I want us to look at this remarkable statement Paul made. He was talking about something very spiritual. He said, in other words, “I was alive unto God before the age of accountability, but when the commandment came, I died because sin revived in me.” Every child born into this world after the fall of Adam is born into sin but is not held responsible or accountable for his sins until a certain age. It is not the same age for everybody, and is only known to God for each person. He knows when and how to hold you responsible for your actions. When you’re able to take instructions from your parents, when you’re able to understand what you’re doing, God holds you responsible and that is what Paul was talking about here.
Have you ever wondered from where a little child gets that lying, cheating, stealing or whatever wrong he does? That child was born into sin; he was born with the sin nature, but it lay dormant in him until it was awakened when instructions were given to him. Suddenly he became aware of himself, his soul opened up and he died spiritually. In other words, he became separated from God because now he knew right from wrong and had become responsible for his actions. Then he began to think and do wrong because that nature of sin was in him.
This is why children need to be brought to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ at an early age. Proverbs 22:6 tell us to “Teach a child to choose the right path, and when he is older, he will remain upon it” (TLB). I have been born again before the age of nine and I made sure my children were born again even much earlier. It’s never too early to show a child the way to God, so when they reach the age of accountability, they’ll remain alive unto Him.
