Inspire, Fall 2006

L O G O S W h a t ’ s t h e W o r d ? Death is perhaps the most painful aspect of living, and oftentimes discussing death surfaces many difficult memories. In this edition of Inspire , I asked our department chair to address perhaps the most difficult aspect of death — the passing of infants and children and their heavenly destination. Dr. Tom Cragoe masterfully demonstrates how the Word of God addresses these painful events of living this side of heaven. With the most thoughtful and prayerful consideration, we dedicate this entire article to our beloved readers who have suffered loss. Dr. David Mappes Associate Professor of Bible Do Infants Who Die Go to Heaven? by Thomas H. Cragoe, Th.D. Only God understands fully the sense of pain and loss a family experiences upon the death of a child. In the midst of such heartache, it is comforting to know that God cares deeply for those who are grieving. He helps bear this burden through His Word, which offers assurance that all infants who die are safe in heaven with God. As we begin, a couple of definitions are needed. Scripture teaches that human life begins at conception (Psalm 51:5; 139:13-16; Jer. 1:5). Therefore, in this discussion the term “infant” denotes a human being from the moment of conception to the age of accountability. The idea of an age of accountability is based on those Scriptures that acknowledge the existence of children who cannot distinguish between good and evil (Isaiah 7:15-16; Jonah 4:11). These children are not viewed as accountable for having committed knowing acts of sin before God (Deut. 1:39-40). The Revelation of Scripture Concerning Infants Matthew 19:13-15 offers the clearest evidence that infants who die go to heaven. In this passage, Jesus receives infants . This is seen by the Greek term used to describe these children (“infants,” brefos , in Luke 18:15; compare Luke 1:44), and by the fact that they were small enough for Jesus to take in His arms (Mark 10:16). As infants, these children were incapable of exercising personal trust in Jesus, and yet our Lord stated concerning all these infants that the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. In essence, Jesus was declaring that heaven belongs to all those infants , and by implication, to all infants. Christ is calling attention to the special quality of passivity within all infants which renders them safe, heirs of heaven, if they were to die in that condition. Notice that Jesus blessed the infants (Matt. 19:15). In the New Testament, God only blesses those who are rightly related to Him. Christ received and blessed those infants because they were His own. Hence, it is reasonable to believe that He receives infants upon death and blesses them with eternal life. This passage gives grieving parents reasonable hope that their deceased child, who is the object of our Lord’s affection, was received into His arms in heaven upon death. We have the confident expectation that one day believing parents will be united with their deceased child in heaven. This confident hope is seen in David’s grief over his infant child who died (II Sam. 12:21-23), especially when contrasted to his response to the death of unbelieving Absalom (II Sam. 18:33). The Reality of the Sinfulness of Infants If infants who die go to heaven, it is not because they are without sin. Despite their innocent appearance, infants are guilty before God, according to Scripture. This is because the original sin of Adam had two effects upon the human race. The first is deprivation , which means that humanity has been so thoroughly deprived of moral and spiritual power that we are incapable of doing God’s will. The human race lost the sinlessness and holiness possessed prior to the Fall. This deprivation results in physical death (Rom. 5:12-14). The second effect of original sin upon the race is depravity , which means that from the moment of conception we possess a disposition (inclination) toward sin that results in spiritual death (Psalm 51:5; Eph. 2:3). These two effects of original sin extend to infants. The infant has not knowingly committed sinful actions. Nevertheless, the fact of infant mortality clearly demonstrates that they have inherited both sin and guilt from Adam (Psalm 51:5; Eph. 2:3). Hence, if infants who die are “safe,” it is not because they are innocent before God. The Remedy for the Sinfulness of Infants God has provided only one way to rescue those born into a condemned state. Jesus Christ, God’s Son, died in our place for our sins and rose again to satisfy God’s wrath toward sin and to deliver humanity from bondage to sin (II Cor. 5:18-21; I John 2:2). The question then becomes how the benefits of Christ’s atonement are applied to cover the guilt of those who die in 14 Fall 2006 Rebecca and Tom Cragoe

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM4ODY=