Will Babies that die go to Heaven?

[jeremiah1five]

Oh on top of that the apostle Paul wrote “Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Rom. 1:21).

The beginning chapter of Romans makes it very clear that God reveals Himself to all people in sufficient measure to make His power, His moral government, and something of His glory obvious—through conscience, and through the light of nature. No person has an acceptable excuse for failing to perceive and understand the invisible attributes of God.

No infant suppresses the truth. A young child has no ability to perceive what God has revealed and made manifest and then reject it. Young children are not “futile in their thoughts.” They have no awareness of the things God has revealed and, therefore, they can neither cry out to God nor turn away from Him. They have no accountability.

If I may...
Death is the punishment for sin. Anyone and everyone who dies babies included are receiving the punishment for sin: Death.

 

[jeremiah1five]

So abortion is the result of receiving the wages for sin?

If I may...yes.
Death is the punishment for sin. Both physical, spiritual, and eternal death fall under this punishment.
Since abortion is murder then the mother who aborts their child in the womb under this circumstance is guilty of murder.

 

[jeremiah1five]

Scripture teaches that we are judged on the basis of our deeds willfully committed “in the body”

For we must all appear and be revealed as we are before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive [his pay] according to what he has done in the body, whether good or evil [considering what his purpose and motive have been, and what he has achieved, been busy with, and given himself and his attention to accomplishing. 2 Cor. 5:10

The sin of Adam and the resulting guilt explain our inability to be reconciled to God without being saved, but the Bible does not teach that we will answer or be held accountable for Adam’s sin. We will answer for our own sin. What about infants? Have those who died in infancy committed such sins in the body? No.

It doesn't matter.
The fact is that death is the punishment for sin. Anyone and everyone who dies is receiving the punishment for sin. Babies included whether through natural death in the womb by sickness of murder of the baby by abortion by its mother.

 

[Obadiah]

Jesus said we are to “enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” Matt. 7:13–14

I believe Jesus was referring, however, to those intellectually capable of seeking the narrow way and morally culpable for failing to do so. To be able to find a way, you need to be able to search for that way. The very young are not capable of doing this. This is one of the many reasons why I believe for the children go to heaven when they die.

 

[jeremiah1five]

Jesus said we are to “enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” Matt. 7:13–14

I believe Jesus was referring, however, to those intellectually capable of seeking the narrow way and morally culpable for failing to do so. To be able to find a way, you need to be able to search for that way. The very young are not capable of doing this. This is one of the many reasons why I believe for the children go to heaven when they die.

If I may...
Death is the punishment for sin. Anyone and everyone are under this punishment, and all will die at their appointed time. Even babies who die in the womb are under the judgment for sin which is death.

 

[Aeliana]

There is no place in Scripture in which a person suffers the judgment of damnation on the basis of anything other than sinful deeds, including the sinful deed of disbelief—a conscious, willful, intentional choice to disbelieve. Furthermore, God does not charge people with sins until sins are actually committed.

 

[jeremiah1five]

There is no place in Scripture in which a person suffers the judgment of damnation on the basis of anything other than sinful deeds, including the sinful deed of disbelief—a conscious, willful, intentional choice to disbelieve. Furthermore, God does not charge people with sins until sins are actually committed.

The Word of God is addressed to His covenant people Israel. It is addressed to adults not to children or babies. However, both children and babies are mentioned extensively throughout Scripture.
The world is divided into two groups: Jew, to whom the covenant is established, and Gentile to whom no covenant with regard to salvation and deliverance is established.
Death is the punishment for sin and deeds do not have to be committed.
David understood this when he said under inspiration of the Holy Spirit:

5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity;
And in sin did my mother conceive me.
Ps 51:5.

But I will also offer that there is something called the Lamb's book of Life that is mentioned in Scripture. It contains names of all souls that shall be saved through the Atonement provided by Christ on His cross and eventual resurrection. This is not a regular "book" but a description of a collection of names ordained by the Sovereign God who will save everyone named in it. If a baby is named in it, he/she will be saved if death occurs in the womb or shortly thereafter as a baby/infant or small child. If a baby is not named, he/she will not be saved.

 

[Hosanna]

There is no place in Scripture in which a person suffers the judgment of damnation on the basis of anything other than sinful deeds, including the sinful deed of disbelief—a conscious, willful, intentional choice to disbelieve. Furthermore, God does not charge people with sins until sins are actually committed.

Yes I think you are correct. Salvation is completely by grace, apart from works. Damnation is completely by works, apart from grace.
In no place does Scripture teach infant damnation. Rather, every biblical reference—whether oblique or direct—to the issue of infants and children who die gives us reason to believe they go immediately into the eternal presence of God

 

[jeremiah1five]

Yes I think you are correct. Salvation is completely by grace, apart from works. Damnation is completely by works, apart from grace.
In no place does Scripture teach infant damnation. Rather, every biblical reference—whether oblique or direct—to the issue of infants and children who die gives us reason to believe they go immediately into the eternal presence of God

There. You said it. Salvation is by the grace of God not by virtue of being a baby that died. That puts a condition on the grace of God, and it is now no more grace but conditional.
You're so close but you missed it entirely.

 

[Hosanna]

I cannot help but conclude that our Lord graciously and freely receives all those who die in infancy—not on the basis of their innocence or their worthiness, but by His grace, made theirs through the atonement He purchased on the cross. These little ones experience salvation grounded in absolute sovereignty and comprehensive grace.

Yes, children are sinners by nature. Babies are not without a sin nature—they are, however, without sin deeds.

Yes, children are in need of a Savior.

Yes, God has provided a Savior for them, Jesus Christ.

 

[jeremiah1five]

I cannot help but conclude that our Lord graciously and freely receives all those who die in infancy—not on the basis of their innocence or their worthiness, but by His grace, made theirs through the atonement He purchased on the cross. These little ones experience salvation grounded in absolute sovereignty and comprehensive grace.

Yes, children are sinners by nature. Babies are not without a sin nature—they are, however, without sin deeds.

Yes, children are in need of a Savior.

Yes, God has provided a Savior for them, Jesus Christ.

Death is the punishment for sin. Babies do die in the womb or as children. Thus, they as with all mankind suffer the punishment for sin.

Can you provide Scripture to support you position?

 

[Obadiah]

If you have followed thoughtfully all the Scripture in this thread and the previous posts, you would know that any child who died prior to birth, at birth, or as a child too young to grasp the distinction between good and evil is indeed safe in the arms of God, eternally secure in His love and grace.

 

[civic]

Death is the punishment for sin. Babies do die in the womb or as children. Thus, they as with all mankind suffer the punishment for sin.

Can you provide Scripture to support you position?

But you are not advocating eternal punishment for the unborn and the infants who die are you ?

 

[Hosanna]

If you have followed thoughtfully all the Scripture in this thread and the previous posts, you would know that any child who died prior to birth, at birth, or as a child too young to grasp the distinction between good and evil is indeed safe in the arms of God, eternally secure in His love and grace.

Yes, all children who die before they reach a state of moral awareness and culpability in which they understand their sin and corruption—so that their sins are deliberate—are graciously saved eternally by God through the work of Jesus Christ. They are counted as elect by sovereign choice because they are innocent of willful sin, rebellion, and unbelief, by which works they would be justly condemned to eternal punishment.

 

[Azriel]

In the Bible, babies that die go to heaven, take a look.

David replied, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who can tell whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me”
2 Samuel 12:22–23

In spite of his sins, David was a man of God, and his theology was sound. He was a believer. He was chastened. And he was forgiven. He was God’s child. So we know that David certainly wasn’t referring to hell when he said, “I shall go to him.”

The Bible even tells us that David was a man after God’s own heart. Also Note that David “meditates” on God’s statutes. God granted David understanding and wisdom through daily meditation. He knew exactly where his baby was.

How could David be considered a man after God’s own heart? | GotQuestions.org

How could David be considered a man after God’s own heart? David was an adulterer and murdered - how could he be a man after God’s heart?

www.gotquestions.org

 

[TedT]

Yes, children are sinners by nature. Babies are not without a sin nature—they are, however, without sin deeds.

A person ONLY gets a sinful nature by choosing by their free will to do a sinful act, not the other way around. GOD cannot give someone a sinful nature by any means without them previously choosing the sinful deed:
GOD is light. Light cannot create darkness.
GOD is love. Love cannot create evil.
A good tree cannot put forth rotten fruit, Matthew 7:18
A stream of life giving water cannot put forth salt or brackish water, James 3:11

Psalm 5:4 You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell. So why would HE create people with an evil nature before they chose the sinful rebellion??? Impossible!!!

 

[TedT]

But you are not advocating eternal punishment for the unborn and the infants who die are you ?

ImCo,
since our election and reprobation happened before the foundation of the world, and death only happens on earth, it seems obvious to me that both types of sinners, the elect and the reprobate, (ie, the sinful elect people of the kingdom and the condemned reprobate people of the evil one, Matt 13:36-39), may die in utero or as infants.

The elect sinners who die as infants return to their LORD;
the reprobate infants who die RETURN to Sheol to await the judgment, the fulfillment of their condemnation as per
Berean Standard Bible
Ps 9:17 The wicked will RETURN to Sheol—all the nations who forget God. with
Berean Standard Bible
John 3:18 Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. in which has not believed means has never believed which implies that those sinners who believed in HIM were saved by this belief before they ever sinned and lost their belief.

 

[Bob Carabbio]

Babies are not without a sin nature—they are, however, without sin deeds.

"Sin Nature" is nothing more than a baseless "Theological assumption".

Babys, aborted fetuses, YOU, ME, and Jesus all had/have a HUMAN NATURE identical to the Nature Adam had when he was created.

We inherited NOTHING from Adam, except Human Nature, which never changed at all. Adam DIED SPIRITUALLY as God said he would, and as WE DO ALSO whenever we SIN, and fall short of God's Glory.

The only thing that makes Adam's SIN "Original" is that it was THE FIRST SIN (actually the second, since Eve sinned first). Adam' sin imputes NOTHING to anybody else.

NOTHING changed in Adam, other than his environment, and the loss of his "free lunch".

 

[civic]

ImCo,
since our election and reprobation happened before the foundation of the world, and death only happens on earth, it seems obvious to me that both types of sinners, the elect and the reprobate, (ie, the sinful elect people of the kingdom and the condemned reprobate people of the evil one, Matt 13:36-39), may die in utero or as infants.

The elect sinners who die as infants return to their LORD;
the reprobate infants who die RETURN to Sheol to await the judgment, the fulfillment of their condemnation as per
Berean Standard Bible
Ps 9:17 The wicked will RETURN to Sheol—all the nations who forget God. with
Berean Standard Bible
John 3:18 Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. in which has not believed means has never believed which implies that those sinners who believed in HIM were saved by this belief before they ever sinned and lost their belief.

There is nowhere in scripture to support double predestination. That was invented by augustine and made popular by the reformers.

 

[Obadiah]

"Sin Nature" is nothing more than a baseless "Theological assumption".

Babys, aborted fetuses, YOU, ME, and Jesus all had/have a HUMAN NATURE identical to the Nature Adam had when he was created.

We inherited NOTHING from Adam, except Human Nature, which never changed at all. Adam DIED SPIRITUALLY as God said he would, and as WE DO ALSO whenever we SIN, and fall short of God's Glory.

The only thing that makes Adam's SIN "Original" is that it was THE FIRST SIN (actually the second, since Eve sinned first). Adam' sin imputes NOTHING to anybody else.

NOTHING changed in Adam, other than his environment, and the loss of his "free lunch".

Love to hear more of your views on this topic of the "Sin Nature" at the thread below.

https://berean-apologetics.community.forum/threads/your-views-on-human-beings-having-a-sin-nature.621/