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Part 2 of 2 of what the Bible teaches on where children go if they die at a young age.
Psalm
25:14-22 NKJV The secret
of the LORD is with
those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant. My eyes are ever toward the LORD,
For He shall pluck my feet out of the net. Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy
on me, For I am
desolate and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have enlarged; Bring me out of
my distresses! Look on my affliction and my pain, And forgive all my sins.
Consider my enemies, for they are many; And they hate me with cruel hatred.
Keep my soul, and deliver me; Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You.
Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for You. Redeem Israel, O
God, Out of all their troubles! Dear Father God we ask in Jesus Christ name to provide us the things
that you see that we need and not what we think we need, for you are the
provider of all our needs and you know best. Amen!
WHAT
ABOUT THE CHILDREN? (Continued)
Here are some questions that probably
everyone has asked themselves; The age of accountability, infant dedication,
baptism, and the age of children in heaven?
What is
the Age of Accountability? It is the age when a child
understands the message of the Gospel and what sin is. The age at which a child
becomes accountable for the message of the Gospel is as different as are children themselves. No two
children develop at the same rate and in the same way. They are all on different
developmental paths so there is no specific age. Children are sinners from the
moment of their conception. But they are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ
that "takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29) until they can understand their sin
and resulting guilt before God. Isaiah 7:16 makes reference to a child (actually, the coming Messiah) and his
ability "to refuse the evil and choose the good" so there is a time
when a child crosses that line, but the Bible does not give an age at which that
happens. Isa 7:16 KJV For
before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land
that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.
Parents need to be sensitive to their
children to discern when their understanding has developed sufficiently to be
accountable for what they are learning about Christ, sin, and the Gospel. If children are
raised in a Christian home, conversations will happen that let parents know how their
children are developing spiritually. They might ask questions about a baptism they observed at
church, a certain Bible study or CCD lesson, or an adult conversation about a
certain Sunday worship service. Children may commit themselves to Christ at an
early age, and do it several more times as they mature. Look at me, I was 57
when I actually can say that I came to
know and live for Jesus, and fully understand the true meaning of the gospel.
Before that I knew who Jesus was and what he did, but only as a history lesson
and didn’t have the personal relationship with him that I have now, and that is
what it is all about. A commitment to Jesus, like a wedding vow, that will
foster an eternal relationship with Him.
Children will come to know Christ at
different times and in different ways. The main challenge is for parents to be sensitive and lead their child
to Jesus when the time is right.
What is Baby Dedication and Baptism? In Luke we see the parents of the baby Jesus taking Him to the temple "to present Him to the Lord". Luke 2:22 KJV And when
the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished,
they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord. They
dedicated baby Jesus to God which means they as parents acknowledge the child as a gift from God and vowed
before Him
to set a godly
example for the child and a commitment to lead the child to Christ at an early age. This is what we are to do as Christian parents.
In Scripture there is no record of infants or very young children being
baptized. This is because they are not yet able to understand the need of a
Savior. Yet God places a high priority on children. When asked who is the greatest in the kingdom of God, Jesus responded in Matt. 18:3 KJV And said,
Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and
become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. God's love for children is also shown in the Old Testament. In Leviticus the Lord specifically prohibited the people of Israel from offering their children as a
sacrifice to the pagan god, Moloch (Leviticus 20:1-5).
It seems fair to conclude that if God forbade children
from being sacrificed, He would not order those same children to be placed in the eternal fire of hell. From these Scriptures we know that children are loved by God, and until they come to an age of accountability, they have a place in the kingdom of God. This means that should a child die before developing to a point where the knowledge of Christ can be understood and
applied through forgiveness, the child would inherit eternal life in heaven as an heir of God's kingdom. The Gospels tell us that little children and infants were brought to Jesus for Him to touch them and bless them (Matthew 19:13-15; Luke
18:15-17). Mar 10:13-16 NKJV Then they
brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples
rebuked those who brought them. 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. 15 Assuredly, I say to
you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no
means enter it." 16 And He took
them up in His arms, laid His
hands on them, and blessed them.
According to the Bible, everyone (adult or child) who recognizes his or her need of a Savior and then repents, and believes in Christ should be baptized; Act
2:38 KJV Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be
baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Act
2:41 KJV Then they that gladly
received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
Also in Acts 8:37, 38 the eunuch proclaimed his belief
in Jesus and was baptized.
Baptism in water is to follow salvation (acceptance of Christ and
His forgiveness of our sins) as demonstrated in the New Testament. Baptism
doesn't make you a believer it shows that you already believe. Baptism
does not "save" you;
only your faith in Christ does that.
Baptism is like a wedding ring, it's
the outward symbol of the commitment you made in your heart. Baptism by
immersion illustrates Jesus death, burial, and resurrection. When a person is
submersed in water it illustrates Jesus death and burial and when the person
emerges from the water it illustrates Jesus resurrection. Romans 6:4 NKJV Therefore
we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was
raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in
newness of life. (Col 2:12)
Baptism by immersion was the practice of Jesus, his disciples, and followers, (The
true church.) and Jesus was baptized that way.
Children should be baptized when they can
understand and explain the
Gospel themselves, when they can express assurance of their own salvation.
Parents should not be anxious about children who go to be with the Lord. God is just and compassionate and receives little
ones to himself with open
arms. Nor should they be anxious about the age of accountability. Prayer and sensitivity to the Lord's leading, will
allow you to minister the Gospel to your child at the
appropriate time. The main thing is to make sure you are a Christian yourself. You cannot impart what
you do not possess.
How Old Will Children Be
in Heaven? Finally, we consider the question of children's ages in heaven. That is, when a child
dies, especially as an infant (and certainly those who never reach full term
and are born),
will that
child be a child in heaven or a
mature adult. If an infant dies at too young an age to understand God on earth, how could that child
enjoy and appreciate God in
heaven as an infant? Some argue that the book of Revelation depicts everyone
in
heaven worshipping God, which suggests that all will be able to do that in terms of age and maturity, that is, as adults.
Alister McGrath suggests
this interesting perspective: "As each person reaches their peak of perfection around the age of thirty,
they will be resurrected as they would have appeared at that time even if they had never lived to reach that age ... The New Jerusalem will thus be populated with men and women as they would appear at the age of 30 " .. but with every blemish
removed."
Randy Alcorn, Heaven (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 2004), 289.
We know from Isaiah 11:8 that there will be infants and children in the Millennium: "The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, and
the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's den." So, if the millennium is part of heaven, there's some reason to believe that perhaps children will be in
heaven and allowed to grow until they reach maturity at around the age of thirty, then sort of
"frozen" in time. (Many of us would love to be frozen in time at around that age, I suspect!)
Another perspective is
that of J. Vernon McGee: "I believe with all my heart that God will raise the little ones such that the mother's arms who have ached
for them will have the opportunity of holding them. The father's hand which never held the little hand will be given the privilege. I believe that little ones will
grow up in the care of their earthly parents, if they are saved."
Quoted by Woodrow Kroll, Is My Child in Heaven? (Lincoln: Back to the Bible,
1996).
To summarize, we certainly do not know with certainty about the age of children in heaven. The Bible simply does
not say. Whatever God's answer to this question is,
we know it will be a wholly satisfying one to parents who have lost small children whom God has taken to heaven. A baby is not lost when you know where it is, and babies who die at an early age are with Jesus.
Some denominations believe in baby
dedication, and when a child reaches the age of accountability the child is
instructed about salvation through Jesus Christ. When the child understands
this and put their faith and trust in Jesus, they are baptized. Other
denominations believe in baby baptism and later when the child is capable of
understanding salvation they are confirmed, which signifies a child is a
believer of Jesus Christ. Both are similar and I leave you with these questions
based on what the Bible teaches in this lesson. Do babies have to be baptized to
go to heaven? If not, then why do we practice infant Baptism? Is it to give
parents peace of mind? How old were you when you were baptized? Was it before
or after you were Born Again? If confirmation applied to you, were you old
enough to fully understand what it was all about? Had you reached the age of
accountability?
Personally, I vaguely remember my
confirmation, being raised a Catholic, and it didn’t mean much to me at the
time. I praise and thank God for opening my ears, eyes, and heart to the
teachings of his Holy Word 3 years ago and now I’m Born Again and Baptized.
If you have any doubt about your salvation,
and can’t say with confidence that you are going to heaven when you die, then I
urge you to go back and review all of Volume I lessons.
His Mercy Endures Forever!
There Is No Other King, But King
Jesus!
Bill
Wiesbrock
Last Week’s Trivia: When Jesus was with the
Apostles, and when he prayed, did he pray for all mankind?
Answer: Here is just one instance where Jesus prayed
for his present day and future Born Again believers. John 17:9-26; John 17:9 NKJV "I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for
those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. John 17:20-21 NKJV
"I do not pray for these alone, but also
for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be
one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that
the world may believe that You sent Me.
This week’s Trivia: Is it true that it will
be impossible for people to kill themselves during the Tribulation?
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