Scriptural Evidence Supporting The Proposition That All Infants And Irresponsible Adults Who Die As Such Are Safe Due To The Death Of Christ And Go To Heaven

Or, "Accountability;" "Babies Go To Heaven"

Introductory Remarks

This page is now getting several hits a day, letting me know I was on track when I posted this material to the internet. Since there are so many visitors, it seems appropriate to describe the history of what's written here.

The following is a rough draft of a paper I wrote in 2004 while attending seminary. As I recall, I took a correspondence course in addition to the residency and one of the assignments was to write a paper for the purpose of proving that people who are never able to follow the Bible command to "repent and believe the Gospel" are nevertheless safe due to the death of Christ.

Since the paper was written by a student to a seminary professor, it obviously assumes that the reader will already have an understanding of the Bible. Since it is a rough draft, it will be found that the thoughts within it are not completely developed even though they are accurate. And yes, I've also noticed that a sentence or two ends with a preposition. Originally I had planned to publish the finished work here, but I moved from the seminary to a new pastorate late in 2004 and I have been unable to locate the document. It seems likely that it is lost.

Purpose

The purpose of this page is to provide as much assurance and comfort as possible to anyone who may be dealing with the issues discussed herein. I thank God that I had carried out this study before I ever became a pastor; the research here has already been very valuable in my personal ministry. I hope it helps you in some way. I may be contacted via the guestbook wherein you can leave a private message. The link is at the top of this page.

Part One

It is my belief that all infants and irresponsible adults who die as such, as well as the unborn, go to heaven. It is my belief that such are unable to come to the age of accountability because of lack of knowledge. I define the age of accountability as "the point at which one realizes that he is a sinner and that God will hold him accountable for his sin." Lack of knowledge is defined as ignorance. In this category of individuals are all people who cannot meet the Bible command to repent and "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved."

To lack knowledge about any concept is to be ignorant of the concept in question. To be ignorant of something is not necessarily a bad thing, although the term "ignorant" is often applied to persons as an insult. Consider this: the pastor is ignorant of how to fly an airplane. This is not bad in itself, unless he attempts to fly an airplane while he is ignorant. It simply means that the pastor lacks the knowledge he needs in order to be able to fly an airplane.

While ignorance is not necessarily bad or wrong as it pertains to not knowing how to fly an airplane, God takes a different view of ignorance when it comes to sin against Him. One may sin against God and not know it - be ignorant of it - but the Scripture declares that God still requires that sins against Him be paid for, even if they are done in ignorance.

The Bible teaches that God had laid out a plan (in the Law of Moses) for sacrifices that were to be made when one sinned through ignorance. Leviticus 4 contains a series of verses related to the sacrifices associated with sins committed in ignorance:

Leviticus 4:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them: (KJV)

Leviticus 4:13 And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which should not be done, and are guilty; (KJV)

Leviticus 4:22 When a ruler hath sinned, and done somewhat through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD his God concerning things which should not be done, and is guilty; (KJV)

Leviticus 4:27 And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance, while he doeth somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and be guilty; (KJV)

Consider also Leviticus 5:15:

If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the LORD; then he shall bring for his trespass unto the LORD a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering:

It is interesting to note the theme in Leviticus 4:22, 27. In these verses is a cross section showing that God required sin offerings from the ruling classes and the common people. The implication here is that no one is exempt.

The Scriptures quoted above should be sufficient evidence to prove that it is possible to sin through ignorance and that God required that such be paid for and had made provisions for it in the Law of Moses. Since the Scripture teaches that God does not change, it is reasonable to assume that God still requires these sins to be paid for. The good news is that the Lord Jesus Christ has paid for these sins.

The evidence presented by Scripture is that Jesus Christ, sinless Son of God, our Lord, died for our sins. Hebrews 10:12 states: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God. Thus, Christ fulfilled all the sin offerings by His death, including the payment for sins of ignorance. Therefore, I conclude that all who die ignorant of their sins are covered - safe¹ by the blood of Christ.

Objection: What about the unborn and infants?

If the material above is not considered sufficient evidence, rest assured that the Bible declares in no uncertain terms that all persons are covered by the death of Christ:

These verses declare that Christ died for all. The italicized that in verse 15 was inserted by the translators and literally says, "And he died for all..." In the rules of logic, it is stated that "What is true of all of a class is necessarily true about part of a class." Jesus Christ died for all of a "class" - humans (sinners). The unborn, infants, and irresponsible adults are humans and included in the "class." That the unborn are nevertheless living souls and are part of the "class" of humans is proven by Psalm 51:5 wherein King David speaks of his being alive before he was physically born: Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Therefore, I conclude that Christ died for these individuals as well.

Additional Proof Of Infants Going To Heaven

In 2 Samuel 12:23 King David speaks of his infant son who had died: But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.

In this verse King David (a saved man) declares that he shall go to his son. It may be that David is simply referring to the fact that he will follow his son in death, but considering the circumstances in the text this appears to be unlikely. It is my belief (I am stating opinion) that David was anticipating the time when he would meet his son in heaven.

If David's meaning was that he would go to his son in heaven, and again it seems likely that this was his meaning,² then this verse is evidence that at least one infant (ignorant of repentance and faith) went to heaven. Time and again the Bible declares that God's character does not change (Numbers 23:19), He does not lie (Numbers 23:19, Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:18), He is no respector of persons (Acts 10:34), etc. If God is consistent (and He is), and if one infant dies and goes to heaven (as King David apparently had in mind), then it is reasonable to assume that others do as well. While logic does not allow one to apply a universal application based on one example, we teach as much when we declare that all the Canaanite babies (who died as the result of God's command to the Israelites to drive out the nations) went to heaven.

At any rate, it is true that our Lord Jesus Christ died for the sins of all. It cannot be denied that babies (whether born or unborn), children, and adults who cannot reason are covered by His precious blood. Let us praise the Lord for His provision for all.

End Notes
¹It is not strictly correct to refer to these individuals as "saved," rather they are "safe."
²God's character alone makes my conclusion a certainty if I am not mistaken about David's meaning. This, despite the protest of my logic professor.

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