Salvation

Age of Accountability

What about infants, children, mentally ill, or others that have not heard the gospel? Will they be saved? Remember that we already talked about predestination and the fact that God knows everything; He is omniscient. God knows the hearts of infants and children, so He will save those that would believe given the opportunity. Some argue that there is an “age of accountability” or certain age where if you die before that age you get an automatic pass to heaven:

Nehemiah 8:1-3 – And all the people are gathered as one man unto the broad place that [is] before the water-gate, and they say to Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, that Jehovah commanded Israel. And Ezra the priest bringeth the law before the assembly, both of men and women, and every one intelligent to hear, on the first day of the seventh month, and he readeth in it before the broad place that [is] before the water-gate, from the light till the middle of the day, over-against the men, and the women, and those intelligent, and the ears of all the people [are] unto the book of the law. (YLT)

Numbers 14:28-32 – say unto them, I live – an affirmation of Jehovah – if, as ye have spoken in Mine ears – so I do not to you; in this wilderness do your carcasses fall, even all your numbered ones, to all your number, from a son of twenty years and upward, who have murmured against Me; ye – ye come not in unto the land which I have lifted up My hand to cause you to tabernacle in it, except Caleb son of Jephunneh, and Joshua son of Nun. ‘As to your infants – of whom ye have said, A spoil they are become – I have even brought them in, and they have known the land which ye have kicked against; as to you – your carcass do fall in this wilderness, (YLT)

I mentioned this verse in Nehemiah in my article on the second coming. Although it is primarily talking about the Age of Tabernacles, it also mentions the phrase “those intelligent.” This implies that God is fair because He will only base judgment on those that can understand. In the verse in Numbers, Israel has just decided to disobey God by not entering Canaan. The only ones with faith to enter were Caleb and Joshua. (see The Second Coming for more on this passage) As punishment, God says that everyone except Caleb, Joshua, and those under 20 years old will die in the wilderness. So from these two verses, we can conclude that God does give some passes for those that have not heard the gospel. These passes are based on intelligence, age, and possibly others. The conditions are probably different for every person, because God knows people on a much deeper level than we can understand. The bottom line is that God’s justice is perfect, and we need to trust in that.

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