责任年龄是指一个人的生命中他或她能够决定是否相信耶稣基督得救的时间。相比之下，许多基督教教派，如南方浸信会，Cal髅教堂，上帝集会，门诺派教徒，基督门徒和其他人都在信徒的洗礼中进行洗礼，在洗礼之前，这个人必须达到责任的年龄。一些不相信婴儿洗礼的教会实行婴儿奉献，这是父母或家庭成员承诺以上帝的方式抚养孩子直到达到责任年龄的仪式。这提出了两个重要问题。一个人在接受洗礼时应该多大年纪？而且，在责任年龄之前死去的婴儿或儿童是否会去天堂？在犹太教中，13岁是犹太男孩获得与成年男子相同的权利并成为“法律之子”或戒律的时代。基督教借用了犹太教的许多习俗;然而，一些基督教教派或个别教会将责任年龄设定为远低于13岁。我们认为婴儿和儿童是无辜的，但圣经教导说，每个人天生都有罪性，继承自亚当在花园中对上帝的不服从。伊甸园。这就是为什么罗马天主教会，路德教会，联合卫理公会教会，圣公会教会，联合基督教会和其他教派为婴儿施洗的原因。相信孩子在到达问责年龄之前会受到保护。几个世纪以来，罗马天主教会教导了婴儿不稳定的教义，这是一个未受洗的婴儿灵魂死后的地方，而不是天堂，而是一个永恒幸福的地方。然而，天主教会目前的教理问答已经删除了“冷宫”这个词，现在说：“对于没有洗礼而死的儿童，教会只能像上帝的葬礼一样，将他们托付给上帝的怜悯。 ..让我们希望有一种在没有受洗的情况下死去的孩子有一种救赎方式。“无论采取何种洗礼措施，几乎每个教会都从很小的时候开始为儿童举办宗教教育或主日学课程。当他们成熟时，孩子们被教导十诫，所以他们知道什么是罪，为什么他们应该避免它。他们也了解基督在十字架上的牺牲，使他们基本了解上帝的救恩计划。这有助于他们在达到责任年龄时做出明智的决定。大卫有信心，当他去世时，他会去他在天堂的儿子。他相信上帝，在他的善良中，不会因为父亲的罪而责怪婴儿。 “我们已经看到并证明父已差遣他的儿子成为世界的救主，”约翰一书4:14说。大多数基督徒相信耶稣所拯救的“世界”包括那些在精神上无法接受基督的人以及那些在达到责任年龄之前死去的人。圣经没有强调支持或否定责任的时代，但与其他无法回答的问题一样，最好的问题是根据圣经来衡量这个问题，然后信靠既爱又公正的上帝。
The age of accountability refers to the time in a person’s life when he or she is capable of making a decision whether to trust Jesus Christ for salvation. In contrast, many Christian denominations such as Southern Baptists, Calvary Chapel, Assemblies of God, Mennonites, Disciples of Christ and others practice believer’s baptism, in which the person must reach the age of accountability before being baptized. Some churches that do not believe in infant baptism practice baby dedication, a ceremony in which parents or family members pledge to raise the child in God’s ways until it reaches the age of accountability. This raises two important questions. How old should a person be when he or she is baptized? And, do infants or children who die before the age of accountability go to heaven? In Judaism, 13 is is the age at which Jewish boys receive the same rights as a full-grown man and become a “son of the law” or bar mitzvah. Christianity borrowed many customs from Judaism; however, some Christian denominations or individual churches set the age of accountability much lower than 13. We think of infants and children as innocent, but the Bible teaches that everyone is born with a sinful nature, inherited from Adam’s disobedience to God in the Garden of Eden. That is why the Roman Catholic Church, Lutheran Church, United Methodist Church, Episcopal Church, United Church of Christ, and other denominations baptize infants. The belief is that the child will be protected before it reaches the age of accountability. For centuries, the Roman Catholic Church taught the doctrine of infant limbo, a place where unbaptized babies’ souls went after death, not heaven yet a place of eternal happiness. However, the current Catechism of the Catholic Church has removed the word “limbo” and now states, “As regards children who have died without baptism, the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God, as she does in her funeral rites…allow us to hope that there is a way of salvation for children who have died without baptism.” Regardless of baptismal practices, almost every church conducts religious education or Sunday school classes for children from a very early age. As they mature, children are taught the Ten Commandments so they know what sin is and why they should avoid it. They also learn about Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, giving them a basic understanding of God’s plan of salvation. This helps them make an informed decision when they do reach the age of accountability. David was confident that when he died he would go to his son, who was in heaven. He trusted that God, in his kindness, would not blame the baby for his father’s sin. “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world,” says 1 John 4:14. Most Christians believe the “world” Jesus saved includes those who are mentally unable to accept Christ as well as those who die before reaching the age of accountability. The Bible does not emphatically support or deny an age of accountability, but as with other unanswerable questions, the best one can do is weigh the matter in light of Scripture and then trust God who is both loving and just.