Infants, Children & God’s Saving Grace

Transcript

GRM 830
1/12/2003
Infants, Children & God's Saving Grace
Selected Verses
Gil Rugh

We've been talking about biblical prophecy together. And we've covered some areas relating to the biblical doctrine of resurrection and judgment, the coming kingdom, the thousand year period, the first phase of the eternal kingdom. Then we talked about heaven, the joy of heaven, something of the biblical description of heaven, the glorious future that awaits us as believers.

I want to talk about a related area with you. What does the Bible say about the salvation of infants. We talk about coming resurrection. We talk about eternal destinies, that there is an awful Hell of eternal suffering as well as a glorious heaven of eternal blessing. What about infants? What about young children? What about stillborn babies? What about aborted babies? What about mentally retarded who never develop the ability to understand and respond to the Gospel? Where do they fit in the sovereign plan of God's salvation?

Let me say at the beginning that the Bible does not directly, clearly and fully address these issues and yet I do believe the Bible does speak to them because of what it does say would reflect on those issues. We can begin by saying for sure the God who is just and righteous always does what is just and righteous because He is just and righteous. That's His very nature and character. I think the Bible does have indications about the destiny of, we'll call them infants, but keep in mind if I summarize it in saying infants, I'm talking about those from conception through birth and also would include here those who might live for many years but would not be able to mentally comprehend the Gospel and respond. People in those kinds of situations.

What we want to do first is talk about the basic theological foundation and then what the Scripture would relate to these matters regarding salvation and then perhaps some specific questions that we might want to address.

We have to first start and lay the foundation that the Bible's clear: everyone is a sinner and that includes infants. We are sinners from conception. We are sinners both by the imputation of Adam's sin to us and sinners by birth. Look at Romans 5. And in Romans 5:12-21, the last part of Romans 5, we deal with the issue of the first Adam and the second Adam or the last Adam. Adam, who was in the Garden of Eden with his wife Eve, and Jesus Christ, the second Adam, who is the Savior of a fallen race. And we are told in verse 12 of Romans 5, "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and so death to spread to all men because all sinned." Jump down to verse 18, "So then through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men." You note with sin comes condemnation, comes judgment. The wages of sin is death. When Adam sinned death entered the world. Because death is the penalty for sin. Not only physical death but spiritual death and eternal death or the second death. We've talked something about the biblical concept of death. By one man . . . Through one transgression of one man condemnation came upon all. Verse 19, "Through one man's disobedience the many were made sinners." And then he's comparing it in the contrast here and contrasting it with the fact that Christ as the second Adam brought righteousness for the race. We have two men who stand representing the human race. We would say, we are talking about Adam's sin being imputed. He acted as our representative. When he sinned, his sin was imputed and counted as ours. Perhaps something like we are talking about going to war. When our President, our representatives, declare war, we will be at war. They act on our behalf. He, as the head of this country, acts on my behalf. So now I am at war. So we saw this when we get to a world war like World War II, we bombed countries. Well, there were individuals in those countries who would not have been in favor of the war. They are part of what their representatives have done. So Adam is our representative. When he sinned he brought sin and condemnation on all his descendants. When Christ, the second Adam, the one who could represent the race, died, made provision for salvation, he made possible the imputation of righteousness to any who would believe in Him in the human race. So we have two men who represent the race, if you will. One in bringing sin and one in bringing righteousness.

Since all of us are descendants of Adam, his sin and his condemnation are imputed to us. So I think in the comparison here . . . We don't have time to do this. We've done Romans 5 in detail on other occasions. We have to be talking about a judicial action of imputation here. That he acted as our representative. Otherwise the analogy with Christ as the representative of the race would not be parallel as Paul brings it.

We are not only sinners because of what Adam did. We are sinners by birth. Not only sinners by the imputation of his action and its condemnation to us but by the fact that from him we inherit a sin nature. Go back to Genesis chapter 5 verse 3. We've had the Fall-Adam's rebellion against God. Sin enters the world and death with sin. Chapter 4 we have the first murder, where one brother murders another brother. Then we read in chapter 5 verse 3, "When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image." That will include his sin nature that now is part of what he is as a fallen being.

Chapter 8 of Genesis verse 21. And here it's in the context of the Flood in the days of Noah, and we are at the end of that Flood. And at the end of verse 21, God says, "For the intent of man's heart is evil from his youth." Now you note that. That doesn't change. God has wiped humanity off the face of the earth save for the family of Noah. But you know what? The family of Noah passes on the sin nature. So the Flood didn't do away with sin. It did away with most sinners but we are all descendants of Adam through Noah. You know what God says after the Flood? "The intent of a man's heart is evil from his youth." It starts very young.

Turn over to Psalm 51. David is writing this after he has sinned with Bathsheba. But look at verse 5, "Behold I was brought forth in iniquity and in sin my mother conceived me." Now he's not saying the act of conception was sin. What he is saying is, “I have been a sinner since conception.” One of the clear indications of Scripture that life is present from the moment of conception, because the sin nature is passed on from parent to child. David says I was brought forth in iniquity. I was a sinner when I was born. I was a sinner when I was conceived. Because at that moment of time when my life began at conception, I received a sin nature. I was a sinner from conception.

Look in chapter 58 verse 3, "The wicked are estranged from the womb." Estranged from God, separated from God, from the womb. From birth we are spiritually dead, separated from God. "Those who speak lies go astray from birth." We think it was their environment, the way they were raised. The fact that they had too much poverty or too much wealth. The schools corrupted them or something else. You understand this is a more serious matter. This is what you were from birth. This is what you were from the womb.

We are saying this so that we understand that we are not going to talk about babies as being innocent, pure, not needing salvation. Because they are sinners from conception. So that would mean even a baby who dies before birth dies as a sinner. Tragedy of multiplied millions of babies aborted. They were sinners from conception. So we talk about the salvation of infants. We can't just gloss over it and say well, infants are pure and innocent, and so of course they can go to heaven. There is no such thing as a pure and innocent person. Because the moment you are conceived you are defiled by sin that you've inherited from your parents, down from Adam.

Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked." So you note where sin is. It doesn't come to us by outside contamination, my environment, my social or cultural setting, those that influence me. My sin comes from within. Now obviously other things can have an impact and influence and encourage sin but the real problem is within me. We've heard some of that from the testimonies earlier at baptism. The problem is the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. That's our condition. That's our condition from the womb.

Look over in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 3. Now you note we are sinners both by the imputation of Adam's sin - he represented us as head of the race - and also by birth. We have inherited the fallen sin nature and that's what expresses itself through our lives. The fact that we are sinners-obviously it gets more expressed with the passing of time, more opportunities for expression and so on.

With sin comes condemnation. We read that in Romans 5. That through the one man sin entered the world and death by sin. He brought condemnation to the human race when he brought sin. Adam . . . by his action. Look at Ephesians 2:3. It starts out in Ephesians 2 by saying, "You were dead in your trespasses and sins." Look at verse 3, "Among them we too." Among the sons of disobedience. In other words, he's writing to those who are now believers but he's saying, you remember we were just like the rest. "We too lived formerly in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest." Our very nature made us children of wrath. We were the objects God's wrath because of our sin. That's what we were by nature. As sinful beings we are under the condemnation of God, the objects of His wrath. That's our very nature, our being. That's why you cannot change a person from the outside. As Christian parents we realize we want to keep standards for our children. We have requirements for them in our home. But we don't want to confuse them into thinking because we can force them to comply and conform; and they do have responsibility there, but I don't want them to mistake that for salvation. Salvation occurs when the heart is changed. We are by nature children of wrath. That's why God has to do a work in my heart which is deceitful and desperately wicked above all things. And then from the inside my conduct on the outside is altered and changed.

Ok, so we have children, babies, infants-sinners and under condemnation and wrath from the womb. Where does that leave them regarding salvation? Does that mean infants will go to hell? Then we come up with other ideas. Well, let's baptize them and that will wash away their original sin and that will enable them to go to heaven. That was an awful, awful, awful doctrine. It is an awful, awful doctrine. I am so thankful to God that's not true. Think of the horror of it. Multitudes of babies going to go to Hell because their parents didn't baptize them. It makes their salvation dependent upon someone else. That's not the case.

But I do believe there's indication that infants are saved. Now these are inferences. Go to the book of Revelation 20. We looked at the Great White Throne judgment. Let me say at this point, if God were to send infants to Hell, all I could say is He has been just. There may things I do not understand in it, but are we in agreement that the wages of sin is death? And if He would destroy every sinful being from infants to adults, He would be just and righteous? That would be His prerogative, reflected when He sent Israel into the land of Canaan and had them destroy what? Every man, woman and child. Infants as well as adults. Well, I'm not saying that's what He's going to do with infants, send them to Hell, but we have to be clear on the terribleness of sin and the righteousness of God. But you understand apart from Christ there wouldn't be any infants saved any more than any adult saved. So if infants are going to be saved, it is going to have to be in the context of the work of Christ.

When we come to the judgment of unbelievers . . . All unbelievers appear before the Great White Throne judgment which was recorded in Revelation 20 beginning in verse 11. What I want you to note here everyone who stands here is judged according to the books. "And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds." And this is consistent with all the judgments of Scripture, but we are particularly interested in this judgment which determines where people are going in Hell. And it's based on their works. Now nobody is going to heaven on the basis of their works, you have to have your name in the book of life. But the book of your works determines where in Hell you are going and your works reveal your worthiness of Hell. It would be difficult for a stillborn baby, to use that as an example, to be judged on the basis of its works. And we could say well, God knew what was in the mind of that baby and it thought evil things. Well, we would operate with at least the understanding God's given us that they haven't done anything yet. When God refers to the distinction between Esau and Jacob, He said neither having done good or bad, they are still in the womb. Even from God's perspective at that point. Even though they are defiled by inherited sin, neither one has done anything. So you would not have infants and those kind of . . . those included in the grouping as I mentioned that would appear at the Great White Throne. So if infants are going to be judged by God, they do not appear in any of the judgments of Scripture as far as I can determine; because all the judgments of Scripture are based on works, what you have done. Even this judgment, which sentences all who are here to Hell, they are judged according to their deeds.

There are no passages that clearly deal with infants but there may be some references. Probably the one often referred to is 2 Samuel 12:23. And here you have David and after his sin with Bathsheba and he is told that the child that will be born of that relationship is going to die and David fasts and wept, seeking God's mercy perhaps to spare the child from that judgment. But the baby dies, and in verse 23 David says, "Now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me." And there may be indication here that David is anticipating the time when he will join this baby in the presence of God. I say maybe. There are some who would hold that this verse means that simply, “I'm going to die. I can't bring the baby back to life, but I will join him in death.” But there may also be indication here that he has a greater hope than that, but that's all we have. So probably determine it on other basis, but this verse may indicate that. Probably what we believe about the salvation of infants causes us to consider this verse in one light or another.

What it seems to me is, in light of the fact that all the judgments of Scripture are based on works-come back to Romans 5. The fact is that Jesus Christ is the second Adam and can function as the representative head of the race. He is not going to bring salvation to every member of the race as Adam did in bringing his sin to every member of the race, but Christ acts on behalf of the race. It would seem to me, that provision of Christ can be applied to infants at their death. Since the judgments of Scripture are based on works, it would seem to me that the prime reason people are sentenced to Hell is not because of original sin. Now I realize that statement could be misunderstood. What I'm saying, is that in and of itself is not what God is going to use to send them to Hell because He judges them on the basis of their works. Where they have willfully out of their sin nature chosen to rebel, that is a step beyond just having a sin nature. So that Jesus Christ as the second Adam who represents the race can have the righteousness that He secured by His death applied to those who would die as infants without that ability as those who died a week before they would have been born. Removes any confusion here. Something happens and just before birth that baby dies. Well, they've never had opportunity to do anything in this life. And which all the indication of Scripture is, that's where God is dealing with us, not what we did in the womb.

So I would see Romans 5 as providing a foundation at least for the possible salvation of infants. That we have a representative of the race who has secured righteousness that will be applied as the Scripture says to those who believe. Because the Scripture does primarily deal with those who are adults. But that would enable a provision there as a representative of the race for it to be applied to infants.

I think that's consistent with Scripture in another place. Look at Ezekiel 18. There was a complaint in Israel. Some of the Jews said, “We're not suffering fairly. We're being punished for our Father's sins.” So you have that proverb that was being spread throughout the land of Israel in Ezekiel 18:2, “The fathers eat the sour grapes but the children's teeth are set on edge.” In other words, my dad did this and I'm suffering for it. God says I'm going to put an end to that Proverb. "All souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine. The soul who sins will die." It's your leisure. But verse 20, "The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son's iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself." Now if an infant dies at birth and goes to Hell, then it would seem that God is meeting out punishment for the sins of the father, not for anything he has done. Because the infant hasn't done anything. He's not done neither good nor evil. Deuteronomy 1 refers to that same concept of the infant not doing good or evil, so the whole principle of God's judgment is based upon the fact you wouldn't be judged. So I wouldn't be able to say because you had a sinful parent or because you are a descendant of Adam so your great great-grandfather way back was a sinner, you're going to Hell. No, God says you'll bear your own sin.

So even though I'm born with a sin nature, I exercise my will in rebellion against God. I am a sinner by birth and by choice. But the condemnation that comes to me, God says, will be based upon my choice. I won't go to Hell for my father's sins. My children will not go to Hell for my sin. And it's a denial of Scripture to say such a thing. That's why God says, “I'm going to put an end to that proverb,” in verse 3 of Ezekiel 18 of saying, “I'm not responsible, my parents are.”

So there is that principle of judgment established in Scripture that we're each responsible and accountable for our sin. I don't see how in light of what the Scripture reveals that an aborted baby, a stillborn infant, an infant who dies young-if they are sentenced to Hell, now we'd say well, “They experienced physical death,” isn't that part of the punishment of sin? Yes, there are those general consequences. There are ways in which all of us suffer for sin. You are going to have the Babylonian captivity that Ezekiel writes in the context of. And they are going into the captivity in Babylon for 70 years. Why? Because for 490 years their forefathers had not kept the Sabbath of the land. Every seventh year they were supposed to set it aside for the Lord. They didn't do it so after 490 years God said “You owe Me 70 Sabbath years. I'm going to take them all at once.” Now wait a minute. I didn't do that. I thought you said you weren't going to hold me responsible. When there’s ultimate accountability for sin, it rests on me. There are general consequences. An infant that is born into a home with a drunken father who beats it to death on the second day of its life obviously has suffered consequences from its parent. But the accountability for sin and responsibility for sin before God is an individual and personal thing. That's the point he makes up here. He is dealing with here in verse 20, "The son will not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity nor the father for the son's iniquity." He goes both ways here, that each bears his own responsibility.

I think we have to keep that in mind then when we talk about infants. Will they go to heaven or hell? To me this has to do with infant baptism as well. I read an article in one of the small town papers around here that comes to our home. The writer there had some very good things to say, but then he moved to say, “God has made provision for infants because in baptism they are saved.” Well, what does that mean about infants that aren't baptized? They are going to go to Hell for the double sin of their parents. They inherited sins from their parents and then their parents sinned by not getting them baptized. Any way you say it the infant's going where? To Hell. Oh, I wouldn't say that! Well, then what's the purpose of baptism? Why is baptism so important?


We are going to say that the salvation of that infant depends upon the action of the parent. That's a violation of Scripture. It's a terrible teaching. It's not a solution at all. It's a rejection of what God clearly says in His Word. You can't do something to someone else to save them. God saves them or does not save them. My action doesn't save them. But if it's the baptism of that infant it's the action of someone else that saves them. Ezekiel 18 among other verses but we're just focusing on Ezekiel 18.

My understanding, and this is God's grace, even using the sinfulness of man, because we have to include abortion, those kind of actions in this. Is it in God's grace? I take it that the work of Christ as the second Adam and His righteousness are applied to infants who die. He is the second Adam. He's the head of the race. And so those who never develop the ability, develop to the ability to understand and respond to the Gospel, to the revelation God gives, are covered by God's grace. Does that mean then they are saved until they get lost, so you apply Christ's righteousness to them? Then they reach a certain age-twelve or whatever the age, and then they lose that righteousness? No. I take it they are lost because we are sinners by nature. David says he was a sinner from conception, from the womb. I take it that at death God applies the benefits of Christ to them and my understanding of the biblical doctrine of election simply means that God and His grace has . . . even when it involves the sinfulness of men to bring elect to Him in a variety of ways. So I take great encouragement. A stillborn baby is a great loss, a very painful thing, but that pain is mellowed by the acknowledgment that this was God's demonstration of His choice of them for the glory of His presence for eternity. The horrible act of abortion, murdering children because they are inconvenient to our lifestyle. You know, practice safe sex so you don't get a disease and that will help prevent pregnancy, but now you don't have to worry about it as far as pregnancy because if you are immoral or you get pregnant and you don't think it will work out, just kill them.

But in God's grace, you know He promises in the Word there will be people from every tongue, every tribe, every people and every nation, and I take it He means that absolutely literally-every single nation in the world. And the place-the most remote tribe-they've never heard the Gospel. You know what they do have? They have stillborn babies. They have infant mortality. I take it God's sovereign grace in choosing from among sinful people, is included choosing some from them that will come to Him through death in infancy.

You know all the references to children in Scripture that we do have are positive. That doesn't mean they're not sinners but they are dealt with differently than adult sinners are. That says something of their position of accountability. Now again we have to be careful we don't move that these children then are innocent or they are not sinful. But they are not held accountable in the same way as adult sinners are and they are not viewed in the same way.

I want to pull in several passages with you just to apply them to the situation. Matthew 18:2 they ask, “Who's the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child to Himself and stood him in their midst, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Then he goes on here, "Whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me . . ." He's made the transition. The illustration is children, the humility and childlike faith. Then He moves over in the analogy to talk about those who are truly believers. So I take it we're talking in verses 5 and 6 about genuine believers, not just children now. But the illustration he uses-you are converted and become like children. You humble yourself as this child. You see when the Scripture does talk about children, it does talk about them in a positive way. In other words, he doesn't say, “Now here's an example of a sinner.” When we talk about adults their sin is clearly portrayed. We've already dealt with the issue that this child is sinful by nature but in his accountability and responsibility before God he is obviously used in a different way. There's humility about this child, a trustingness in that early age and so on.

You're in Matthew. Look in chapter 19 verse 13, "Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." I take it what we read in chapter 18 "the such as these," the children again are used as a positive example. And it's those who become like children in trusting Him.

So these kind of positive examples I take it are also indicative of how God sees children who are sinners, but He does see them differently than adults who are obviously still sinners. Now again be careful that doesn't mean children are less sinners but they’re accountability for their actions. And we understand that. We do not hold a one-year-old to the same accountability as we hold a 21-year-old. There is a difference. There's a difference in how we see the accountability and responsibility of a three-year-old versus a 30-year-old. Is that three-year-old less of a human being? No. But in accountability and responsibility there is a major difference. I think the indication of Scripture is that is true also. I'm not saying the infant is any less a sinner because their very nature is a sinful nature but their accountability and responsibility for actions, decisions and choices is different than an adult before the Lord.

I don't have anything to say on age of accountability. When does this infant become accountable before God? Is it at 3? Is it at 6? Is it 10? Is it 12? Is it 15? Where? I have no idea. A stillborn baby that dies 7 months into the pregnancy compared to, you know, some later. There are differences. The accountability is clear. The Bible addresses adults. Obviously that 7-month-pregnancy that ends with the death of that child is different in responsibility than a 16-year-old. But where in God's plan? We don't know. He doesn't deal with that because it's not our responsibility. What our responsibility is, is to constantly present the Gospel. Present His truth. Call men, women and young people to salvation by faith in Christ, not to live like I'm confident that 4-year-old’s all right. We don't have to worry about them. Perhaps when they’re teenagers, then, you know. But at least we're confident of their salvation. No, God's intention is for us to present the truth. I don't think the Bible says anything about when a person can be saved. I don't think there's any indication of Scripture that would indicate a young child cannot be saved. We hear testimonies and some to be genuinely saved as children. We hear other testimonies where they thought they were saved but it become clear to them as they entered into adulthood that they weren't saved. It would have been hard to tell back in the childhood years. But that doesn't mean one was genuinely saved and the other wasn't.

Some may misunderstand when we talk about the age of baptism. We only baptize adults. Part of that you heard in testimonies this evening. Why? It's very difficult both for that child and others to determine or discern if they are saved. But that's only part of the issue. Another issue is a child cannot step forward as an independent person and declare their faith and follow through on all the responsibilities as a responsible adult. If we are going to have baptism for 4-year-olds, it will have to be with parental approval. If we were to baptize 7-year-olds, it will be with parental approval. Almost no one would say well, if you have someone who comes to our Sunday whose parents don't come to church and that child professes they've trusted Christ, we ought to baptize them even if the parents forbid it. We'd say we wouldn't overrule parents. We would tell that 7-year- old, you wait till you are an adult then you should. Well we're simply saying there ought to be uniformity there. That even though that child may be saved at seven there are certain things that are adult responsibilities and they are not in a position to step forward as independent individuals able to do it regardless of what parent or family says.

So those kind of things together. We don't want to send false hope. I'm glad some of these children . . . You know, we don't baptize children and I don't want to give false hope to someone who makes a profession at six. And so we baptize them. And so when they have doubts am I really saved, I want it to be when they can step up here and they are accountable. They step here free of parental control. Now not free of parental influence. They ought to step up whether the parents agreed or not. Because they are committed to Jesus Christ and they will be responsible now for that testimony before the world and to us as fellow believers in the Church.

So when talk . . . It's a different issue. We say well, shouldn't everybody who's saved be baptized? Every adult who's saved should be baptized. And someone will say, “Well, see at Indian Hills they don't believe children can be saved.” No, I believe children can be saved, but I don't think children necessarily are called to do everything adults are called to do. So don't get confused on that.

Let me say a word about baby dedication. Now some churches dedicate infants. We don't do that either. Instead of baby baptisms they have baby dedications. They take this from the Old Testament. But you understand that was a required practice for the Jews in the Old Testament. Because God slew the firstborn of the Egyptians and spared the firstborn of the Jews because of the Passover blood, He said now the firstborn belongs to me and you redeem the firstborn. Christ as a Jewish male, the firstborn child, was redeemed at the temple. Well, we don't follow the Jewish practice. I think we sometimes get confused. I don't have any problem on the one sense if parents want to stand up and say we want this child to be raised for the Lord. Let's face it, that's there without it being said. And my problem is the biblical basis that we're going to do that is we have to take it from the Old Testament practice which is not for the Church today. That had special purpose for Israel. We weren't part of the Jewish redemption from Egypt. That's why we don't do it. I'm not down on churches that practice dedication. I would say that they are using the Old Testament passages. You shouldn't be using the Old Testament passages. If they say we just want parents to declare their desire to raise their children, I guess you can do that. I expect that every parent who is a believer ought to be declaring that their home is for the Lord and so on. But that's why we don't practice baby dedication. There's no clear Scripture for us.

Some do take . . . How do you get an age of accountability? The only passage I can find that they really use is James 4:17, "To him who knows to do good and does not do it to him it is sin." And so there are . . . You know, infants don't know to do good but you understand a 6 month old baby doesn't understand that it's good to read Scripture. So it's not sin for him not to do it. But in the context there James is talking about the fact that for all there are sins of omission as well as sins of commission. The fact that I don't commit adultery doesn't mean I'm free from sin. Because if I don't do what I should do, I'm still guilty. I don't know that that verse is addressing that.

One more thing is, I've just noted things that come to my mind in relation to this. What about those who never hear the Gospel, are they lost? And the answer to that is yes. Romans 1 indicates that God has revealed Himself in creation. There's enough revelation in creation to bring condemnation. There's not enough revelation in creation to bring salvation. But there's enough revelation in creation to demonstrate man's rejection of God, rejection of His revelation. That's an act of the will. So I would believe infants in tribes and places that never hear the Gospel, those infants that die are saved. That's an act of God's grace to reach in to that pagan place and apply the benefits of Christ to that child. But that doesn't apply to those adults. We say well they didn't hear. It's not fair. Well they've been exposed to God's revelation in the creation. The psalmist tells us there's no place where the revelation of God through His creation has not been demonstrated. Yet Romans chapter 1 says that they all suppress the truth in unrighteousness and thus come under condemnation.

So are the heathen lost? They are totally lost. But by God's grace infants, retarded, aborted babies, all those in that group I would believe they are saved. They need salvation. They have to be saved. They are sinful. By the imputation of Adam's sin, by the inheriting of Adam's nature. But they are not held accountable for actions of sin in rebellion against God. And by God's grace if they die at that early age or that age of inability, then I would take it that the work of the second Adam, Christ, is applied to them at death and is part of God's work. They are part of the elect. Why did they die? They were part of God's chosen. He took them early. Oh what a painful loss. What a joy to know they are in Glory. Far rather to die early and be in God's presence which I will enjoy with them for all eternity than have them live to be 130 and go to hell. Remember, where are we going? They just went home ahead of us. Praise the Lord for such hope. I'm glad for them and I look forward to that time.

What kind of body will they have? Are there going to be babies in heaven? I think in heaven those who get glorified bodies are evidently adults. That would seem to be the indication. That in the resurrection we neither marry nor given in marriage. So I take it at death they come to be adults. We say, “How will I know them?” I guess as I talked about there will be a supernatural recognition and knowledge. The wonder of it to see them! Because you know if I . . . the Lord doesn't come and I live to be 132, I hope I'm not 132 in Glory. You know I want to be robust and we all assume in our glorified body of course we will be. Well, I take it that's true for infants as well. There's not going to be any diaper changing of glorified bodies! So I assume those babies will be adults but we will know them like we are going to know Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the thrill of it will be wonderful. So that's the glory that we anticipate.

Praise God that we are privileged. We build the Word into young people's lives. We want to do it from the youngest age. I used to share the Gospel with our kids when they were in the crib. I figured, I don't know when they'll start to understand; I might as well start early and make it a pattern. So go in and they are looking at their thing that you- I forget what you call those things that flop around the top of it. “I've got something to tell you. Let's talk about this.” I usually did it when we didn't have company. And just talk about the Gospel. Why? Well, if I start here I won't have to decide when I will be comfortable with them as they get older because we've been talking about this since they were a week and a half old. I don't want to carry it to an extreme, but I think we want to be serious about it. I want them to hear it. It's the environment. I want them to be in the church when they'll hear it. Can I guarantee that they'll get saved as a child? No. But my desire is if they don't get saved as a child, they'll be like Timothy. That the Scripture that he learned from his grandmother and mother-by God's grace when he heard it again from Paul, he was saved. As we've heard testimonies tonight. I just want God's work of salvation to be done and whenever He does it that's His work. And if He takes some at an early age, praise God for His grace and the assurance we have of that salvation. Let's pray together.

Thank you, Lord, for Your grace. Lord, many of these things go beyond our total comprehension. We thank you for your revelation. Lord, we would acknowledge that the revealed belong to us. The secret things belong to You. We bow before You as the sovereign God, the ruler of the universe, the One who is just and righteous and acknowledge, Lord, that You will do what is just and righteous because that is Your character and nature. Lord, we thank You for the hope of Scripture. We have a Savior who stands at the head of a fallen race. And You have made provision for His righteousness to be applied. Lord, thank you for salvation by grace through faith. And Lord, thank you that the indication of Your Word is that that salvation is provided also for those who in Your sovereign plan and grace and mercy are called to Yourself before that ability to be responsible and make decisions of accountability before You. We are in awe of the greatness and the extent of Your grace and mercy in salvation. We praise You in Christ's name. Amen.