Age of Accountability Is Thirteen
- Michael E.B. Maher
- 3 hours ago
- 6 min read
Romans 9:11 “for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls.”
We have seen in previous sections that although we are all born spiritually alive to God, there comes a time in each of our lives when God holds us accountable for our sin, and it is on that day that our spirits die, for we were born under the law and not under grace. And so the obvious question that is then asked is at what age does God hold us accountable for sin? In the above quoted passage of scripture the Holy Spirit teaches us that all children, from conception until birth cannot sin, for He tells us that they cannot do good or evil. And so clearly children in the womb are not held accountable for sin and therefore their spirits remain alive to God throughout that period.
Psalms 106:37-38 “They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons, (38) and shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; And the land was polluted with blood.”
We have also seen that from birth until a certain age, that God deems all children to be innocent and thus not accountable for the sins they commit. The passage of scripture quoted above confirms this truth to us, for in it God tells the Israelites that their children that they had sacrificed to demons were innocent, and that their parents had shed innocent blood. And so we see that as long as God considers children to be innocent and without knowledge of good and evil, that their spirits remain alive to God.
Romans 7:9-11 “I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. (10) And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. (11) For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me.”
But we have also seen in the above quoted passage of scripture that at a certain age, that God deemed Paul to have transitioned from being a child to becoming a man. And so it was at that time that God held Paul accountable for sin for the first time in his life. When God did that, Paul committed sin as a man for the first time, and his spirit then died.
Genesis 17:24-27 “Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. (25) And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. (26) That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael; (27) and all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.”
So, at what age did God deem that Paul was now a man and no longer a child? It has been taught that the age of accountability is different for each person, and that God holds some accountable for sin at an earlier age than others. But that is not what the bible teaches. The bible is very clear about the age of transition from being a child to becoming a man. And that age is thirteen. It is significant that God chose to give Abraham the covenant of circumcision in the year that Abraham’s son Ishmael turned thirteen, for the above quoted passage of scripture reveals that it was at the age of thirteen that Ishmael transitioned from being a child to becoming a man. And again, it is significant that according to Jewish law, when Jewish boys are thirteen years old, they become accountable for their actions and become a bar mitzvah. In other words they transition from being a child to become a man.
Mark 5:22-43 “And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet (23) and begged Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live." (24) So, Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him. … (35) While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?" (36) As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only believe." (37) And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. (38) Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. (39) When He came in, He said to them, "Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping." (40) And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. (41) Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, arise." (42) Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement. (43) But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.”
And then we come to the above quoted account when our Lord Jesus raised the little girl from the dead. Again, for a number of reasons, it is very significant that the Holy Spirit reveals her age to us in this miracle. Firstly, we see that our Lord Jesus called this twelve-year-old girl a child, and later on in the same passage, He called her a little girl. Obviously, Jesus considers those who are twelve years old as still being children. Secondly, Jesus needed the faith of her father to be intact in order for Him to be able to perform the miracle of raising the little girl from the dead, for children fall under the authority of their parents, as ordained by God. And as such, God requires that the parents stand in faith for their children to receive His blessing. Whether it be for healing or as in this case, raising the little girl from the dead. And then lastly, for Jesus to have been able to call her spirit back into her body, Jesus needed to know that He was able to do so. By knowing her age, Jesus knew that her spirit was still alive to God and had not died. And so her spirit had gone to heaven and had not gone to hell, for had she gone to hell Jesus would not have been able to bring her back from the dead.
Luke 2:40-42 “And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. (41) His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. (42) And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast.”
And then finally, it is also very significant that the only account given to us in scripture of the childhood of our Lord Jesus was when He was twelve years old. In the above quoted passage of scripture where the Holy Spirit reveals Jesus age to us, He also refers to Jesus as still being a child. If there was ever a person born on the earth that could have been held accountable by God at an earlier age than twelve, it would have been the Lord Jesus. And yet at age twelve God still refers to His Son as a child. And so, we see clearly from scripture that from birth until the age of thirteen, that God does not hold a child accountable for their sin, and therefore their spirits remain alive to God. As an aside I need to mention that there are those who do not mature mentally beyond childhood, i.e. those with Down syndrome, etc. These remain children all their lives in God’s eyes and He deals with them as such. Although all die spiritually at the age of thirteen, it is entirely possible for children to accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour before their thirteenth birthday. Those who do are then redeemed from the law and are placed by God, into the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Because they are now under grace and no longer under law, when they turn thirteen years old and they commit sin, their spirits remain unaffected by that sin and they remain spiritually alive to God. And so they never experience spiritual death and separation from God. You will recall that man’s conscience is given to him to have knowledge of good and evil. The reason that God says that children have no knowledge of good and evil is because the eyes of their conscience have not yet been opened. And so it is on our thirteenth birthday that the eyes of our conscience are opened and for the first time we knowingly commit sin, and when that happens our spirits die.
Michael E.B. Maher
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