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What The Bible Says About
"Will
you join your little one in heaven some day?"
"Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved."
There's
nothing quite so agonizing as the death of a child.
As
someone said, "The death of a child is like a period placed before the
end of a sentence."
It
is ironic that every day of the week, many of us walk out our door and never
look back, figuring everything is forever, including our children.
Often
we are too busy to realize that the most precious things we have also can be
the most fleeting.
Those
who experience the loss of a child are often filled with questions.
At
Back to the Bible we frequently get letters from grieving parents. The answers
they receive from secular sources are often emotional, but rarely biblical.
Sometimes
Christians give answers that are biblical, but not very helpful.
This
pamphlet is designed to be both helpful and biblical in answering grieving
parents' questions about what happened at the death of their little child.
Here
are some of the most commonly asked questions.
Are
Babies Innocent of Sin?
In
the hunt for answers at the loss of a child, many people say that babies simply
cannot understand sin and therefore are innocent.
But
that's not what the Bible says. Understanding sin is not required for being
under the penalty of sin.
Two
passages in Psalms tell us about the true nature of children.
One
says, "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity" (Psalm 51:5).
The
other reads, "The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray as
soon as they are born, speaking lies" (Psalm 58:3).
There
are no exceptions. All of us are born with a sin nature; even though we have
not yet done anything wrong, our nature is sinful.
Every
baby needs a Savior, just as every adult does.
The
Bible addresses a baby's need through the blood of Christ. Jesus' blood was
provided for the salvation of mankind--men, women and children.
Until
we reject the promise of God's salvation, the benefit of His death is still
available to us.
Even
though babies are not innocent, they have not rejected God's salvation. The
blood of Jesus Christ is there for them.
Does
God Deal with Children the Way He Does with People who Have Never Heard the
Gospel?
Not
at all. God has given the heathen a revelation of Himself both in nature and in
their own conscience.
Psalm 19:1 says, "The heavens declare the glory
of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork."
Intelligent
minds are not without knowledge of God's existence, even in people groups that
have never heard the Gospel explained to them.
Romans 1:18-21 says that God's wrath is against those
who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, "because what may be known
of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them" (verse 19).
God
has revealed Himself both in external creation and in man's internal
conscience.
But
when the heathen suppress what they can know about God and choose to worship
what they create with their own hands rather than their Creator, they are
without excuse.
But
this is not true of a child.
Babies
do not have minds that can comprehend nature around them or a conscience within
them.
We
cannot treat the question, "Is my child in heaven?" the same
way we treat the question, "Is the heathen in heaven?"
Adult
men and women have had the opportunity to consider and to reject the witnesses
that God has given of Himself.
Babies,
on the other hand, are guilty of having a sin nature, but they have not weighed
the evidence and rejected God.
They
have not been condemned by their own actions as the heathen have.
What
About the Age of Accountability?
Some
people say that there is an age when children become accountable for their
actions.
But
the Bible does not mention an "age of accountability."
Children
are culpable for sin when they draw their first breath, but are they
accountable at that moment as well? I don't think so.
We
must make a distinction between culpability (liability for their sin nature)
and accountability (liability for their sinful actions).
Isaiah
said, "For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose
the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings" (Isaiah 7:16).
It's
evident that little children do not have the ability to make moral decisions
and to take responsibility for their sins.
Still,
they are sinners and need a Savior. Perhaps the "age of
accountability" should be called "the age of moral awareness."
Children
come to a point where they become morally aware; that is, they understand
what's right and what's wrong.
So,
what happens if your child dies before he is aware of what is morally right or
wrong? He is still guilty of his sins and must pay the penalty for his sins.
That's
where the blood of Jesus Christ comes in. Young children have not rejected the
blood of Jesus as the heathen have.
It
is there for them, covering their sins, washing them clean, even though they
have not had the ability to exercise faith in Jesus, which is required for the
salvation of men and women who understand the consequences of their sin.
A
child's lack of understanding doesn't deter the power of Jesus' blood. Only
rejecting the blood deters its power, and babies haven't done that.
Has
God Chosen My Child?
If
your child dies and goes to heaven, is that evidence that God loves your child
and has elected him to salvation? I think that is a valid conclusion.
Ephesians 1:4 says that we are chosen "in Him
before the foundation of the world."
Babies
as well as adult believers are chosen in Him before the world began. If they
die before they can understand and reject the Gospel, that doesn't change God's
choice.
They
are as much a part of God's family as adults drawn to faith by the Holy Spirit.
The
blood of Jesus Christ has covered them and washed away their sins, just as it
has ours.
Just
because babies cannot make a decision for God does not prohibit Him from making
a decision for them.
What
Will My Little One Be Like in Heaven?
Will
infants and young children be infants and young children for all of eternity? I
don't think so.
The
Bible doesn't say for sure, but it does say that when we go to heaven, we enjoy
privileges that require adult minds, such as praising and glorifying God in
meaningful service to Him.
J.
Vernon McGee said it this way: "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 heaven in the care of their earthly parents if they are saved."
There
is no biblical proof for this one way or the other, but it seems logical that
babies will not have to endure eternal infancy.
If
babies cannot fully enjoy this life, how could we expect them to fully enjoy
eternal life with God?
Will
I Join My Child Some Day?
Have
you grieved the loss of a child? If so, take heart from the Bible.
David
grieved the loss of his newborn son. He pondered, "Can I bring him back
again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me" (2 Samuel 12:23).
Your
child was not innocent, because no innocent child can be born from two sinful
parents (Job 14:4).
But
I believe your child is in heaven -- not because he or she was baptized, but
because your child was washed clean by the blood of Jesus.
Christ's
death made it possible for the salvation of all mankind, even newborn babies.
Your child is in heaven!
The
more difficult question is, "Will you join your little one in heaven some
day?"
Your
baby or child could not make a decision to trust Christ's death for the payment
of his sin. But as a morally responsible adult, you must make a decision.
The
children of born-again parents do not automatically go to heaven; neither do
the parents of children in heaven automatically join them there.
If
you want to see your child and enjoy a heavenly reunion, you must be born
again!
Acts 16:31 tells you how: "Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and you will be saved."
Thank
God He has made it possible for you to see your child again someday, if you
have received Jesus Christ as your Savior.
Connecting
People to Jesus for 80 Years
Back
to the Bible's
passion is to use the latest technology to reach the world with the
life-transforming power of God's Word.
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https://puricarechronicles.blogspot.com/2018/06/precious-memories-unseen-angels-lonnie.html
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