Many are told that all are born in sin and must make a conscious intelligent decision to not only
- 1) believe Jesus is the Son of God,
- 2) trust (faith) in Him alone to save you, and in order to show that you're 'saved' you must
- 3) obey all the laws in the Bible.
If we follow that pattern, then surely babies don't go to heaven. {cringe} They aren't able to do any of those three things. The alternative, according to much of Christianity, is not an option for my heart and mind to accept, as I have lost 3 babies in the womb. Therefore, I am looking to the scriptures for hope.
There is an argument for this in the theory of "the age of accountability". The "age of accountability'" is the theory that babies are under grace until they are old enough and cognitive enough to make the decisions necessary to save them. The problem with this theory arises when people ask about mentally challenged people and those who don't speak English since it is believed that the majority of theologians are English speaking. So are the mentally challenged under grace as well? If not, then why?
Now we are getting into a vast array of confusion when we begin to really ask these tough questions. If a baby is under grace because of their ignorance and lack of intelligence, then must we allow for everyone else to remain in ignorance so they can be under grace? If not, then babies don't go to heaven.
Most people shriek and gasp at that thought, Surely innocent babies don't miss out on returning to their Creator. Are they truly innocent? The Bible clearly shows us that all are born in sin, or does it?
So the alleged discrepancy is in the question, "are we really born in sin or do we not sin until we act upon a sinful thought?" I looked in an 'exact phrase search' for "born in sin" and it did not yield any results. What I did find however, is the Pharisees accusing a man of being born in sin. It was the man born blind. After he was given his sight and he preached healing, he was accused.
John 9:34 They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.
On the other hand I do find the verse that says all have sinned.
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
The question still remains, is it sin within us at birth or sin upon a decision to act in sin, that makes us sinners? For the sake of the souls of babies I won't delve into that question just yet.
Why is it that we sin? Why would a perfect God create us to sin knowing that sinners could not enter the kingdom of heaven?
Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.
Who was that 'one man' that brought sin into the world?
Romans 5:14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
It is taught that Adam brought sin and sin brought death to pass upon all men. Therefore are babies born in sin? If we say yes, we get back to the original dilemma. Listen my friends, people have gone around and around with this line of questioning for years now. This is why there is such a debate about baptizing babies in order to save them. If a sprinkling of water in a religious ritual saves a baby, then why is it not done immediately after the babe is born? Furthermore, where do aborted babies go?
Here is where I find my hope:
1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
Much of Christianity has already accepted the teaching that because of Adam, all have sinned and will die. Since most theologians in the world today can't give me hope for my 3 babies based on all the circus questions in many churches today, I have had to go directly to the Lord on this one. If all die because of Adam, then what is it about the second part of that verse that caught my eye?
"So in Christ shall all be made alive"
Surely we all come to life as stated in verse 45;
1 Corinthians 15:45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
We all became living beings like Adam did. Yet, there is another 'second part of a verse' that indicates an equal parallel.
"The last Adam became a life giving spirit"
Both of the above verses show clearly that Christ is the second part.
{The hope for humanity}
Now I have to ask, how does one get this? If there is so much argument about the first three statements I gave at the beginning of this article that are not clear, then how, when, and where did humanity get the life that this Spirit gives us?
Ephesians 1:4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love.Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
So far I have found that we are created in Christ, before the foundation of the world, allowed to suffer death through Adam, and able to receive life through Christ.
In the scientific mind of humanity is the insatiable need to dissect every aspect of the Bible to create a step by step approach to God that no babies nor many mentally challenged persons are able to follow.
The answer for me is clear, to have hope.
Colossians 1:27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Christ in you. No matter where you put the emphasis the truth is clear on what our hope is.
CHRIST in you
Christ IN you
Christ in YOU
This is my hope for babies. They are created in Christ before the foundation of the world. They were born with death passed upon them due to Adam, but through Christ they shall be made alive.
I just can't bring myself to believe in a deity that would allow babies to be born without hope if they died before they can go to some discipleship class. I don't believe that He would abandon them if they were raised by parents who took them to the 'wrong' denomination for discipleship. I don't think He would forsake them if they were born into a non religious home. He chooses where each baby will be born and He chooses at what time of life they leave this world.
I have all my hope that they return to Him. My hope is in Christ.
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.
You may believe differently than me and you are certainly free to do so, but I am putting my faith in the hope of Christ our Lord. My Anchor holds firm and I'm choosing to hold firmly to my Anchor, that all babies return to our Creator. This is my faith, because, for me, all other ground is sinking sand.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
All scripture quotations from the ESV