When a Baby Dies, by Ronald Nash.
Most Christians believe that infants that die (either born or preborn) go to heaven. I believe that is true. I also believe there is wrong theology to get to the right conclusion.
It is vital (as Nash writes) that this discussion not fall into abstraction - a mere theological topic to be pounded to death. There are very real people with very real pain who are searching for very true answers.
The hurting ones want real, Biblical answers and this book will help us find them.
Nash does this by first examining beliefs that are wrong - the first is the belief that infants are saved becasue they are born innocent of all sin.
Otherwise known as "Palgianism", this belief teaches that all humans are born free of original sin, we are born morally innocent. Large numbers of people base their belief that all babies go to heaven on the mistaken belief that babies are born without original sin (or sin nature).
If we accept the Bible as our only infallible rule of faith and conduct, our teaching must be based on Scripture.
Pelagius taught that Adam's sin ended with Adam - that we are not at all affected by original sin; we have free will in this matter. It is possible for us to go throughout our life without sinning and (without the need for Christ), we will go to heaven. This implies that without faith it is possible to please God, to satisfy God's justice, without any assistance from God.
If children and the mentally impaired were sinless, there would be nothing in their nature to deserve God's judgement.
What does the Bible say?
- The claim that humans are born sinless is denied throughout Scripture:
Psalm 143:2 Enter not into judgment with your servant,for no one living is righteous before you.
Romans 3:10 as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one;
Ecclesiastes 7:20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
- The Bible teaches that all humans need forgiveness - and that presupposes that all humans are sinful.
Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
- The Bible tells us that our sinfulness is from the very beginning of our existence
Psalm 51:5
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Psalm 58:3
The wicked are estranged from the womb;they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
It's pretty easy to see that children do not need to be taught to sin - the Bible tells us that it is in our very nature. Sinning comes as natural to humans as breathing does.
If this is not so, then why do sinless, morally innocent infants who are (supposedly) born without a "sin nature" always grow up to be sinful adults?
Conclusion:
Unless we deny the Scriptural teaching that we are born with a sin nature, we cannot teach that infants go to heaven because they are sinless.
