The death of a young child is hard for parents to take. It is perhaps one of the hardest things we could face. Having gone through the joy of having our child only to lose them at an early age for whatever reason. It is some comfort to know that young child will be in Heaven. The Bible teaches us this and gives four reasons:-

1 – The character of God

The title “Father” for God gives us some understanding of the compassion of God. See Psalm 86:15; 145:9. The God we serve is a good God. He is fair and will not judge unfairly. This does not excuse adults because God’s creation is evidence and witness of his existence. Young children cannot understand.

• When the children of Israel were punished for their unbelief when they heard the reports from the spies. It was their children who went into the promised land. See Deuteronomy 1:39. The children were not held responsible for the unbelief of their adults. Jonah
• When Jonah was sent to Nineveh to preach to the city, one of the reasons spared the city was because there was so many children there. See Jonah 4:11.
• God considers children to be His children. See Ezekiel 16:20. God gives special grace to these children who are too young to understand and believe. They are called “innocents”. See Jeremiah 2:34; 19:4. They are sinful in nature but not fully responsible for their actions to God as adults are considered.

2 – The condition for salvation

Those who go to hell are those who have sinned knowingly and willfully. See Galatians 5:19-21, Revelation 21:8 and Ezekiel 18:20. Little children have no record of unbelief or evil works and so no basis for not going to Heaven. See Isaiah 7:16. There is a time in a child’s life when they don’t understand the difference between good and evil. They do not comprehend the gospel. They are unable to believe. They are not classified as wicked. They are provided for in grace.

3 – The compassion of the Saviour

Jesus had an incredible love and compassion for little children. See Matthew 19:13-14, Mark 10:13-14, Luke 18:15-16 and Matthew 18:1-5, 14. It is not the will of the Father in Heaven that even one of these little ones perish. What happens to those children whom are lost in a miscarriage or abortion? These children are already in heaven. They are a person from the moment of conception. This is how God views the child even if the world does not. The person who has the mind of child will not be sent to Hell. The little child who is not mature enough to understand and dies young will be with God in Heaven.

4 – The child of David

See 2 Samuel 12:14-23. This is perhaps the strongest evidence in the Bible for the salvation of young children. David committed adultery and had Uriah (the husband of Bathsheba) killed. He covered this sin, The prophet Nathan tells David that the child will die. David prayed and fasted that God will spare the child but the child dies. David knew that he would see that child again. Not in the grave or Hell. He would meet this child again in Heaven. It is a comfort to know this as true. It is no comfort otherwise!

5 – Other issues

There are a few other questions around this issue.

• What about the age of accountability? – There is no chronological number. Children do not develop mentally the same. It is different for each child. It depends upon when they understand the message of the gospel. They are not innocent until they reach a certain age. They are covered by the blood until they understand and then they become responsible. The Bible does not tell us an age. It is known by spiritual understanding. The children will start to ask the questions and start to make decisions. Children may make decisions several times before they become certain.
• How old are children going to be in Heaven? – There are all sort of views on this and the Bible gives no answer. Some believe that all will be around the age of thirty. Some believe that children will be allowed to grow up in Heaven. The Millennium suggests this is possible. It is impossible to be dogmatic. One thing is certain. If you want to see your child in Heaven then YOU must be born again!

Categories: Apologetics