• Hi Guest!

    Please share Talk Jesus community on every platform you have to give conservatives an outlet and safe community to be apart of.

    Support This Community

    Thank You

  • Welcome to Talk Jesus

    A true bible based, Jesus centered online community. Join over 12,500 members today

    Register Log In

Can babies have salvation?

Member
Cody2 and jculver discussed the issue of babies being saved in Cody2's thread on faith and works and both said those who die while still babies go to heaven.

I would like to offer some verses to consider that I think have a bearing on this.

Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:"

Mark 16:16 "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."

As far as I can see, these two verses tell us that salvation depends on grace through faith. And it also depends on belief and baptism. Babies have no faith, no belief and even if they should be baptised, that baptism is not accompanied by belief and so cannot be counted as a real baptism.

I have not come across any Scripture that makes an exception to these fundamental principles of our faith.

To say that God redeems babies because He loves little children does not seem to me to be based on Scripture. We know that God loves all His children - babies and adults - and He wants them all to be saved. However, although God is love, He is also just. He has made laws and He abides by them. Because of Adam's disobedience all are subject to death, the wages of sin. However, God offers the gift of eternal life to those who are truly in Jesus. I do not see any exceptions. Unless you believe in Jesus, you have no hope of eternal life. Belief in Jesus is essential to eternal life. Babies have no beliefs, therefore it seems babies have no hope of eternal life.

Cody2 referred us to 2Samuel 12:23 "But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me."

Cody2 wrote that he believes David is saying his baby son will be in heaven and David will go to him there when David dies.

However, the verse does not say the baby will be in heaven. What does David mean when he says "I shall go to him"? It seems that he is saying that his baby will be in the grave and David will one day also go to the grave and be with his baby in the dust of the earth.

In support of this, there are verses describing death as being "gathered to his people". For instance Genesis 25:8 "Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people."

Now Abraham's people were not in heaven. This is clear because they were idol worshippers and did not believe in the God that Abraham believed in. So where were Abraham's people? They were in the dust of the earth. So Abraham went to his people, just as David said he would go to his baby.

So Abraham, David's baby and David himself all went to the same place - the dust of the earth. There they stay until the great and wonderful day of the Lord when He will descend to earth, the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised.

Daniel 12:2 "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."
 
Last edited:
Moderator
Staff Member
Babies are not able to make Jesus Lord because they cannot speak and at a certain age children would not understand. Therefore they would be taken to heaven by Jesus. He said let the little children come to me. He is a God of love and we cannot say they would not get to heaven.

God bless

LLJ :love: :rainbow: :rose:
 
Administrator
Staff Member
Mark 10:14
But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.

Matthew Henry's Commentary

Christ's love to little children.

Some parents or nurses brought little children to Christ, that he should touch them, in token of his blessing them. It does not appear that they needed bodily cures, nor were they capable of being taught: but those who had the care of them believed that Christ's blessing would do their souls good; therefore they brought them to him. Jesus ordered that they should be brought to him, and that nothing should be said or done to hinder it. Children should be directed to the Saviour as soon as they are able to understand his words. Also, we must receive the kingdom of God as little children; we must stand affected to Christ and his grace, as little children to their parents, nurses, and teachers. (Mk 10:17-22)


I believe children are an exception to confessing sin and receiving Jesus as Savior. Just think of the love, mercy, grace of GOD in Jesus Christ on Calvary. There is no way children who do not speak and think maturely enough would be responsible.
 
Member
Thank you, ladylovesJesus and Chad, for your comments. I couldn't agree more that the Lord loves little children, that He wants them to be saved, and that He wants us to have the same trusting attitudes they have.

Chad, I don't know what Matthew Henry believes, but in the extract you quoted he does not seem to indicate that babies go to heaven when they die.

We might feel it right that babies should go to heaven, but it seems to me that unless we have support for this in Scripture, we should perhaps be cautious about being dogmatic that they do.

Chad, you mention that children are not responsible because they lack maturity and understanding. There are also unsophisticated and uneducated people such as tribes living in the depths of the Amazon forest who have had little or no contact with the outside world and are apparently as naive as children and lack maturity and understanding. Would they nevertheless be responsible?

Also, what about people who are intellectually challenged? Would the exception that you believe applies to children also apply to such people?

Psalm 49:20 "Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish."

Woz'Umoya
 
Member
You say we shouldn't asume that babies go to heaven, because there is no scriptural basis for it. But in the same breath, there is no scriptural basis for a child going to hell either.

I would rather use my common sense for this. Of course God would not send a little baby to hell, be they born in sin or not, they have not committed any sin.

I really don't think God will send His children to hell, He chose when they would die.
 
Last edited:
Administrator
Staff Member
Thank you, ladylovesJesus and Chad, for your comments. I couldn't agree more that the Lord loves little children, that He wants them to be saved, and that He wants us to have the same trusting attitudes they have.

Chad, I don't know what Matthew Henry believes, but in the extract you quoted he does not seem to indicate that babies go to heaven when they die.

We might feel it right that babies should go to heaven, but it seems to me that unless we have support for this in Scripture, we should perhaps be cautious about being dogmatic that they do.

Chad, you mention that children are not responsible because they lack maturity and understanding. There are also unsophisticated and uneducated people such as tribes living in the depths of the Amazon forest who have had little or no contact with the outside world and are apparently as naive as children and lack maturity and understanding. Would they nevertheless be responsible?

Also, what about people who are intellectually challenged? Would the exception that you believe applies to children also apply to such people?

Psalm 49:20 "Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish."

Woz'Umoya


that is in honour
yqar (yek-awr')
value, i.e. (concretely) wealth; abstractly, costliness, dignity -- honour, precious (things), price.

and understandeth
biyn (bene)
to separate mentally (or distinguish), i.e.(generally) understand

that perish
damah (daw-mam')
to be dumb or silent; hence, to fail or perish; trans. to destroy -- cease, be cut down (off), destroy, be brought to silence, be undone, utterly.

Ecclesiastes 3:19
19 For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity.
 
Member
Babies DO go to heaven

Hello Woz.

I believe that the answer to this issue is found in the book of Romans.. "....Now, sin is not taken into account where there is no law...."Rom 5:13

The Amplified says " ..But sin is not charged to men's account where there is no law ( to transgress)."-Rom 5:13

Notice the development of sin for Adam.It came as a result of a choice,between obedience to the commandment, (the tree of life) and obedience to the serpent's argument( the tree of knowledge/experimentation).When Adam chose the forbidden fruit, the command not to eat condemned him, awakening his conscience.

Sin is not charged to men's account unless there is a law, to condemn them.But the conscience is charged to men's account, because it confirms that the law is written on their hearts (Rom 2:15-16)

So on the basis of the above, children go to heaven because they have not reached the age of choice/accountability to choose between good and evil.
 
Member
Young Children have not yet choose to do any good or evil, we can see this from ... (Rom 9:11)
So then when word says:

Rom 14:12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

it does not seem that there is anything to give account of if you have not lived this live, making decisions between good and evil.

But what finally happens to child maybe another question? David said out of God given (as i believe) wisdom:

2Sa 12:23 But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.


I hope this clears it out asome
 
Member
Colossians 1;18-20
18*Christ is the head of the church, which is his body. He is the first of all who will rise from the dead,* so he is first in everything. 19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, 20*and by him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his blood on the cross.
 
Member
Colossians 1;18-20
18*Christ is the head of the church, which is his body. He is the first of all who will rise from the dead,* so he is first in everything. 19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, 20*and by him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his blood on the cross.

It's interesting verse because im now wondering with did Jesus have to reconcile everything in heaven? that must mean earth's heaven.
I know this is of topic but im left wondering.
 
Member
It's interesting verse because im now wondering with did Jesus have to reconcile everything in heaven? that must mean earth's heaven.
I know this is of topic but im left wondering.

Actually it is the greek word ouranos is the same word Jesus used to describe His Father and the kingdom all throughout the gospels. So I am confident that Paul is referring to God's abode.
 
Member
All Children spirit returns to God.

Num 14:3 And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?

They confess that there children will not make it to the promise land. Jesus said we have what we say, so this confession needs to come to pass, as the parents have the spiritual authority over a child.

Keep in mind the promise land was a promise of Heaven. The same thing as Hebrews 11 states.

Num 14:27 How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.
Num 14:28 Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:


yes, you have what you say. A lot of Hebrew Scholars point out that where God said he would do something to someone, should be read that God will allow these things to come upon you. Not enough space to post works or the studies of Hebrew. Not having God on your side is having the curse and no hope or promise.

God does make one provision though.

Num 14:3
1 But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.

so even though their was was that the little ones would be killed, not even their faith and speaking would keep the children out of the promise land. We can call it age of accountability, or whatever the reason. But God said, so good enough for me.

Children Go to heaven.

Jesus Is Lord.
 
Top