What Happens to Babies who Die?

Описание: What Happens to Babies who Die?

Babies who die in infancy do not go to hell. With that being said, what is the reason for why an infant (born or unborn) does not come under God’s eternal judgment? After all, the Bible teaches that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Rom. 3:23) and that the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). The fact that any human being can die is because they are in sin (Rom 5:12) – including infants (born or unborn) and young children, as they are conceived in sin (Ps. 51:5; 58:3). The Bible’s consistent declaration is that redemption from sin & death is found through faith in Christ (John 3:16). He is the only way for man to be made right with God (John 14:6) and to escape the clutches of death; death being the curse of sin. How then can an unborn, newborn or young child escape sin, since they can’t profess faith in Christ?

In answering this question, we have to remember what the Bible teaches about how people are saved…by the grace of God (Ephesians 2:4-9).

Salvation begins with God; it does not begin with us. If it did begin with us, none of us would be saved because none of us seek after God (Ps. 14:2-3; 53:2-3; Rom. 3:11) since we are enslaved to sin (John 8:34). Christ came to die for sinners (Rom 5:6,8) so that God would be the justifier of the ungodly (Rom 4:5). It is specifically for the reason that we are all dead in sin that God has put the burden of salvation on Himself.

Because salvation begins with God, He is sovereign to meet a sinner in any circumstance that He chooses to – including pre-born or newborn infancy. Faith is granted by God to a sinner. This being the case, He can grant faith at any time through any means He so chooses. An infant may not be able to visibly demonstrate that they possess faith, but it would be a gross mistake to suggest that this means that God can’t grant an infant faith.

As Creator, it’s His prerogative to disregard our ability or lack thereof and bring about His purpose. Further, God is both just and merciful. Even though infants and young children are in sin, they do not possess a knowledge of their sin. The reason why God judges people is not merely because of their sin, but moreover because of their knowledge of sin and their willingness to participate in it.

Infants and young children have no knowledge of law, therefore they have no knowledge of sin (Rom. 7:7-13). They are not innocent, but they are ignorant. Because of the perfect work of Christ, in which the law was fulfilled (Matt 5:17) and the penalty of sin was paid for (John 19:30), God is free to disseminate His grace with infants & young children in accordance with their ignorance of their sin. Where they have fallen, God has proven victorious. As true as this is for babies, it is true for all of us who trust Christ as our Savior – for none of us has a complete understanding of our own sinfulness.

We even have an example from scripture to corroborate this understanding. In the wake of his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah, the prophet Nathan told King David that, “…The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die,” (2 Sam. 12:13-14). Upon realizing the child’s death, it was David’s confession that, “…I will go to him…” (2 Sam. 12:23) meaning that David would find his son in heaven when he himself finally died. Even though David’s son was subject to death, his death was not enough to alienate him from the grace of God. For this reason, he found a home in heaven with the Lord and later with his father David.

Sin affects us all in the same way – it brings about death. But, our inability to overcome sin in our own strength testifies that victory over sin and death is found in God’s sovereign & powerful grace. It is His right and ability to extend His mercy as He pleases.