Some time back I got into a discussion in the comments of another blog about God's nature. I don't remember exactly what was said, but I do remember the person saying something to the effect of "so you're one of those people that believe God sends unborn babies to hell!" This was a response to me saying that Jesus in the
only way to heaven, and that
all are sinful and in need of a savior.
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through me" (John 14:6).
"For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins" (John 8:24).
"And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5).
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
My response to this person was that many Christians believe in an age of accountability. We are all born into sin, but at what point are we held accountable for that sin? I explained that scripture is not explicit on the matter of what happens to babies and young children when they die, but it would seem that they are spared according to the nature of God demonstrated in the Old Testament. I'd like to talk to my pastor about this to see what he thinks, but I ran across a passage this morning that led me to believe I'm on the right track here.
I'm currently reading about Israel's journey out of slavery and into the promised land of Canaan. Over and over, the Lord provides for them: food, clothing, shelter, even protection against the Egyptians when Pharaoh changes his mind and comes after them (think parting of the Red Sea.) Yet a large portion of the people continue to complain about their situation, and every time they run into some perceived difficulty, they start blaming God and actually wish they were still enslaved in Egypt! This is despite the fact that God has told them, though Moses, over and over, that He will bring them into Canaan as he had promised. God says to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them? I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them..." After Moses pleads for mercy, God decides to forgive them, but He will still punish those who have spoken against him.
Numbers 14:26-35 (English Standard Version)
And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, "How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me. Say to them, 'As I live, declares the LORD, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected. But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness. According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.' I, the LORD, have spoken. Surely this will I do to all this wicked congregation who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die."
The people who kept accusing God of letting them die in the dessert would suffer exactly that fate for their lack of faith -- but only those who were 20 years old and older. God still allowed all those who were currently under 20 to make it through the 40 years of wandering in the dessert and see the land of Canaan that was promised to them. He spared the kids!
I don't think 20 years old is necessarily the magic number, but this passage does lead me to believe that God is merciful to children. The children of Israel still had to deal with the effects of sin (wandering the dessert for 40 years), but they were spared from death. God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, and that is why I believe in an age of accountability. I don't know what that age is, but I definitely believe that there is a point when you are able to recognize your own sin and know better, and until that point, I think God is merciful if you die. I believe that unborn babies, babies, toddlers, and young children will go to heaven if they die, because they are not old enough to be held accountable nor to understand what salvation means.
Comments (10)
@Clay_in_His_Hands - I'm glad you shared this because I was going to ask if anyone knew of any other scripture that backed up this viewpoint.
I believe that God judges everyone based on their own convictions.
In Leviticus 4: 27-28 it says, "If any member of the community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD's commands, when they realize their guilt and the sin they have committed becomes known, they must bring as their offering for the sin they committed a female goat without defect."
To me this is saying that once you realize your sin, then you must be forgiven of it. Before you know you have sinned, it will not be held against you.
Children have not been convicted of as many commands as an adult should be and therefore are only judged based on the ones they have been convicted of.
Jesus also says we should become LIKE children to be saved. This verse can be taken in many ways (i don't know where it is off the top of my head?) but we do know that Children will be saved because of this passage.
@aliyagator@xanga - This reminds me of something my Sunday school teacher said a few weeks ago. We were talking about the problems with a watered down gospel. He said you can't truly repent unless you are first aware of your sin. Preaching the gospel without acknowledging our need for salvation based on our sin is worthless. Too many people become Christians because they want a happy life or they are scared of the idea of hell, but never confront their own sin, so they never repent.
Here are those verses you were thinking of:
"Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3-4 ESV)
And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, "Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them. (Mark 10:13-16 ESV)
@Kim - Thank you for the verses. I knew they were in the gospels but didn't know exactly where and didn't find it quickly when I skimmed. Anyway...
I was just talking with someone recently that was talking about the idea that we have to realize how much we NEED Christ before we can accept Him. Same thing you're saying. You have to realize your need for salvation. Realize that you CANNOT do it alone and that you must take on Christ because there really is NOTHING you can do to gain your own salvation. Well, besides accepting the Sacrifice of Christ.
Great post, Kim! I have the same views regarding this subject.
It's amazing everyone reads this scripture in Numbers 14, they see it's clearly 20 yet most all stop short in saying that 20 is not the magic number. I can understand not wanting to tell teens they will go to heaven before 20, there is enough problems with drinking, drugs, etc, but if we are true to God's word, we will see it for what is it, 20.
What confirms it is Ex 30: 12:-14
When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man
a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them.
13: This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD.
14: Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD
This proves the bible through medical science, it has been discovered that the upper lobe of the brain is not developed until 20, and that is what controls emotion nd decision making... see here
http://www.geocities.com/christian_crusade/theageofaccountability.html
This is why God chose that number.
There reason those 20 and under were spared was because
"Deu 1:39: Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it."
Those under 20 were seen as little ones.
@classic70s - Thanks for sharing these passages!
Sure Kim, I just felt like commenting here because you seem to reading it the right way and I want to tell you that you are.
Here are a few more more links... as this one states, Children can still walk in the eyes of the Lord and recieve his blessings, but not be judged for their sin if they die.
Remember children can sin and do evil... just not be held to judgement for it.
See here
http://www.biblebell.org/accountability.html
Here is another one
http://www.bccmnm.org/webpages/When_Does_a_Person_Become_an_Adult.html
Another confirmation is that God did not allow Children to serve in the military, and again who were children?
"You and Aaron are to number by their divisions all the men in Israel twenty years old or more who are able to serve in the army" Numbers 1:3
David, in 2 Samuel 12:23, expressed believed that one day he would be with his child who had died.
Paul also stated " “I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died” (Romans 7:9).
The only time he was spiritually alive and outside of the law is when he was a child... then when he grew up, he spiritually died,....became subject to the law and needed to be born again to become spirtually alive again, he found Christ. As Christ said,
"You must change and become like little children. If you don't do this, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. The greatest person in the kingdom of heaven is the person that makes himself humble like this child" Matt 18:2-4
People will ignore these facts because they do not want to tell kids this, it's bad enough with kids and that is all they need to hear, but, its the way its written. God did not hold those under 20 accountable for punishment, or to even pay the ransom for their own souls.
If you need any help in some other area like prophecy please let me know, wold be glad to help, I been in the scriptures a long time.