When do we go from innocent to wicked?

[RDKirk]

We must keep in mind what really saved Ninevah, was that all of them from the least to the greatest, took the warning of Jonah to heart, (and probably acknowledged that Jonah's God was the superior to their god's for the God of Israel had a reputation by then, and they feared Jonah's Israelite God) and put on sackcloth and ashes, fasted, and repented from the smallest to the greatest of them, of all the bad deeds they have done...

But God was not williing to destroy them while they were ignorant, which is my point.

But that's not the only verse I provided. I provided additioinal witnesses indicting that God's judgment is tempered by how much a person knows of Him. An infant knows nothing.

My question would be though, how long did the repentance of Ninevah last, did some go immediately back to their sins, Did some, or all truly change their ways? Does the Bible tell us, if it does I can't find it...

God Bless!

It doesn't say. But what does it matter to us today? The bible addresses that matter for each of us, so what happened with the Ninevites after their initial repentence isn't necessary for our own salvation.

 

[Neochristian]

When our intentions change.

 

[Neogaia777]

From birth, from the time were born were totally selfish and everything is about us, that changing is usually a learned behavior by usually example or teaching, for example a child sharing his toy with another kid, probably was learned by example somewhere...

 

[durangodawood]

When do we go from innocent to wicked, at what age or what point in life do we start to be held responsible by God for our actions or inactions

We say that babies and infants and some children are "innocent" What I want to know, is at which point in our lives can we be declared "guilty" or become wicked? At what point does that happen?...

Why the strong emphasis on bad/guilty/wicked?
You could just as well ask: when do we go from innocent to good.

 

[GrowingSmaller]

I always wondered if philosophers cant know the difference betweern right and wrong (or at least theres little consensus) how can shildren be held to know the difference at a certain age....?

 

[Hieronymus]

When do we go from innocent to wicked, at what age or what point in life do we start to be held responsible by God for our actions or inactions.

In my opinion, after the adolescent years.
It's when we usually decide we're our own master, thinking we're adults from then on.
Responsible for ourselves.
It's when we assume responsibility over our lives.
(this is all generally speaking of course)

 

[Hieronymus]

Why the strong emphasis on bad/guilty/wicked?
You could just as well ask: when do we go from innocent to good.

The answer would be: Never.
That is, if you take innocence and / or holiness as the standard for "good".
You may use other standars, but then you make "good" something relative.

 

[durangodawood]

The answer would be: Never.
That is, if you take innocence and / or holiness as the standard for "good".
You may use other standars, but then you make "good" something relative.

innocence is neither good not bad. Its the state previous to the capacity to be either.

 

[RDKirk]

When do we go from innocent to wicked, at what age or what point in life do we start to be held responsible by God for our actions or inactions

We say that babies and infants and some children are "innocent" What I want to know, is at which point in our lives can we be declared "guilty" or become wicked? At what point does that happen?

God Bless!

We say that babies and infants are "innocent," but there's no indication of their being "innocent" (if by that one means "sinless") in scripture.

"And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left?"

"If you were blind, you would be innocent. But because you say, 'We see,' your sin remains."

“The servant who knows the master’s will and does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

From what I see in scripture, God holds men accountable in proportion to what they know about Him and how they have responded to what they know. To the extent that infants and children are held less responsible, it's because they know less...or nothing.

 

[Shempster]

I do not believe we go from innocent to wicked...even though a 1 year old is always innocent and a 16 year old is very far from innocent.
I am not sure how it is, but it seems like we are viewed as intrinsically "evil" as a whole. Maybe you could look at it like a Liger. To either tigers or lions, this creature looks similar but is very different from them. Humans are in no position to be in heaven the way we are. Look at the earth...we would utterly trash the place.
There are those that believe we all have Nephilim genes mixed in our DNA. Im not too sure about that one but if it was true then the whole notion of the thread would make sense.
Whether that is true or not, we as the human race are perfect vehicles for the devil to use because of our tendencies to gravitate towards sin.

 

[Emmy]

Dear Neogaia77. We lose our innocence as soon as we give in to selfishness. God is Love and God wants loving sons and daughters. Jesus told us in Matthew 22: 35-40: " The first and great Commandment is: Love God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. The second is like it: love thy neighbour as thyself." In verse 40 we can read: " On these two Commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." Everything we say or do, which is without love, is anti-God. In 1) Corinthians 13-13: Paul tells us: " and now abides Faith, Hope and Love, but the greatest of these is LOVE." Love is very catching, and love changes all things for the better, love will never let us down.
God sees our loving efforts, and God will bless us. The Holy Spirit will help and guide us, and Jesus our Saviour will lead us all the way: JESUS IS THE WAY. We might stumble and forget at times, but then we ask God to forgive us,
and carry on loving, caring, and always being friendly.
The Bible tells us: " Repent and be Born Again," we change from being selfish and unloving, to loving and caring.
We will find that we gradually change into the loving and caring men and women, which God wants us to be.
To Love God first and foremost, and love our neighbour as we love ourselves. ( treat all we know and all we meet,
as we want to be treated) I say this with love, Neogaia. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.

 

[Hieronymus]

innocence is neither good not bad.

That's compulsive relativism.
That helps you to 'detach', i guess...

 

[durangodawood]

That's compulsive relativism.
That helps you to 'detach', i guess...

No it isnt.
I totally acknowledge that there is bad and good.
But innocence comes before either.