Progressive Accountability

In Christian circles there is this vague theological concept that is never clearly defined yet consistently held by those, like myself, who do not believe in original sin in the Catholic sense. That concept is the "age of accountability." The idea is that children are right in God's eyes and will be saved. Eventually, each child reaches an age in which they are intelligent enough to understand the the call of Christ. At that point they have reached the age of accountability. No longer will they be able to coast into salvation but have to make a decision on their own.

In the "age of accountability" concept, it is all or nothing. The kid has reached a point where he should have enough understanding to completely surrender his complete life to Christ. I guess it would depend on the kid, his upbringing, and the situations he has lived in, as to when that age comes about. My hangup is that I just don't see any Scriptural evidence for the age of accountability.

Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans (Romans 2:6-16):

"God "will give to each person according to what he has done." To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 11For God does not show favoritism.

All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares."

In this passage, Paul points out that Gentiles, those who do not know the special revelation of God, are, as the NASB translates, "a law to themselves...their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them." If we can peer into a man's soul and see whether they are being faithful to what they understand as the truth, then we could sit and judge whether they are right with God.

In regards to the age of accountability, this would mean that there is a progressive accountability, an accountability that increases over time as our understanding grows. It isn't all at one point that a child has to be faithful. As they grow, they will learn more and more what they should be faithful to. It is their faithfulness on the things that they know that makes them right with God. We like to overemphasize a conversion experience, but all that does is narrow having a proper faith down to a sinner's prayer, baptism, or your denominations conversion experience of choice. We can have the conversion experience without being right with God. We need to consistently and continually be faithful to God in all that we understand he wants of us. It is our conscience and our thoughts that will bear witness for us in the areas we are ignorant in.

"He will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile."

When we encounter a person who follows God differently than we do but to the best of their ability with the understanding they have, we can confidently call them a brother. They might need help in understanding the gospel more fully, or maybe we will be the one's doing the learning. Each is accountable to the truth as they understand it, for our understanding will be greater tomorrow than it is today.