Are Kids Born Sinful?

Are kids born sinful, or are they innocent? And when do they become accountable before God? In this episode, we walk through what the Bible teaches and what it means for how you disciple your kids.

We’ll cover:

• What Scripture says about a child’s sin nature
• The idea of an “age of accountability”
• How this should shape the way you parent and disciple your children

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Welcome to Discipling Kids Podcast, where practical parenting meets practiced theology for families and ministries discipling kids for Christ. I'm your host, Pastor John Scheller. In the last episode, I discussed why children matter. Children matter because of their nature and place in God's kingdom. Regarding a child's nature, they matter and are valuable because they are in the image of God, made by God and a gift from God. There's another important aspect to a child's nature, however, which I want to discuss in this episode and what it means for child discipleship. It's that children are sinful from conception. How are children born sinners? How can a child belong to God's kingdom and be used in it if they are sinful? Let's begin with how are children born sinners. The verse that is discussed most as it relates to original sin is Romans five chapter twelve. And I'm reading from the New Living Translation, and it is When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for or because everyone sinned. Based on this verse, what is the relationship between Adam's sin and ours? Or to put it another way, why do all people, with the exception of Jesus, sin? One early church theologian named Pelagius argued that rather than being born sinful, we all sin because we eventually follow Adam's example and thereby become responsible for our own sin. Others have argued that we have inherited only the consequences of Adam's sin. But humans are not themselves guilty of his original sin. This would mean that infants are technically born innocent but will eventually sin, either by following Adam's example or because a child's corrupt nature will eventually cause them to do so. While Paul does affirm elsewhere that the sin of individuals leads to death, the word sinned as used here in Romans 5, verse 12, doesn't mean following an example or inheriting the consequences of sin in one's nature. Rather, it refers to the actual act of sinning. So when Paul wrote death spread to all because all sinned, Paul is more likely referring to all people's actual sin in Adam, because Adam is our covenant or federal head, meaning that all sinned in Adam because he represents us all. To be clear, Paul doesn't explicitly say here in Romans 5 that Adam is our covenant federal or representative head, but the concept that the actions of certain individuals could have a representative character for the whole corporate community and be described as the actions of many other individuals within that corporate community was a popular concept in the Jewish world of Paul's day. And so it's probable that this concept informed what he meant specifically in Romans 5, verse 12, when he said everyone sinned. The classic biblical example for this idea comes from Joshua chapter 7, where a sin committed by one individual, Achan, is also said to be Israel's sin, and the reason why God's anger burns against Israel as a corporate community. A helpful way to explain this is by using the giant Goliath as an example. Goliath represented the entire Philistine army. When Goliath lost to David, every individual Philistine lost the war because their representative head, Goliath, lost. Regarding Adam, his defeat resulted in both physical and spiritual death. We know it also had spiritual ramifications because later in Romans chapter 5, verse 21, the death brought about by Adam is contrasted with eternal life, revealing the spiritual nature to this death. The analogy then Paul makes between Adam and Jesus is as follows. Since Adam is the first man and represents all humans, his one act of sinfulness made all people sinners because of him. His sin also broke creation and our relationship with God. So all humans born of Adam are sinners even from conception. And so King David could lament in Psalm 51, verses 5 through 7, for I was born a sinner, yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. Jesus, however, represents a new humanity as described in Ephesians chapter 2, verse 15, so that all who are born again into this family in which Jesus is the representative head, they are justified by his one act of righteousness. Just as David defeated Goliath, and suddenly all Israel was victorious, so all followers of Jesus gain eternal life because Jesus defeated death. Not only are Jesus' followers redeemed in Jesus, but even creation itself will also be restored under the new headship of Christ. Whereas our original head Adam failed, our new covenant head, Jesus, has succeeded. This view that all people have sinned in Adam, it was popularized in the third and fourth century by Augustine, who was debating against Pelagius, who I mentioned a moment ago. But what happens to an infant or young child who dies before they can confess Jesus as their Lord and Savior? While they are still guilty and suffer the consequences of sin, such as living in a physically and spiritually broken world, they are not held accountable for Adam's sin or their own personal sins until they mature. This is also one reason why children can be both sinful and the kingdom of heaven belongs to them simultaneously. If you have suffered a miscarriage or your child has died at a young age, then know that they are with God, because God does not hold them accountable for their sin in Adam. Scriptural evidence for an age of accountability can be found in the Old Testament. In Judaism, while young children participated in Torah observance, they were not required to follow the Mosaic law like mature adults. For instance, circumcision was something the parents did to an infant boy in order to follow the law, but it wasn't something the child did themselves. Though they were part of the covenant community, it wasn't until they were older that they became part of the Torah abiding community. For this reason, I think we have moments in Scripture, like in Numbers 14, when God explains to his people why that generation must die in the wilderness due to their sins, except Joshua, Caleb, and your little ones. Later in Deuteronomy chapter 1, verse 39, Moses recounts this event from Numbers to these same little ones who are now adults, and he explains the reason they were spared was because at that time as children they had no knowledge of good and evil. For this reason, I think we have moments in Scripture, like in Numbers 14, when God explains to his people why that generation must die in the wilderness due to their sins, except Joshua, Caleb, and your little ones. Later in Deuteronomy chapter 1, verse 39, Moses recounts this event from Numbers to these same little ones who are now adults, and he explains the reason they were spared was because at that time as children they had no knowledge of good and evil. This Greek word used to describe the little ones in the Septuagint, and that's the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew, in both Numbers and in Deuteronomy is the same word used when Jesus says in Matthew nineteen fourteen, let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven. So while I uphold that children are sinners from birth, they are not accountable for that sin until they are older. You may ask, Well, when is that? In short, it depends on who you ask, because Scripture is not definitive. For example, in the Old Testament book of Second Kings, it describes a time when the prophet Elisha was travelling when some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, Go up you bald head, go up you bald head. And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord, and two she bears came out of the woods and tore forty two of the boys. The text emphasizes that these boys were young, and they were clearly held accountable. So again, there is no definitive answer as to when accountability begins. However, children will one day become of age when they are accountable, and we need to guide them to saving faith in Jesus Christ because they are sinful. So at what age should we begin to share the gospel, that is, the good news of Jesus with our children? Should we wait until they can understand it? Honestly, even before and soon after they're born, through prayer, discussions, behaviors, and songs, the gospel should be openly seen and experienced in our homes so that as children develop, they will take notice of a devotion within the home and begin to identify with it. If understanding is the marker for a child's accountability, what does a child need to understand in order to become accountable and a follower of Christ? And I was really helped by a recent book called Children and Salvation, Biblical, Theological and Practical Considerations. And in this book, it lays out four understandings that a child must have. The first one is a child must comprehend the concept of sin. See, by elementary years, most children understand rules, consequences, and how to treat others. So they must realize that wrongdoing is a sin. Secondly, a child must understand that he or she is a sinner. Many children see the sin of others, like their siblings, before they see their own sin. And Romans 3 23 says, For all have sinned and lack the glory of God. And that's an important verse for children realizing they too are sinners. Thirdly, a child must understand that they are a sinner against God and that sin separates them from God. So, yes, while stealing their siblings' toy is offensive to their brother and sister, it is also an offense to God. And fourthly, a child must understand the purpose of Jesus' death and resurrection, which saves them and all believers from the consequences of their sin. So how I often explain the gospel to children, I'll ask them, I'll say, Raise your hand if you've ever had a consequence, like going to time out. And typically about half the class will raise their hand, and I'll raise mine too and say, Yeah, a lot of us. And I said, Do you go to, do you get a consequence because you were obedient or disobedient? And they'll all say, Yeah, disobedient. I'll be like, Yeah, because we were disobedient. And I said, and when you sit in time out, are you usually close to your parents or are you far away? And there'll be one or two brave little kids who'll be like, yeah, we're far away, usually far away. And I'll say, Yeah, well, in a similar way, when we're disobedient to God, we call that sin. And sin is anything we think or say or do that disobeys God. And just like when we're sitting far away from our parents in time out, our sin separates us from God. And that's really bad news. And the kids will be like, oh yeah, yeah, that's bad news. And then I'll say, but but I've got good news. God loves you so much that he sent his one and only son Jesus to serve your consequence for you. And I'll ask, how did Jesus do that? And I'll begin to explain. He died on the cross. But did Jesus stay dead? It's usually fun to see a group of four-year-olds shake their head and say, No, and I'll say, Yes, three days later, Jesus rose from the grave. So when you believe that Jesus died for your sin and was raised from the dead, you are forgiven of your sin. And you don't have to face the big scary consequence. You won't be far away from God, but brought near to him. And that is great news. So, in conclusion, children are sinners and need to be taught the gospel. However, if you have a miscarriage or your infant or young child dies before they can profess faith in Jesus, take hope in knowing they are with God because their sin is not held against them. Thank you for listening to Discipling Kids Podcast. If you enjoyed today's episode, please subscribe so you can receive the latest updates about new episodes and other events.