Many religions teach that babies of the unsaved go to hell. What do you think? Will baptizing a baby "save" it?
This is a complex question, as it
involves answers to 3 questions:
a. What is baptism?
b. Is there a hell?
c. Are babies who die responsible for their sins?
Let us briefly answer all these questions.
a. What is baptism?
The concept of baptism washing away sin stems from Acts
22:16, TEV. "And now, why wait any longer? Get up and be
baptized and have your sins washed away by calling on His
name."
Does this mean you can was away your sins through baptism?
Let us look at Biblical evidence. How is baptism described
in the Bible?
Romans 6:2-7, NIV. "We died to sin; how can we live in it
any longer? Or don 't you know that all of us who were
baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We
were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in
order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through
the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."
Col 2:12: "Having been buried with him in baptism and raised
with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised
him from the dead."
Mark 16:16-17: "Whoever believes and is baptized will be
saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."
Baptism represents a decision to believe in Jesus as our
Saviour. Through baptism we publicly demonstrate that we
believe in our salvation obtained through Jesus, who died
for us and rose on the third day. Similarly we symbolically
indicate that by accepting Jesus in our lives, we are
experiencing a rebirth, our old self has died, we are a new
creation through Jesus Christ.
Jesus made this clear when discussing the importance of
baptism with a scholar named Nicodemus. John 3:3-8: "'In
reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see
the kingdom of God unless he is born again.'
'How can a man be born when he is old?' Nicodemus asked.
'Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb
to be born!'
Jesus answered, 'I tell you the truth, no one can enter the
kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to
spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, `You must
be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear
its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where
it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.'"
NIV
It is clear here that baptism doesn't wash away sin, but is
an outward declaration that we want to live with Jesus who
is the only one who can forgive our sins. It cannot be
intended that the external rite of baptism was sufficient to
make you pure, but that it was an ordinance appointed by
Jesus as a public expression of the washing away of sins, or
of the purification of the heart.
Forgiveness of sins is obtained solely through faith in the
Lord Jesus, Acts 10:43: "All the prophets testify about him
that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of
sins through his name."
Baptism is the visible sign of this. Paul summarizes this
beautifully in 1 Cor 6:11: "And that is what some of you
were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the
Spirit of our God."
Babies cannot make that kind of decision. They cannot
declare (even less talk) their decision to follow Christ. To
baptize a baby is to try to force our decision on them and
is valueless.
However you can make that decision. What a wonderful Saviour
we do have! Would you like to accept Him in your life now?
He can and will forgive you of your sins, no matter how
horrible they are. He can transform your life from an ugly
charcoal into a radiant butterfly. You can overcome your
sins through our Lord and Saviour. Why wait any longer? He
is waiting for you!
b. Is there a hell?
All over the Bible there are references concerning a real
place called hell. E.g.
Ps 9:17 "The wicked shall be sent away to hell; this is the
fate of all the nations forgetting the Lord." TLB
Isa 14:9-10 "The denizens of hell crowd to meet you as you
enter their domain. World leaders and earth's mightiest
kings, long dead, are there to see you. With one voice they
all cry out, "Now you are as weak as we are!" TLB
Did you know that Jesus spoke about hell (over 70
references), more than for example the Sabbath? Read the
gospels and notice how often he warns humanity about this
place. If hell did not exist, why would our Saviour talk
about it?
Here is one sample of what Jesus said about hell (as the
answer to this week's Bible question is already so long!):
Luke 16:22-28 "The time came when the beggar died and the
angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died
and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked
up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he
called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send
Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my
tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' "But Abraham
replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received
your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now
he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all
this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so
that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can
anyone cross over from there to us.' "He answered, 'Then I
beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, for I
have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not
also come to this place of torment.' " NIV
Some people will proclaim that this is just a parable and is
not reality. But notice that Lazarus is mentioned by name in
that parable. None of Jesus' other parables mention names!
Lazarus did come back to life (see John 11) and as true as
what Jesus said, the skeptics did not accept his message and
plotted to kill him (see John 12:10) Hell is real my friend!
Another proof of the reality of hell can be found in Rev
19:20 "But the beast was captured, and with him the false
prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his
behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had
received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The
two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning
sulfur." NIV
If hell was just a burning up of people who were thrown
into, why are the beast and the false prophet still alive in
hell, after the millennium? Read Rev 20:10 "And the devil,
who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning
sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been
thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and
ever." NIV
Notice too that most texts about hell are explicit like this
one, and stress the duration of those who are in hell "for
ever and ever".
My friend, which way are you heading? Heaven or hell? It
isn't too late to make the right decision. You can stop
being miserable and accept Jesus right now. Will you accept
Him now? Go to this ministry's altar's call and take the
first step to invite Jesus into your heart.
c. Are babies who die responsible for their sins?
First of all, babies are quite innocent in nature. They were
born in a world of sin, but can we hold them accountable for
that? Who among us would accuse a baby to be a sinner and
deserving to die? If none of us would do this (in fact those
who would, would be considered "crazy"), why do we even
think that God would do such an abominable act?
Jesus confirms this notion in Matt 7:9-11 "Which of you, if
his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks
for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you
are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how
much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to
those who ask him!" NIV
How could our God who is holy even be able to entertain such
thoughts? There is no way!
Ps 99:9 "Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his holy
mountain, for the LORD our God is holy." NIV
Secondly, when David lost his infant child, he uttered these
words: 2 Sam 12:23 "But now that he is dead, why should I
fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he
will not return to me." NIV
Some may say that David was expressing himself that
eventually he would die as well. But the Biblical notion to
believers is that there is a hell and there is a heaven. We
can be assured that David was referring that he would be
with his infant baby in heaven once he died.
Thirdly, in Jewish circles a child is considered not
responsible for his actions until his Bar mitzvah (around 12
- 13 years old).
God is just and holy. Babes who die prematurely go to
heaven. They are covered by the blood of the Lamb.
Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus.
Rob Chaffart
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Baptism does not earn anybody salvation. You may
experience baptism correctly. Without salvation and go to
hell fire. It is would just amount to getting into water as
a dry sinner and coming out a wet one after all!
Baptism is identifying with the death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ and proclaiming same to the public that you are
following Him as a disciple.
A number of people who were baptized immediately after the
ordinance instituted by Jesus Christ before commencing his
earthly ministry on the earth were people who were matured
and have confessed Him and Lord and Savour. It is also
important to stress that if you do not have the opportunity
to be baptized before death knocks on your door, that does
not mean you will not go to heaven. Jesus did baptism as an
ordinance in order to fulfill all righteousness. It should
not however, replace salvation.
Now, I like to refer to the issue of children. I have the
following scriptures to quote for our enjoyment:
Matthew 19:14 “But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and
forbid them not, to come unto me; for of such is the kingdom
of heaven".
Mark: 10:13-14 “And they brought young children to him, that
he should touch them; and his disciples rebuked those that
brought them, But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased,
and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto
me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God."
Luke 18:15-17- “And they brought unto Him also infants, that
he would touch them; but when his disciples saw it, they
rebuked them. But Jesus called them unto him, and said,
suffer little children to come unto me and forbid them not:
for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you,
whosever shall not receive the kingdom of God, as a little
child shall in no wise enter therein."
Infant’s baptism is not a prerequisite for them to making
heaven. It is not even in the Bible. It is an idea of men.
Children who are not yet matured, who don’t know the meaning
of sins and are not committing it will get to heaven when
they die. Baptism or no Baptism!. The scripture is very
clear about this. Theirs is the Kingdom of God!. The
question that should bother us today is what are your doing
about your life as a parent. Have you surrendered your life
to Him. Are you still sinning, taking communion after
baptism and are in sin? You must repent and be saved. Sin
shall not have dominion over you. Jesus loves you in your
present state and would like you to come unto Him TODAY!
Summarily, babies will not go to hell if they die!
Baptism is for adult and not infants.
Read more from the article copied from Panorama of Prophecy
“QuickVerse7.0" Published by Project End Time, 15585 N.
Haggerty RD, Plymouth, MI 4810.
“Baptism, Christian
An ordinance immediately instituted by Christ (Matt. 28:19,
20), and designed to be observed in the church, like that of
the Supper, “till he come.” The words “baptize” and
“baptism” are simply Greek words transferred into English.
It means to dip a thing into an element or liquid. In the
LXX, the Greek version of the Old Testament, it is used of
the ablutions and baptisms required by the Mosaic law. These
were effected by immersion, and the same word, “washings”
(Heb. 9:10, 13, 19, 21) or “baptisms,” designates them all.
Moreover, all of the instances of baptism recorded in the
Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:38-41; 8:26-39; 9:17, 18;
22:12-16; 10:44-48; 16:32-34) suggests the idea that it was
by dipping the person baptized, i.e. by immersion.
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the two symbolical
ordinances of the New Testament. The Supper represents the
work of Christ, and Baptism the work of the Spirit. As in
the Supper a small amount of bread and wine used in this
ordinance exhibits in symbol the great work of Christ, so in
Baptism the work of the Holy Spirit is fully seen in the
water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
The apostles of our Lord were baptized with the Holy Ghost
(Matt. 3:11) by his coming upon them (Acts 1:8). The fire
also with which they were baptized sat upon them. The
extraordinary event of Pentecost was explained by Peter as a
fulfillment of the ancient promise that the Spirit would be
poured out in the last days (Acts 2:17). He uses also with
the same reference the expression shed forth as descriptive
of the baptism of the Spirit (Acts 2:33). In the Pentecostal
baptism “the apostles were not dipped into the Spirit, nor
plunged into the Spirit; but the Spirit was shed forth,
poured out, fell on them (Acts 11:15), came upon them, sat
on them.”
The subjects of baptism. This raises questions of greater
importance than those relating to its mode.
The controversy here is not about “believers’ baptism,” for
that is common to all parties. Believers were baptized in
apostolic times, and they have been baptized in all time by
all the branches of the church. It is altogether a
misrepresentation to allege, as is sometimes done by
Baptists, that their doctrine is “believers’ baptism,” Every
instance of adult baptism, or of “believers’ baptism,”
recorded in the New Testament (Acts 2:41; 8:37; 9:17, 18;
10:47; 16:15; 19:5, etc.) is just such as would be dealt
with in precisely the same way by all branches of the
Protestant Church, a profession of faith or of their being
“believers” would be required from every one of them before
baptism. The point in dispute is not the baptism of
believers, but whether the infant children of believers,
i.e., of members of the church, ought to be baptized."
Rev Debo Adeyemo
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As we read the Bible, we come to understand that there is a point in life, whereby, we are held accountable for sin; prior to this point, however, we're not (this point in life is commonly referred to as the age of accountability). As salvation is a deliberate act of faith on the part of individuals, in order for one to turn to God in repentance through faith in Christ Jesus as their Savior, they must have reached a point in life whereby they are capable of doing this. They must have reached a point in life whereby they are capable of knowing that there is a God, able to turn to Him through faith in Jesus as their personal Savior, aware that they are sinners before God and able to repent of their rebellious lifestyle.
As little children are obviously not
capable of doing this, they are not held accountable before
God for sin. Although the age of accountability is not
directly mentioned in the Bible, it is a concept alluded to
in Scripture. When King David's baby son died, he believed
that he would once more see his son in the next life for
David said, "While the child was alive, I fasted and wept;
for I said, ' Who can tell whether the LORD will be gracious
to me, that the child may live?' But now he is dead; why
should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to
him, but he shall not return to me." (2 Samuel 12:22-23)
Jesus also said of little children, "Let the little children
come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the
kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 19:14) Those who die having
never reached the age of accountability go to be with the
Lord upon their death.
As to baptism and salvation, it's important to understand
that Christian baptism does not wash sin away (or it's
consequences), but, rather, is a public testimony of what
has taken place in the life of the one being baptized; one
who has turned to God in repentance through faith in Christ
Jesus. In Christian baptism, the one being baptized is
testifying that they were in Christ Jesus on the cross of
Calvary when sin was judged (2 Corinthians 5:21), that they
died with Jesus, were buried with Him, and have arisen to a
new life in Him (Romans 6:3-4).
Jim Futral
http://www.biblepath.com (Answers to questions
from a Biblical perspective)
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I'll address each of these questions along with the Scripture verses I believe are relevent. "Many religions teach that the babies of the unsaved go to hell. What do you think?" First, I feel that this belief is unscriptural. Numbers 14:18` "The LORD is slow to anger and rich in unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. Even so he does not leave sin unpunished, but he punishes the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generations." (NLT) Can this verse be used to justify a child being condemned to hell for its parents' unbelief? No.
However, this does mean that the parents' sin may have consequences that affect their children and granchildren. (For example, children of an abusive parent may become abusive themselves). I don't believe that a child who dies before they can be baptized is condemned to hell. In order for a person to reject the Gospel, they must first be old enough to understand he message. Also, consider this passage: Ezekiel 18:1"Then another message came to me from the LORD: 2"Why do you quote this proverb in the land of Israel: `The parents have eaten sour grapes, but their children's mouths pucker at the taste'? 3As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, you will not say this proverb anymore in Israel. 4For all people are mine to judge--both parents and children alike. And this is my rule: The person who sins will be the one who dies." (NLT) Here, it's quite clear that God only punishes the one who actually sinned.
A child will not suffer eternity in hell because of something their parents did, and vice versa. God desires all to be saved (1 Timothy 2:1-4) and He takes no pleasure in the death of a sinner (Ezekiel 18:32) "Will baptizing a baby "save" it?" I think that treating baptism as nothing more than "fire insurance" really shows little regard for God's saving power. Baptism is a cleansing from original sin (Mark 16:15-16; John 3:5; Acts 2:38-39; Romans 6:3-6; Colossians 2:12-15; Hebrews 10:22), a means of receiving the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:5), and reception into the Church (1 Corinthians 12:13).
From my reading of the Bible, I've
come to believe that what happens in baptism is primarily
something God does, not something we do. A few more things
need to be considered: first, we can't save ourselves or
anyone else through our own efforts. We are saved through
God's grace alone. (Hebrews 11:6) Second, a person baptized
as an infant needs to be raised in the Christian faith
(Ephesians 6:4; Proverbs 22:6), and lastly, it's essential
that the person believe in Jesus once they are able to
understand the Gospel.
John 3: 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only
Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish
but have eternal life." (NLT) Romans 10:6 "But the way of
getting right with God through faith says, "You don't need
to go to heaven" (to find Christ and bring him down to help
you). 7And it says, "You don't need to go to the place of
the dead" (to bring Christ back to life again). 8Salvation
that comes from trusting Christ--which is the message we
preach--is already within easy reach. In fact, the
Scriptures say, "The message is close at hand; it is on your
lips and in your heart."[1] 9For if you confess with your
mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God
raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is by
believing in your heart that you are made right with God,
and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.
11As the Scriptures tell us, "Anyone who believes in him
will not be disappointed.[2] " If you haven't accepted
Christ, I invite you to answer the Savior's Call.
AJ Demers
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This is a difficult question. It is
one that major religions are unable to agree on. One learned
professor I asked simply said 'Let God be God; and trust Him
to be fair'. In this answer that I give, as always, do not
just take my word for it but check into your bibles for
yourselves. I have studied the topic over some years and
have a position which I will now explain.
I will deal with the topic of infant baptism first as it is
the easiest. No, infant baptism will not save a child.
Neither will dedication which is the alternative practiced
by those who do not use infant baptism. There is no biblical
authority to sprinkle water on the head of an infant. All
references to baptism are to either the complete imersion of
adult baptism, or to the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Water
baptism is the means by which we make a public witness of
the fact we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior.
Imersion in water, which is a foreign substance for us, and
one in which we would surely die if left in, is symbolic of
dying to our sins and participating in the death of Jesus.
Arising in baptism is symbolic of our new beginning as a
Christian and of participating in the resurrection of Jesus.
There is no way an infant is able to make such a decision.
The other part of the service where the parents promise to
bring up the child in the knowledge of God, is the only part
of the infant baptisimal service which has meaning. The
following will explain how each must make up one's own mind
concerning salvation.
The Apostle Paul muddied the water with this statement:
1Cr 7:14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the
wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband:
else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.
All commentators I have read agree that this verse is spoken
in the context of divorce and that it refers to the civil
laws of the times that children of a single parent were not
considered legitimate. He is refering to the customs and
laws of the times and is talking about holyness in a civil
and legal sense, not of their relationship to God.
If this was not so, it would be in direct conflict with the
bible principle that says that every man is responsible to
God for his or her own behavior, not that of a son or
father.
Eze 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the
father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that
sinneth, it shall die.
Eze 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall
not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the
father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of
the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the
wicked shall be upon him.
This principle is that children do not bear the iniquity of
their fathers. Therefore if a man was an unbeliever, it
would not condemn his child. Only the child's own unbelief
would condemn him or her.
There is another principle that, although we are all born
without the saving grace within us, children are innocent up
until the time they understand the difference between good
and evil, which is also a birthright. God mentioned this
when He wanted the children of Israel to enter Canaan after
Joshua and Caleb spied out the land; and they refused.
Num 14:30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land,
[concerning] which I sware to make you dwell therein, save
Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
Deu 1:39 Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be
a prey, and your children, which in that day had no
knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither,
and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.
The exodus is often likened to the resurrection as a 'type'.
In this passage we see that God did not condemn the children
of the faithless, but allowed them to enter the promised
land. Joshua and Caleb who were in favor of fighting at the
time also entered the promised land. The age where a child
will know the difference between good and evil will be known
to both the child and God.
One more aspect I wish to cover. Some would argue that
because the child is unable because of immaturity to make a
decision to follow God or not, then if they die without
having made this vital decision they will be lost. This to
me seems unfair and is not in character with the God I know
and love.
The Holy Spirit has appealed to all who have lived; although
many of them in remote parts of the world would never have
heard of Jesus or the message of the Gospel.
Tts 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath
appeared to all men,
Each of us is born with a propensity to sin; and also from a
certain age, we develop an understanding of good and evil.
This is because Adam ate of the tree of knowledge of good
and evil. The choice to do good or to do evil has been made
by every man who ever lived. If a man so chooses good, and
is unable to make a decision for Christ because he never
heard of Him; there is a principle that the blood of Christ
will cover the sins he has committed in ignorance. Note that
he cannot be saved by the good works he has done, but by the
sacrifice of Christ.
This is totally consistent with the promise that the Grace
of God, (Holy Spirit) who brings salvation, has appeared to
ALL mankind. None have an excuse for not knowing of their
creator God.
Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation
of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the
things that are made, [even] his eternal power and Godhead;
so that they are without excuse:
Num 15:28 And the priest shall make an atonement for the
soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance
before the LORD, to make an atonement for him; and it shall
be forgiven him.
All sin requires a blood sacrifice and that sacrifice is
Jesus Christ. There is no other way to salvation. However
when a man sinned in ignorance, the priest was to make an
atonement for him and he would be forgiven. These laws were
a prelude to the reality that would take place when Jesus
became our High Priest. We can therefore understand that
Jesus now offers His blood as a sacrifice for those who sin
in ignorance and who; if they knew Him; would not do so.
Jesus Himself alluded to this principle.
Jhn 15:22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had
not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.
Jhn 15:24 If I had not done among them the works which none
other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both
seen and hated both me and my Father.
This must refer to sins of ignorance, which would include
the sin we have as a birthright. Because they now knew of
the Son of God, and rejected Him, they had no more cover.
It is expected there will be some in heaven who do not know
Jesus. The following refers:
Zec 13:6 And [one] shall say unto him, What [are] these
wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, [Those] with
which I was wounded [in] the house of my friends.
I believe from my study that this establishes that God does
not condemn children who, through their rite of birth, are
sinners; but who because of their tender age, have no
knowledge of good or evil, and their sin is in ignorance. I
also believe that the same applies also to the unborn dead,
but that is another study and my answer can be found under
the topic of abortion on either my own website http://embark.to/lance
or in our answered questions of the week.
Readers of this study will not be in a position to claim
ignorance because you have heard of the Son of God and His
offer of salvation. You must either accept or reject Him. If
you try and sit on the fence, so to speak; it will be
counted as rejection.
Mat 12:30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that
gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
Should any reader need to make a decision please answer 'The
Savior's Call' in this newsletter.
Lance Wearmouth
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No, I do not believe that baptizing a baby ensures his/her salvation!
Babies are under the age of accountability, and baptism must be the conscious choice of the one being baptized; babies are far too young to comprehend and understand what's going on........Although I believe nothing is wrong in a Christian couple having their baby baptized at birth, as a sign that they plan to raise him/her a Christian.
Truly though, there can be no salvation without an understanding of the gospel message. Acts 8:32-39 says....... 32 - Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: "HE WAS LED AS A SHEEP TO SLAUGHTER; AND AS A LAMB BEFORE ITS SHEARER IS SILENT, SO HE DOES NOT OPEN HIS MOUTH. 33 - "IN HUMILIATION HIS JUDGMENT WAS TAKEN AWAY; WHO WILL RELATE HIS GENERATION? FOR HIS LIFE IS REMOVED FROM THE EARTH."
34 - The eunuch answered Philip and said, "Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?" 35 - Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him. 36 - As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?" 37 - And Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." 38 - And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 - When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing. Scripture here shows that the Eunuch made his own conscious decision to become baptized in the name of the Lord. Matthew 3:6 says: and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins...........
By confessing their sins, this shows
that they must be informed and of age enough to be aware of
what they are doing. BUT, also because the gospel tells
us.... "Whoever will turn from his sins (repent) and be
baptized in water for the forgiveness of his sins will
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.".......this is stating
that a baby is also as unconscious of sin as righteousness.
I believe that the Lord protects the innocence and unknowing
uneducated part of babies. He is certainly not going to send
them to hell unsaved because they died as a baby before they
became of age to understand baptism and the Holy Spirit. He
will not condemn them to eternity in hell simply because
they were not old enough to become educated about
Christianity, WHICH is why I believe that parents choose to
baptize their babies at birth until they are old enough to
become baptized later in life of their own choice and
religion. If a baby dies at a few months of age, it will
certainly comfort the parents knowing that they had their
baby baptized in the name of the Lord before he went back
home to be with Him. MAY ALL BE BLESSED!
DeeDee
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I do not believe that an unbaptised
baby goes to hell. The age of reason is seven in my Faith. A
baby cannot reason nor has he/she been given the capacity to
know right from wrong as a child of seven who has been
indoctrinated in Christian Doctrine, the Ten Commandments.
Such babies are innocents that cannot be held accountable.
Vatican II clarifies writings which were easy to
misinterpret prior to John Paul, XXIII's papacy.
We have been taught that baptism removes original sin, as
descendents of Adam and Eve. We then receive other
sacraments depending on our Faiths.
Babies are saved by virtue of having no ability to sin.
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To be sure that a baby would, or would
not go to hell is to embrace with obedience the scriptural
conditions for this subject, and walk in the light of God’s
Word, disregarding man’s thoughts or viewpoints. Remembering
that God is merciful, and that His plan, and promises for
the world are based upon repentance and believing the gospel
(Mark 1:15). Thereby knowing that the seed conceived in the
wife is holy. Would someone reject the gospel if they felt
that their baby would go to hell?
(God’s Word Translation) 1Co 7:14 For the unbelieving
husband has been sanctified because of his wife, and the
unbelieving wife has been sanctified because of her husband.
Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but now they are
holy.
There is a seed of the righteous and there is a seed of the
unrighteous. It takes a righteous man and/or a righteous
woman to produce a righteous seed
2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us,
who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of
God in him.
(KJV) 1 Corinthians 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous
shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived:
neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor
effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
Here only the righteous seed was saved
(KJV) Genesis 7:1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and
all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous
before me in this generation.
Moses speaking by command of God
Deuteronomy 3:6 And we utterly destroyed them, as we did
unto Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men,
women, and children, of every city.
Deuteronomy 31:12 Gather the people together, men, and
women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy
gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear
the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this
law:
The infants were brought to Jesus. an act of faith and of
obedience
(KJV) Luk 18:15 And they brought unto him also infants, that
he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they
rebuked them.
(GW) Luk 18:16 But Jesus called the infants to him and said,
"Don't stop the children from coming to me! Children like
these are part of the kingdom of God.
(GW) Luk 18:17 I can guarantee this truth: Whoever doesn't
receive the kingdom of God as a little child receives it
will never enter it
Paul
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The answer is no. The Lord teaches us that their is a certain age of discernment. The Lord doesn't tell us what age that is but you can be certain that a baby certainly isn't of that age. A baby can not make decisions, nor take care of itself and therefore does not have the ability of discernment or accountability. Discernment: Heb. 5:13-14 "For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of fall age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil," just my humble opinion and maybe as a mother I also have a warm heart for babies and children.. I do not believe that babies go to hell nor do I think the bible says the do in fact it states the opposite.. God would never put a baby in hell.. a baby hasn't had time to make a choice yet..
God Bless
Laura (a single mom who is saved)
