Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Because of Adam, every man is not only born a sinner and in need of redemption, he is conceived a sinner. A baby, infant, toddler, or child doesn’t become a sinner the first time he sins, he was conceived a sinner!
A man is not a sinner because he sins and a child doesn’t become a sinner the “first time” he sins, he sins because he IS a sinner. We may think a baby in his mother’s womb is as innocent as anyone can possibly be. While that may be true from a worldview, it is not true in God’s view. That baby is a sinner who needs to be redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ as much as a murderer on death row. The psalmist tells us as much.
Yes, I can understand why some want to believe that an infant, or a toddler, or even an unborn baby is “safe” from Hell. It doesn’t seem that it is fair of God to send an infant to Hell when they have done nothing wrong.
They have “done” nothing wrong??
That’s right! These “innocent” children have done nothing wrong and they haven’t had a chance to “accept” Jesus. That’s why they are only safe, not saved.
Don’t you understand by saying that, you are proving that you believe in works? Both of those examples are “works” of the flesh! And they that are in the flesh can not please God (Romans 8:8). As we are not saved by anything we have done (2 Timothy 1:9, Titus 3:5), neither are we condemned by anything we have done.
It is not our works that condemn us, it is the sinful nature that we have inherited from Adam - the sinful nature with which we are conceived and born. This sinful nature is what sends people to Hell and we received it when we were conceived. Our “works” do not determine our eternal destination. They DO however, determine our level of punishment or reward once we arrive (Luke 12:47-48, 2 Corinthians 5:10).
I wrote about this in Bible Truth #319. It’s easy to believe that God has chosen to save every baby whom He has determined would die before birth, as well as every infant, toddler, and small child whom He has appointed to die before they reach an age where they can “understand” the idea that every person is conceived in sin, needs a Savior, and must be redeemed - and it could be true. But the theory that God chose every baby is not directly supported anywhere in Scripture. Everyone lives and dies according to God’s plan for their life (Proverbs 16:9; 19:21; 20:24; 21:1) and that includes children. He works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will (Ephesians 1:11), even the deaths of our children, infants, and unborn. But that does not change the fact that even unborn children are not innocent, they are sinners in need of the same redemptive work of our Savior Jesus Christ as adults.
Psalm 51:5 tells us that a man is a sinner when he is conceived.
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