Let The Bible Speak



Q&A: The Age of Accountability

Thank you for watching Let the Bible Speak. Some of you say you watch every week. Others say you tell others about the program. We appreciate that so much! We value your comments and questions. We know that any Bible question you have is a question that other viewers also have. So, on today’s program we want to answer a few of your questions. 

 

A viewer from Oklahoma asks: “At what age or point in life should people be baptized?

 

There is no specific age provided in Scripture at which one should be baptized. At one end of the spectrum, men like Constantine, and some of his contemporaries waited until they were on their deathbed to be baptized, thinking they could avoid the even worse fate of departing from Christ after baptism (2 Peter 2:20). There is certainly no biblical precedent for waiting till you’re on your deathbed to be baptized and what a peculiar and dangerous way to misinterpret Scripture. 

 

On the other end of the spectrum, we know that baptizing infants and small children is unbiblical because the prerequisites for baptism include faith (Mark 16:16), repentance (Acts 2:38), and confessing Christ (Acts 8:36-38). In Scripture we read of men being baptized, women being baptized, men and women being baptized, but never do we read of infants or small children being baptized. Expressing faith in Christ, after all, demands a certain level of maturity. More on the Age of Accountability, What’s the Difference Between the Baptist Church and the Church of Christ, and other questions from viewers, after our song...

 

One must reach a certain level of maturity to understand their responsibility to God, and, therefore, to be accountable for their sins. If 6 and 7 year olds are sinners, then there are many 1st and 2nd graders lost in sin. Who can believe that? Jesus actually sums up spiritually what penitent adults should be aiming for when he says, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3). Of course, Jesus is talking about being childlike not childish!

 

Interestingly, in Scripture, Jesus is first shown to be at a level of maturity to comprehend some of these spiritual matters at age twelve (Luke 2:41-50). Alfred Edersheim, the famous scholar who converted to Christianity from Judaism, points out in his book, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, that "In strict law, personal observance of the ordinances, and hence attendance on the feasts at Jerusalem, devolved on a youth only when he was of age, that is, at thirteen years. Then he became what was called 'a son of the Commandment,' or 'of the Torah.' But, as a matter of fact, the legal age was in this respect anticipated by two years, or at least by one. It was in accordance with this custom, that, on the first Pascha after Jesus had passed His twelfth year, His parents took him with them in the 'company' of the Nazarenes to Jerusalem."

 

Dr. Flavil Yeakley, Jr. spent twenty years as a gospel preacher and later served as an elder. He was also Chairman of the Interpersonal Communication Program at the University of Tulsa. As a social scientist, he was especially suited to do an extensive, nationwide survey of church growth patterns in the churches of Christ. He reported that "only 2 percent of those who were baptized before the age of 10 remained faithful and were satisfied with their original baptism. Less than 7 percent of those who were baptized before the age of 11 remained faithful and were satisfied with their original baptism. Only 10 percent of those who were baptized before the age of 12 remained faithful and were satisfied with their original baptism. Fort-four percent of those who were baptized at the age of 12 remained faithful and were satisfied with their baptism." 

 

Dr. Yeakley concludes, "These data make it clear that subjects who are baptized before the age of 12 are much more likely to drop out of the church or to be dissatisfied with their original baptism. Subjects who are baptized at the age of 12 or older are much less likely to drop out of the church or to be re-baptized."

 

Yeakley continues: "An explanation of these survey results may be found in what typically happens in the development of children at about the age of 12 or 13. The ability to do abstract thinking typically develops at about this time. This is the major reason for the distinction in our modern educational system between elementary and secondary education....The Jewish tradition...regards a boy as becoming a man for religious purposes at about the same time that modern educators tell us a child first develops the ability to do abstract thinking."

 

Yeakley explains the relevance of these facts in relation to the age one should be baptized:

 

"There are some things about gospel obedience that would seem to call for the ability to do abstract thinking as a necessary prerequisite. The essence of sin is rebellion against God. A very small child can obviously do things that are wrong, but at that level of development those acts of rebellion are essentially a rebellion against parental authority rather than a rebellion against God. At this stage of development, therefore, there is a serious question as to whether or not baptism at this stage of development could really be for the remission of sins."

 

Helping my children determine when they are ready to be baptized is one of the greatest challenges I've experienced as a father. Everyone is different and we all mature in different ways at different ages. The key to determining when someone is ready is not by setting a specific age, but in regularly having conversations with them about spiritual matters as they grow and mature.

 

Another questions from Oklahoma: What are the differences between the Baptist Church and the church of Christ?

 

The Baptist church and the churches of Christ have many beliefs in common.

 

Members of the Baptist church and the churches of Christ both believe that...

• there are three members in the Godhead--the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit

• Jesus is both God and man, born of a virgin, and Creator of all things

• Jesus was crucified and rose from the grave on the third day

• the Bible is the inspired word of God (66 books excluding the Catholic Apocrypha)

• Christians should assemble for worship on the Lord's day (the first day of the week)

• Jesus promised to build His church (Matthew 16:18)

• Judgment Day is coming

• there is a heaven and a hell

• each congregation is autonomous

• we receive the Holy Spirit when we're saved 

• charismatic gifts ceased shortly after the age of the apostles

• all have sinned and therefore need a Savior

• no man can be good enough or do enough self-devised good works to save himself

• there is a devil and demons

• there are angels

• marriage is only between a man and a woman

• homosexual behavior is sinful

• abortion is sinful

• the husband is the head of the home but not a tyrant or bully

• baptism is immersion in water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit

• we must still observe the Lord's Supper

I'm sure there are many other areas of agreement. Two of the greatest doctrinal differences between the churches of Christ and the Baptist church is the purpose of baptism. Members of the church of Christ believe that baptism is necessary for salvation. Baptists ordinarily teach that baptism does not save but is something one should do after one is saved.

 

Members of the church of Christ teach that baptism saves. Baptists deny it. Jesus says in Mark 16:16, "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." The Apostle Paul writes in Titus 3:5, "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit." The Apostle Peter writes in 1 Peter 3:21, "There is also an antitype which now saves us--baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ..."

 

Members of the church of Christ teach that baptism remits sins. Baptists deny it. Peter preached in Acts 2:38, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins..."

 

Members of the church of Christ teach that baptism places one into the possession of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit in an ownership relation. Baptists deny it. Jesus says, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..." (Matthew 28:19).

 

Members of the church of Christ teach that baptism is required to enter the kingdom of God. Baptists deny it. Jesus says in "...unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.'" (John 3:5)

 

Members of the church of Christ teach that baptism washes away sins. Baptists deny it. Ananias told Saul of Tarsus after he acknowledged Christ, prayed and fasted, "Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord." (Acts 22:16)

 

Members of the church of Christ teach that baptism puts one into Christ. Baptists deny it.

The Apostle Paul writes, "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." (Galatians 3:27). 

 

Members of the church of Christ teach that in baptism one contacts the blood (death) of Christ in baptism. Baptists deny it. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 6:3-4, "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

 

The Baptist church teaches that baptism is a work and therefore cannot save. Members of the church teach that baptism is not a work of human merit, but a work of God. The Apostle Paul writes in Colossians 2:12, "buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead." The Apostle Peter says in Acts 10:34-35, “...God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.”

 

Members of the church of Christ believe God ordained that the followers of Christ be called by the name Christian while Baptists believe that the name Baptist is an acceptable alternative to the name Christian.

 

The prophet foretold in Isaiah 65:15, "For the Lord GOD will... call His servants by another name;" He also predicted in Isaiah 62:2, "...You shall be called by a new name, Which the mouth of the LORD will name."

 

Members of the church of Christ believe that followers of Christ promote unity when we identify ourselves religiously by the name Christian and place a barrier to unity when believers choose to identify themselves with a denominational name.

 

Luke tells us in Acts 11:26 that "...the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch."

Acts 26:28, "Then Agrippa said to Paul, 'You almost persuade me to become a Christian.'"

The Apostle Peter writes in 1 Peter 4:11, 16, "If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God….if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter." NKJV

1 Peter 4:16, "Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God...if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name." NASB

1 Peter 4:16, "whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God...if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name." ESV

 

Please explain what the Bible is teaching on the head covering in 1 Corinthians 11.

I appreciate this question on the head covering and will offer a brief answer. Let me know if you’re interested in a more detailed answer.

 

First of all, let’s address the statement that many Bible students make here. They say, “Oh, what we read about the head covering in 1 Corinthians 11 is just a cultural issue, so we can disregard it today.” That cannot be true for several reasons:

1. The Holy Spirit doesn’t waste words telling us to do something if it’s not necessary. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness…” (2 Timothy 3:16)

2. In fact, in the same epistle, the Apostle Paul writes, “If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 14:37) This epistle presents commands not suggestions.

3. In the immediate context of this passage,  as the Apostle Paul begins the discussion of this subject, he writes that we must “keep the ordinances ‘JUST AS’ they were delivered.” 

4. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit repeatedly attaches spiritual significance to this teaching:

1. The man who prays or prophesies with his head covered DISHONORS his head --Christ (verse 4)

2. The woman who prays with her head uncovered dishonors here head--her husband (verse 5)

3. Obeying this teaching is connected with the work of angels. We would not want to do anything to interfere with that. (verse 10)

People sometimes think that an artificial covering is under consideration. The only time, however, that the noun “covering” is mentioned in the entire passage is in verse 15 where we find that the woman’s hair (long hair) is given to her for a covering. Some translations rightfully render the passage: “the woman’s hair is given her INSTEAD OF a covering.”

 

Green’s Literal Translation: “But if a woman wears her hair long, it is a glory to her; because the hair has been given to her instead of a veil.”

 

The Emphasized Bible: “But, if, a woman, have long hair, it is a glory to her, for, her long hair, instead of a veil, hath been given to her.”

 

Young’s Literal Translation: “and a woman, if she have long hair, a glory it is to her, because the hair instead of a covering hath been given to her;”

 

Burton Coffman writes in his commentary on this verse:

 

a glance at any interlinear Greek New Testament will reveal the meaning instantly. [In his Greek Text], Nestle gives it, "instead of a veil." The Emphatic Diaglott has "Her hair is given her instead of a veil." Eldred Echols emphatically stressed this expression "instead of" as follows:

 

The idea conveyed by "instead of" is that if the noun preceding this preposition is available, the noun following the preposition is not required. Therefore, the conclusion is quite inescapable that, if a woman's hair conforms to apostolic standards of propriety, she requires no artificial covering.

 

The Bible Professor adds:

 

The dogmatic position that 1 Cor. 11 requires a woman to wear a hat at a religious service is linguistically and historically impossible. To enjoin it as an obligation upon Christian women is dangerously presumptive, since it is not based upon Biblical authority. On the other hand, there is not the slightest reason why any Christian woman should not wear a hat at church or elsewhere if she wishes to do so. Nevertheless, she should not be deceived into imagining that her hat has any bearing upon first century doctrine or practice… .Drawings in the catacombs do not bear out the assumption that Christian women wore veils at services in the early church… .Wherever the expression `uncover the head' occurs in the Hebrew Old Testament, it means `remove the hair.

 

Throughout the passage it is clear that the issue is the man’s hair and the woman’s hair. Notice that the word hair is clearly understood in verses 6, 14, and 15.

 

Let me offer a couple of thought questions:

1. If the Holy Spirit tells a man that having long hair is a shame or dishonor, why would he let his hair grow long? (Verse 14)

2. If the Holy Spirit tells a woman that having long hair is a glory to hair, why wouldn’t she let her hair grow long? (Verse 15)

Some people think that the phrase “long hair” indicates a specific length like 2 feet long or 3 feet long. The Greek word translated “long hair,” however, doesn’t indicate a specific length but indicates letting the hair grow to its natural length. When a woman does that, she is keeping the ordinance of 1 Corinthians 11.

 

We are glad you joined us this morning. We hope you will watch the program every Lord’s Day and then join us for worship at one of the congregations listed shortly. Call or write us for a copy of #1284 Q & A: “Age of Accountability.” You may also request at no cost The Truth Frees six lesson Bible correspondence course. Visit to watch videos, hear audio, and read transcripts of over 500 gospel messages. We close with the words the apostle Paul issued in Romans 16:16, “the churches of Christ salute you.” Until next week, goodbye and may God bless you!

Are you searching for the truth of God's word and have a sincere desire to learn about the Bible? Do you want to know what the Bible says about salvation and about Christ and His church? If you are looking for Bible Founded discussion on these topics and many others, then please accept this invitation to explore "Let the Bible Speak" and then contact us for additional studies.

We are members of the church of Christ as found in the New Testament. We are not members of a denomination or earthly religious organization. We are a brotherhood of believers, joined by a common bond, Jesus Christ. We try to live and worship following the patterns found in the New Testament.

(For manuscripts of other sermons visit: )

COPYRIGHT © Let The Bible Speak. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

IMPORTANT COPYRIGHT NOTICE:

Express permission is granted to distribute any video, audio, or transcript of any broadcast message as long as the material is: unedited and attribution is given to Let The Bible Speak; a hyperlink to is included for electronic distribution; a text reference is included to for printed distribution; and the original author receives attribution. An irrevocable, world-wide, royalty free license for distribution is granted as long as such distribution has the intent of: supporting the truth as presented; giving glory and honor to God; and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download