Do Babies Go To Heaven
2 Sam 12:22-23
22 He
said, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said,
'
Who knows, the LORD may be gracious to me, that the child may live.' 23
"But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I
will go to him, but he will not return to me."
NAS
Introduction Some
Positions Related To
This Matter:
Associated
Press Writer VATICAN CITY Apr 20, 2007
(AP)
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=3060955
Roman
Catholic Church
Although
Catholics have long believed that children
who die without being baptized are with original sin and thus excluded
from heaven,
the Church has no formal doctrine on the matter. Theologians, however,
have
long taught that such children enjoy an eternal state of perfect
natural
happiness, a state commonly called limbo, but without being in
communion with
God.
Pope
Benedict approved the findings of the
International Theological Commission, a Vatican advisory panel, which
said it
was reassessing traditional teaching on limbo in light of "pressing"
pastoral needs primarily the growing number of abortions and infants
born to
non-believers who die without being baptized.
While the
report does not carry the authority of a
papal encyclical or even the weight of a formal document from the
Vatican's
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, it was approved by the pope
on Jan.
19 and was published on the Internet an indication that it was intended
to be
widely read by the faithful.
Baptized Infants Only.
This view
is held by sacramentalists,
who believe that baptism is necessary for salvation.
Some Roman Catholics, some Lutherans, and
Anglicans espouse the position.
“Elect
Infants” Only.
Another
view asserts that among infants only “elect”
babies go to heaven. Since Protestants believe in only two possible
destinies,
this implies that all non-elect infants go to hell. Many who hold this
view are
agnostic about whether some or all infants are “elect.”
They state the issue thus because the Bible
is silent on the issue. Christians who take this view are in the
covenant
theology tradition.
Some Who
Emphasize Election in a Calvinistic Manner,
Do believe all babies can go to heaven.
John MacArthur is such a person.
Now I will
share what I believe. No one can be
dogmatic about their position
on this subject since scripture does not give us proof text on which to
be
dogmatic.
1. Scriptures
That Seem To Indicate Babies Go To
Heaven.
A.
The Word To The
Infants Of Israel. Deut 1:38-40
38'Joshua
the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter there; encourage
him, for he will cause Israel to inherit it.
39'Moreover,
your little ones who you said would become a prey, and your sons, who
this day
have no knowledge of good or evil, shall enter there, and I will give
it to
them and they shall possess it. 40'But as for you, turn around and set
out for
the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.'
NASU
1. The Term Age Of
Accountability Is Not The
Best Term.
2.
Age Of Reason May Be Better.
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B. The
Word About The Son Of David.
2 Sam 12:22-23
22
He said, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I
said, ' Who knows, the LORD may be gracious to
me, that
the child may live.' 23 "But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I
bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to
me." NASU
1.
David Knew He Could Not Bring The Child
Back. v 23a
2.
He Believed He Could Go And
Be With The Child. v
23b
3.
David Believed He Would Go To Heaven.
Ps
23:6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my
life, And
I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever. NASU
Ps
73:24 With Your counsel You will guide me, And afterward receive me to
glory.
NASU
C.
God Expressed Concern For
The Children Of Nineveh. Jonah 4:10-11
`
10
Then the LORD said, "You had compassion
on the plant for which you
did not work and which you did not cause to
grow, which
came up overnight and perished overnight. 11 "Should I not have
compassion
on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons
who do
not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as
many
animals?" NASU
D.
Jesus Tells Of A
Child’s Guardian Angel. Matt. 18:9-11
9
" If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck
it out
and throw it from you. It is
better for you to enter life with one eye, than to
have two
eyes and be cast into the fiery hell. 10
"See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you
that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who
is in heaven. 11[" For the Son of Man has
come to save
that which was lost.] NASU
E.
Jesus Invites The Children To Come To
Him. Matt 19:13-14
13 Then
some children
were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray;
and the
disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus said, " Let
the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the
kingdom
of heaven belongs to such as these."
NASU
F. Jesus
PRAISED The Father For Revealing Truth To Infants.
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Matt
11:25 At that
time Jesus said, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that
You
have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have
revealed them
to infants. NASU
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G. Jesus
Said All Must Be As Children In Order To Enter Heaven.
Matt
18:2‑4 2
And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, 3 and said,
"Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children,
you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
4 "Whoever then humbles himself as this child,
he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
NASU
1. This Relates To
Humility, and Trust.
2. It May Be Also
Saying Something About A Child’s Innocence
Related
To Personal Sin.
3. It May Be Including
The Child Under The
Blood Of Christ.
H.
Jesus Redeems From Every Nation. Rev
5:9 -10
9
And they sang a new song, saying, " Worthy are You
to take the book and to
break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased
for God
with Your blood men from every tribe
and tongue and people and nation.
10 "You have made them to be a kingdom
and priests to our
God; and they will reign upon the earth." NASU
1. Today We Have People
Groups That Have Not Heard
The Gospel; Unless They heard by Radio.
2. We Do Have Places
Where The Gospel Has Not
Been Written In Their Language.
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Conclusion
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1.
The
Bible Teaches Adam's sin and guilt, imputed to every single human
being,
explains why we are born as sinners.
<>2.
The Bible clearly teaches
that every person
will be judged for his or her own sins, not for Adam's sin.
<>3.
According
to the Bible, Hell is a place of
punishment for sins
consciously committed during our earthly
lives.
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4.
We are
told that we will be judged according
to deeds committed
in the body.
5. The
Judgment Of
Christians for their rewards: 2 Cor.5:10
"For
we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one
may be
recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done,
whether
good or bad." NAS
6. The
judgment of sinners that will take place
at what the Scriptures refer to as the Great White Throne judgment and
will be according
to their deeds.
Rev.
20:11-12 "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon
it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled
away, and
no place was found for them. And -I
saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and
books
were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life;
and the
dead were judged from the things which were written in the books,
according to
their deeds." NAS
Illustration
My wife’s
brother R. L. Bishop had a child accidently
run over while playing in his own driveway.
His maternal grandmother back out of the driveway not knowing he
was
behind the car.
A few
years later my wife got a time to be alone with
her brother and asked him if he knew for certain he had received
salvation
through Christ’s sacrifice. He told her,
“Yes!” He then related the following
story.
He told
her as they rushed their son to the hospital
he held him in his arms with his hand against his head.
On the way he said
he felt the brains of his son
oozing out and he sensed life was leaving his son.
He related that he just knew this little boy
was dying, and he believed he would go to heaven. He
knew he would not because he had never
accepted Christ into his life, so right their he
surrendered to the call of Christ.
Have you
ever surrendered to Christ? I believe that
child you lost went to heaven;
by the grace of God you may also go. The
sacrifice of Christ will cover your sin, and sins.
But you must surrender to Him. Please
acknowledge Him as the Lord of your
life today.
The Bottom Line In All Of This Is The Mercy
Of God.
I Do Not Believe Any Of
Us
Are More Merciful Than God; Nor
That We Need To Be Concerned That God Will
Not Show
Mercy
To A Child That Has Never Willfully Sinned.
