What Happens to Infants When They Die?
Romans 5:18-19
Turn to Romans 5. Our discussion this morning is a result of our study of Romans 5, a message entitled, What Happens to Infants When They Die? After the first sermon on addressing Adam’s sin a few weeks ago, and that Adam’s sin became our sin, one of the elders said to me later that week, you may need to address infants who die. And I said, “Well, it does not directly come from that text,” so I sort of put it on the back burner. Then after another week of Romans 5 and Adam’s sin, a number of people came up to me asking the same question, or similar questions circling around the guilt of mankind through Adam. That week, we met as elders and discussed the possibility of addressing this topic, and one of the elders said to me jokingly, I thought you would avoid this. And I said, “I tried!” I had said a few weeks ago that I was going to send out a church letter addressing this issue, but it became so long that I did not know who would actually read it. But after thinking about it, I thought this is very much a family issue, a church family issue, and it would likely be best to just talk about it with the church family. And this is a very sensitive issue, as some of you have been directly affected.
And so, what I intend to do this morning is share with you what the Bible says, without adding opinion. I had shared with you a while back, and I believe it was Martyn Lloyd-Jones who said that we need to be careful that we do not go beyond the Scriptures in our teaching. But he also said that we always want to go as far as what the Bible teaches, and therefore, we do not want to leave anything out that is contained in the Scriptures. So, I trust I will do that this morning. So, let’s pray before we begin. Father, we come before you this morning, desiring Your leading. A topic which involves so much of Your wisdom and Your care. So, we pray that the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts this morning might be acceptable in Your sight, amen.
I believe that when we address this issue, we may include some other situations as well. We might first think of those who die in the womb. We may think of those who die at a young age. And we also may think of those who die who have extreme mental disabilities. So first, I wish to review quickly our study in Romans 5, which pertains to this issue and how we got here.
“So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men.”
Romans 5:18a (LSB)
That is the simple biblical teaching here, that through the one transgression—because of the one sin of Adam—all are condemned. And we asked the question, how can that be just and fair? That all men and women are condemned through the sin of one man’s transgression. And we said that it was a great question because it is true, that all are condemned because of the one man, Adam. Not that all sinned later on because of what Adam did—though they did—but all sinned when Adam sinned. See the directness, do you see how connected we are to Adam’s sin? In other words, when Adam sinned, judgment came to all men and women. The whole of humanity was now guilty before God.
“[E]ven so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. 19 For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were appointed sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be appointed righteous.”
Romans 5:18b-19 (LSB)
We could say here that because of Adam, all were declared unrighteous, and that because of Christ, many were then declared righteous. And the truth that we have been appointed sinners by God is proven further by the fact that we all die. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote this:
“As Adam’s one act of disobedience has made sinners of us all, so the obedience of Christ to all who believe in Him makes them righteous.”
Martyn Lloyd-Jones
As we have been teaching that my sin was imputed to Christ, for which He died and paid the penalty, and His righteousness has been imputed to us. And as Adam’s sin has been imputed to us, in other words, counted as ours, so too, Christ’s righteousness has been imputed to all those who would believe, in other words, counted as theirs. And yes, we do inherit a sinful nature from Adam, as it is revealed every day in our lives. But that is not what condemns us in this passage, for what condemns us is the actual sin of Adam, because Paul has taught that we all sinned in Adam. And the only way we can explain why infants die is that every human being has sinned in Adam. So, the first statement we can make biblically is this: All men and women die, including infants, because of the sin of Adam. Everyone, the moment we are given life—and we believe that this occurs at the moment of conception—already has a death sentence placed upon them. And there is nothing anyone can do about it, as the penalty of sin in Adam has come upon the whole race of humanity. Adam acted for all the rest. Adam took down all of creation, for even all of creation mourns, and we have all inherited the corruption of Adam. First Corinthians 15:22, “For as in Adam, all die.” So, point #1: All men and women die, including infants, because of the sin of Adam.
We also need to consider that infants do not commit the actual sins that the Bible often condemns. Think of such verses as (1 Cor 6:9-10):
“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate [men acting like women], nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.”
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (LSB)
Certainly, this would not be true of the unborn, nor would it be true of young children. Yet we know that much of this list would be part of their nature if they did grow up; they simply were not given the opportunity to act upon their sinful nature. So, we could make point #2: While all men and women sinned in Adam, not all men and women acted upon sin in the same way, and some not at all. So, two things we know from the Scriptures: All men and women die, including infants, because of the sin of Adam, and while all men and women sinned in Adam, not all men and women acted upon sin in the same way, and some not at all.
There is also the truth we have been studying in Romans, and that is that men and women are accountable to believe in God from the witness of creation. This is an important truth, because this is one of the points where we would go in a very different direction than many other churches, as some would take the stand that those who may have never heard the gospel may be saved, which Romans 1 makes impossible. Therefore, we can say #3: All men and women are without excuse, whether they have heard the gospel or not, because of the witness of creation. Is everyone with us? This is how I attack any difficult question, and that is to first go over what we know to be true.
There is also one statement I wish to make that you may think is unrelated, but it is not, for it highlights both the goodness and rightness of God: (Ps 34:8) Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; (James 1:17) every good gift and every perfect gift is from above; (Ps 100:5) for the Lord is good and His love endures forever; and (Ex 34:6) the Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. These are not merely comforting words that make us feel better, but these are truthful words about God. That God is good and loving and faithful. Yes, these are truths that we know from Scripture about God. That God is righteous, and we might think of the term righteous meaning that God is a God of judgment, and this is true. But the term righteous also means that whatever God does is always right, every judgment He makes is right. Genesis 18:25, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
See, there can be no worry or concern from the Christian that God will not always act righteously. And we can discuss this topic from our own viewpoint, but we fully understand that this is and always will be God’s call, and that is the eternal destination of every human life. So, point #4: Regarding the outcome of all things in the universe, God will always judge righteously. And this is a bit of a bottom line, isn’t it? Now, this will not eliminate our study this morning, but this point has a massive weight on our study this morning, that God will always judge righteously.
Next, we need to make a statement about the gospel, for it is the gospel that is the cause of salvation of every human soul, as we would all agree that outside the gospel, no one will be saved. And of course, central to the gospel is the death and resurrection of Christ, for it was Christ who paid the debt of sin for all mankind. The Apostle Peter made this statement about Christ:
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:12 (LSB)
Now, believing is part of the gospel. And that, of course, is part of our study. Can an infant be saved without the knowledge of belief in the death and resurrection of Christ? But in regards specifically to our study, I believe we could at least make this statement, point #5: All who will be saved must be saved based on the work of Jesus Christ. That statement ties in Acts 4:12 and ties in much of what we have already been learning from the Book of Romans.
Another truth the Bible speaks much about the election of God’s people. We addressed this a lot in our study of the Gospel of John, and it will come up again as we get into Romans 8. Jesus said that a man or woman cannot come to Him unless (John 6:37) a person has been given to Christ by the Father; (John 6:44) no one can come to Christ unless the Father draws him; and (John 6:66) no one can come to Christ unless it has been granted by the Father. And we do not have time to get into this this morning, but this too has a great bearing on our topic, because if anyone is saved, he or she must be saved through the work of Christ, and anyone who is saved must also be granted by the Father. So, we can make this statement #6: All who are saved must be both drawn by the Father and granted by the Father.
So, these are all truth statements that have a bearing on our discussion: 1. All men and women die, including infants, because of the sin of Adam; 2. While all men and women sinned in Adam, not all men and women acted upon sin in the same way, and some not at all; 3. All men and women are without excuse, whether they have heard the gospel or not, because of the witness of creation; 4. Regarding the outcome of all things in the universe, God will always judge righteously; 5. All who will be saved must be saved based on the work of Jesus Christ; and 6. All who are saved must be both drawn by the Father and granted by the Father.
Now, there is something else we need to consider, for the Bible speaks differently about children than it does about adults. And I want to give you some examples that we might want to call:
The Uniqueness of Children
We have already seen where infants do not sin as adults do, and in some cases, infants in “acting out” sin, do not sin at all. Another thing is that the Bible speaks of some who were called in the womb. Regarding John the Baptist, it says that he would be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. So, that God calls from the womb is true, and we certainly know that the election of God to salvation is an unconditional call of God before the foundation of the world. That God (Eph 1:4) chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. Another thing that we could say is unique about infants is that not only are they not able to reject the gospel in the same way as adults, but they are also unable to reject the witness of creation as adults. The unborn infant is unable to look at creation, and as God would say, they should know that there is a Creator. We, as adults, are accountable for that conclusion, but it may not be that infants are accountable. The Bible also speaks of infants in a very positive language that it does not use for adults. We know the kind of descriptions the Bible gives regarding adults, just read Romans 3. And though Romans 3 could address infants as well in some negative sense, sometimes infants are spoken of differently. Think of Jesus’s words in Luke 18:
“But Jesus called for them, saying, ‘Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’”
Luke 18:16 (LSB)
Difficult to know the full ramifications of what Jesus is saying here, but we know that Christ does not make such statements about adults. Now, this does not give us a full theological doctrine around the salvation of children, but it is a very different way in which Jesus and the Bible speak about them at times from how it speaks of adults. Good for us to notice here in this statement of Christ’s, “for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these,” whereas when we read (1 Cor) with the long list of sins, “they will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Also, think of God’s words in the Book of Jonah. Remember when Jonah was upset about the Lord rescuing Nineveh after Jonah had pronounced judgment on them. And part of the reason that God relented was the repentance of the people. But God also mentions the 120,000 people who did not know their right hand from their left, likely a reference to small children. Again, we could not create a theology around this, but it does express here and show us the care of God for young children. And think of some of the references in the Bible to the innocence of children. When David was condemning the pagans for sacrificing their children to their gods, he condemned them for shedding (Ps 106:38) “innocent blood.”
So, in summary, there is some uniqueness about children in relation to adults. Again, not really any direct thoughts on children, but certainly some statements to consider. I also need to mention the story of King David, who lost a son in 2 Samuel 12. He was only seven days old when he died. And David said this, “I will go to him, but he will not return to me.” Now, some have interpreted this as David saying that he would be with his son someday in heaven—a possibility—but it could also be interpreted that David simply realized that his son was not coming back to life and that someday David would die as well, just like his son. So, we do see some “positive” statements made about children, especially when we consider the negative statements made about adults.
But we also must balance these with all of Scripture, knowing the truth we have been studying in Romans 5, that we all sin in Adam. And also, to think of when Nicodemus came before Christ (John 3), and Jesus confronted him about his need to be born again. And the main point that Jesus makes is that “unless one is born of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” If this is true of the unborn or small children, God must accomplish this somehow in their lives. Ephesians 2:3, Paul teaches that all people are “children” of wrath. Psalm 51:5, David says that he was brought forth in iniquity, in other words, he was sinful when he was born. Matt Perman made this important statement: that any answer we give for this issue must take into account that all of us are born sinful and worthy of judgment. That is a very strong bottom line in the Bible. So, let me give you some thoughts here, as I will make some conclusions in the form of questions. The first is very quick:
- Was this a question that the Bible saints would have wondered about?
My answer to this question is “yes,” as historians believe that the death rate for children under the age of one in New Testament times would be appr 30-50%. We think far more of the infant death rate in the case of abortions or miscarriages, as death rates in Canada for infants under one today are less than 5 per 1,000 persons, whereas in New Testament times it was around 400 per 1,000 persons, which does not help someone who may have gone through this, but it does show the greater degree of death they would have to deal with in regard to children.
- Is there any theological argument concerning infants who die?
I have given you some statements in the Bible that may deal with this issue, some of them from stories. But there is a statement in our passage of Romans 5 that may consider this directly. Romans 5:14, “Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the trespass of Adam.” This is a difficult phrase, but it could refer to those who die with sin—in Adam—but not in the likeness of Adam. In other words, yes, they have sinned in Adam, but not in the deliberate way in which Adam sinned. And we may not believe they would associate this passage with infants, but considering the countless infant deaths, they may have, as they would wonder about the many children who die young, and knowing that they did not sin as Adam sinned. Another text would be the Romans 1 passage that we have already mentioned (vs 20):
“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, both His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”
Romans 1:20 (LSB)
And so, we can confidently say that infants, or the unborn, or possibly those with severe mental limitations, could not “clearly” see God’s invisible attributes or His creation in the same way as those who are without excuse. And the other, of course, is the contrast between the sins committed by adults (1 Cor 6) and the resulting “they will not inherit the kingdom of God.” And Jesus’ statement (Luke 18:16) regarding children, “for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” And I mention these four passages because I think that this is important, as we must look to God’s Word, and not make conclusions about this issue or any other issue simply by emotional arguments.
- Why did God not give us a firm answer in the Bible regarding the salvation of children?
This is a good question, because I wrote it! No, but because I believe that there is a good reason why God is silent regarding some things. Though I also believe that part of the danger when God is silent is that we as humans often will begin to make our own theological statements. And one of these is the term “age of accountability.” This is the belief that salvation or the action of faith and belief is outside a person until they reach a certain age or mental capacity, and I would suggest that there are many dangers with this. Catholics suggest that this is at the age of seven. The Church of the Latter-day Saints (Mormons) suggest the age of eight. Many Protestant churches would say twelve to thirteen years old. Of course, the danger in such thinking is that it does an injustice to the gospel in some ways, as it lessens the urgency of the gospel and ignores the need of the gospel.
Now, this does not mean that we would push our children to make a decision for Christ, but it does mean that there must always be an urgency for everyone to receive the gospel. For this is the message of the entire New Testament, that today is the day of salvation. I would say generally in Christianity today, the gospel has lost its urgency. Imagine if God had stated that there are exceptions to the gospel in the sense that all must believe, except in certain situations, we know what man would do with such a statement. Man would quickly make all kinds of boundaries around the gospel, such as this is the age, or this is how much a person needs to know, or how accountable anyone is who seems to possibly struggle grasping ideas. Whereas the Bible does not do that, as it simply says, you must be born again. And I also need to say that we need to be careful in saying such things as, this is what God must do. This is how Jonah got himself in trouble, and this is how Job got himself in trouble. Paul Kroll said this about God’s response to Job when Job had made some statements about God:
“Until you know a little more about running the physical universe, Job, don’t tell me how to run the moral universe.”
Paul Kroll
We have absolutely no need to try to defend God or direct God in His actions. There is no need for us to say to God, “You must do this.” I have mentioned to you before about a sermon I once heard from Haddon Robinson on the Book of Ecclesiastes, when he said that we have the tendency to expect God to explain Himself to us. And as Robinson said that somehow we get the idea that when we get to heaven, God will call me into the backroom and say, “Mark, I want you to know what I was doing as I didn’t think it was clear.” Robinson said, “Don’t count on it, for God owes us no explanations.” There is some arrogance in thinking that we need to dictate to God what He can and cannot do. And after all our rambling, God may say to us as he said to Job, “Are you done?” So, final question, and for me this is the bottom line.
- What is our greatest comfort in all this?
Answer: God. We do not need anything more than that. Yes, our greatest comfort is God. We do not need to make sure that God does what is right. It is true, we do not know everything God does or why. But everything God does is right. And God knows the great hurt of losing a little one. God knows the hurt of losing a child before they are ever born. He knows the hurt of losing a child at a young age. He also knows the sadness that parents face because their child may not understand like other children. I still remember the early morning hour when we received a call from our son Andy that their fourth child, little Pepper, was born. And then the concern when we had another call a little later was that they suspected that she had Down syndrome. Hard to know all that Pepper understands at age twelve, but God knows. God knows everything about Pepper. God knows that she has been wonderfully made. God knows that Pepper sinned in Adam, and God will be the Judge of Pepper in eternity.
And that is a decision that I do not need to worry about or make boundaries or defend what God will do. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? For God knows everything. He knows all things about the universe. He knows everything about every human heart. He knows everything about the myriads of angels, both those who are His heavenly hosts and those who are part of Satan’s army. He knows the life and path of every little bluebird in the universe. He knows the location of every droplet of rain. He knows the number of hairs on your head. And God knows about the imputed sin we receive from Adam. God knows the mystery of His divine will and His divine call in the election of His saints. God knows the reasons and the minute details of all His sovereign purposes. And the reason we do not need to worry about things that God has kept silent about is that in the end God will determine all things, and we can trust Him.
We do know a lot because God has revealed much to us in His Word. But we do not know everything, because God, in His wisdom, has chosen not to tell us. But we do know God, and that He is sovereign, He is good, and He is just. And for that we will forever trust Him, love Him, and worship Him, amen? Chuck Swindoll said this:
God’s purpose is unfolding, and I cannot hinder it.
God’s plan is incredible, and I will not comprehend it.
God’s reproof is reliable, and I dare not ignore it.
God’s way is best, and I must not resist it.
Charles R. Swindoll
Psalm 119:68, “You are good and do good.” Evangelist George Mueller started an orphanage for children. Eventually, he and his wife, Mary, oversaw an orphanage for almost 2,000 children. When she died of rheumatic fever, these were Mueller’s words at her funeral: The Lord was good, and did good, in giving her to me; The Lord was good and did good, in so long leaving her to me; and The Lord was good and did good, in taking her from me. The bottom line is God, and the goodness of God. That is the hope for us all, and the only hope. The prophet Isaiah wrote:
“Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will make you mighty, surely I will help you;
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
Isaiah 41:10 (LSB)
Church family, God is our greatest comfort. And all God’s people said, amen.