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.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.
- Age Of Reason May Be Better.
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
C. 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. 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
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.
Conclusions
The Bible Teaches Adam's sin and guilt, imputed to every
single human being,
explains why we are born as sinners.
The
Bible clearly teaches that
every person will be judged for his or her own
sins, not for Adam's sin.
According
to the Bible, Hell is a place of
punishment for sins consciously
committed during our earthly lives.
We are told
that we will be judged according to
deeds committed in the body.
- 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
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 accidentally run over while
playing in his own driveway. His maternal grandmother backed 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.
