DO CHILDREN, FROM CONCEPTION TO BIRTH TO WHEN:

GO TO HEAVEN WHEN THEY DIE?

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(or those mental handicapped)

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LITTLE CHILDREN DON’T HAVE A RECORD

Part Eight

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In the book of Jonah, God had compassion on Nineveh, a city of more than 120,000 persons who did not know the difference between right and wrong. They were mentally incapable of understanding truth. And God has compassion on that condition.

• Cf. Deuteronomy 1:39 These little children do not have knowledge of good and evil. Cf. Isaiah 7:16 They haven’t reached that condition of accountqbility.

Here is the idea: A child that dies, do not have a record because they have not committed any evil works. There has not been a conscious act of rebellion and iniquity. Only God knows at what time in life a person comes accountable.

And those who have died before this point, have been guarded by God’s providence from committing those deeds, those responsible acts of sin by which they would be condemned.

Scripture teaches judgment is based on the grounds of deeds of sin. While it’s true they are sinful, by nature. But the account against them that condemns is their deeds. God doesn’t charge people with real sins until they have really committed them. Interesting isn’t it.

Babies have no record of sin being committed. Thus, babies that die, are ELECTED and enter into the glory of Heaven.

In 1907 R.A. Webb wrote (note footnotes:)

• "If a dead infant were sent to hell on no other account than that of original sin, there would be a good reason to the divine mind for the judgment because sin is a reality, but the child’s mind would be a perfect blank as to the reason of its suffering. Under such circumstances, it would know suffering, but it would have no understanding of the reason for its suffering. It could not tell itself why it was so awfully smitten and, consequently, the whole meaning and significance of its sufferings, being to it a conscious enigma, the very essence of the penalty would be absent, and justice would be disappointed, cheated of its validation."

It’s true that children are born sinners -- their death does prove that. But never being able to understand the truth; and therefore, consciously reject it and choose rebellion, they have no record against them in the books of God. Thus constitutes a marvelous and vast opportunity for sovereign grace to operate, apart from any works at all.

NOTE: This article has been to this point 16 pages on my notes, I have just about five more pages on this lengthy article. We have had some good e mails regarding this article, and some personal comments given to us about the helpfulness of this article. My e mail is CWhisna@aol.com