t answer the question though because every child matures at a different rate. Everyone agrees that a five-year-old can’t be held accountable, and that a twenty-year-old can. It is the age spectrum in between where our judgment gets fuzzy. Only God, who knows our hearts (Lk 16:15), can accurately judge the hour in which a child makes that transition into accountability.

Can a woman continue to teach a baptized christian boy after he is baptized?

Sincerely, Age Appropriate

Dear Age Appropriate,

Baptism doesn’t make you a man; it makes you a christian. The Scriptures are clear about a woman teaching a man – she can’t do it (1 Tim. 2:12). Your question doesn’t deal with a woman teaching a man. Instead, it is addressing when a male becomes a man. That issue is a much more difficult one because there is no exact answer. There are two parts to your question:

1. When do we recognize a boy as a man?
2. What should a congregation do in order to have harmony when a boy is baptized?

The first question is easily answered – I don’t know. The Scriptures never say. Society recognizes 18 as adult enough to be considered completely responsible for oneself. Even that is just an arbitrary number. In reality, every child matures at a different rate, and there is no magic moment of transition from childhood to adulthood. Everyone agrees a 10 year old is a child and a 20 year old is an adult, but it is the ages in between that leave us scratching our heads.

The second question is an issue of dealing with opinions. Realistically, when a young person is baptized, some will consider him or her an instant adult; others will recognize it as a decision that shows maturity but not adulthood. Consequently, in the case of a boy, a congregation will have some that feel he can no longer have a woman Bible class teacher, and others will think it is still appropriate. Both views are an opinion, and we can’t stand hard and fast on either view. Rom 14:13 says that in such cases, we should do whatever will not cause division or hurt anyone’s conscience. If the congregation is being torn apart by a woman teaching a newly baptized boy, put him in a different class with a male teacher. If a woman has been teaching him and no longer feels she can do it in clear conscience, she should be allowed to recuse herself as his teacher. No matter what, in issues of opinion, peace and edification should be sought above all else (Rom 14:19). Wisdom will have to be used to decide what is the best course in each circumstance.

With the new law trying to be passed to make doctors unable to turn down someone that wants an abortion, what are you to do if the situation comes up?

Sincerely, Doing No Harm

Dear Doing No Harm,

Do what is right in God’s eyes and forsake man’s laws (Acts 4:19-20). It is a sad fact that our modern culture does not value life. The deaths of unborn children skyrockets every year, exemplifying our ever more selfish culture that refuses to care for its weakest and most innocent members. Who are we to decide what is and isn’t life? As a society degenerates, God’s people are more and more often persecuted for their beliefs.

• Lot lost everything to flee from Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19:29-30).
• Joseph was thrown in jail for fleeing fornication (Gen 39:12-20).
• Elijah was almost murdered by Jezebel (1 Kgs 19:1-2).
• Christ lost his life for doing good (Acts 3:14-15).
• Paul was stoned and left for dead (Acts 14:19).

If a doctor is asked to kill a child by the United States legal system, he must refuse. He serves a greater law than America, and his treasures are stored in another place (Matt 6:20).

I want to know if a woman can truly be a christian (as she claims) and allow unsavory and evil things to go on in her house for a period of years. She says she has been forgiven for her sins and will not be held accountable for the abuse her husband causes to others in the household. She says there is nothing she can do about it, she has nowhere else to go, and she won't have to answer for putting up with it because it's not her doing it. This has been going on for about 20 years, and she says she is not obligated by God to leave him. Again, she thinks that by doing nothing to stop this, she is not in error. There are others in the house that are suffering from his physical and verbal abuse while she sits idly by, claiming no responsibility in it.

Sincerely, Confused and Trapped

Dear Confused and Trapped,

Does Christ forgive us while we are actively engaged in a sinful lifestyle? No.  Christ forgives sins all the time, but there is a difference between knowingly living in a lifestyle that is contrary to His Word and making honest mistakes while trying to be faithful.   The key is the word 'repent'.  Acts 2:38 says that repentance is a requirement for salvation.  'Repent' means to 'change your mind'.  From what you are telling me, that hasn't happened in either the husband's or the wife's case.  Many abused women stay with their husbands out of fear, but there does come a time where that fear becomes an excuse for enabling a destructive lifestyle. She does have the option of separating from him in a dire circumstance such as abuse (1 Cor 7:11-12). From what details you have provided, the bulk of the blame belongs to him, but there does come a point where we must stand up against sin for the sake of others, if not ourselves (Jas 4:17).  This is all under the assumption that she really is able to do something.

You have no control over whether she acts, but if you are aware that others are being hurt and abused in the home, you must do whatever you can to change the situation. Be careful that you aren’t so busy condemning her for her lack of action that you become paralyzed from acting yourself. Without knowing the specifics, it is impossible to give you exact advice on how to proceed. I recommend finding a counselor in your local area to help you move forward and involve law enforcement when physical abuse is occurring (Rom 13:4).

     I don't understand this scripture: “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:5 NIV)

Was I born a sinner?  I thought all children were born sinless?

Sincerely,
Troubled

Dear Troubled,

The NIV reading of that text sure sounds like David is saying that he was born in sin, but the NIV isn’t a word-for-word translation and takes liberty in translating that verse (read “What’s The Best Translation” for more details on Bible translations).  Other translations, such as the New American Standard and New King James (much more literal translations), simply say “I was brought forth in iniquity.” (NKJV)  This is a much more generic statement than saying David was born sinful.  Ps 51:5 could mean one of two things:

1. David was born sinful.
2. David was born into a sinful world.

We need to look at other verses to see what the Bible teaches about babies being born in sin.  The sum teachings of the Bible say that babies are born without sin, and babies are perfect in God’s sight (even David, the writer of Psalm 51, recognized that his dead child was going to be in heaven [2 Sam 12:23]).  Sin is not a birthright; it is a choice (Gen 4:6-7, Jas 1:13-15).  Humans sin when they choose to do wrong; they are not born in sin.

The false teaching of ‘original sin’ is very common in today’s society.  If a congregation teaches that you are born in sin, they are false teachers. Sin is a choice we make in life (Isa 7:15-16), and all humans are born upright and good (Eccl 7:29).