nature of man

21 And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; [b]for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth[/b]; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.


Is man sinful from his youth or his birth?

I would say that theirs an age limit. i think it starts in the teens. what do u think

I should have defined my question better...I meant to ask do we sin automatically because we are born to do evil, or are we born perfect babies and corrupt that perfection.

Thinking about it now, we must be sinful from birth since we inherit this nature from our parents, though I also think we develop sinful habits and characters through participating in sin. Sinful habits inherited naturally + Developed sins = Sinful character.

Having said that, I think I know what you are stating...that we are only held accountable for our sins after we reach an age where sin becomes wilful (ie. we know we are doing wrong and still do it - James 4:17.)

This would be an age of moral maturity when you realise the difference between right and wrong. The bible implies this in Is. 7:16 "For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings."

So there is a time when a child know how to choose right from wrong, they still do wrong before this time but it is natural - automatic - not by choice, so they are not held accountable before God.

At what age are we enlightened on morality? The bible says there shall be a time when the ***child*** shall know what is right and wrong. I'm not sure about the exact age...I think it's when they understand the concept of God and the sacrifice of Christ for our sins.

The concept of God is not the same for every child. A child born in a non christian family  is different than a christian family. I think there is an age limit that is for all.