Good News! Babies who die go to Heaven!

[Dagvelia]

[Berean]

Hmmm.....can't say I totally agree, brother.  That is, no doubt some babies (and small children) go to heaven when they die, but I don't see "salvation by reason of youth" in the Bible.  A lot of Christians quote King David when he said, "I will go to him but he will not come to be" as "evidence" that all babies go to heaven, but that's called "individualizing" - applying something meant for a particular person in the Bible as a universal promise.  (You see that in people setting out fleeces, claiming Jeremiah 29:11 for themselves, etc.)  

God loves and respects us so much that He'd allow those who don't want to be with Him forever to go to hell, even though it would break His heart - but love not freely given isn't love at all.  If He were to remove free will from all of those young ones, well...why not remove free will from everyone so none would perish?  Not to mention, if all babies went to heaven, that would make abortion a great blessing!  I mean, imagine you have some kids who turn out to be unrepentant criminals. You're a Christian and want to have a child who will go to heaven, so what do you do?  Get pregnant and abort it.  Um...I don't think so!  

Not to mention, would a baby Hitler to go heaven?  A baby Stalin?  A baby Mao?  A baby Obama?  And let's not forget  Psa 58:3
:
"The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies."

I think that this is a question that won't be answered until we get to heaven, but probably one of the best explanations I ever heard was this:  Since God is outside of time, space, and limited dimensions, maybe He can look ahead and see if the child would have chosen to follow Him or not if it hadn't died.  

[PrisonerOfHope]

Actually, wouldn't the belief that all babies and children who die be an extreme example of Calvinism?  i.e., that would mean they're all part of the elect.  
(No, I'm not a Calvinist....)

Here's another thought:  Man is created in God's imagine, which I believe pertains to his spirit.  Since God is unchanging, by extension it would mean that man's spirit is unchanging...so there are no "baby spirits."  

I agree that we won't know the truth until we get to heaven, but I do have a problem believing that every child who dies is automatically saved.  As Berean pointed out, some would grow up to reject the Lord - you can't dismiss free will.  Now, some might argue that once they die and meet Jesus they'll want to be with Him forever, but that's not true:  Even though children born during the Millennium will see and know Jesus, experience His love and goodness first-hand, and live in a perfect environment with Satan bound, at the end of the thousand years many will still choose to follow Satan and rebel against the Lord.  

Interesting subject...  

[Dagvelia]

Well, killing/aborting would conflict with Gods word for sure even if babies go to heaven or not. I don't think we can use Hitler, Stalin or Obama as an example either. They had, or in the case of Obama, have the chance to repent.

Here's a question. Does God give everyone the chance to repent and trust in Jesus as their savior? Does He say, you have a choice but I don't? If not wouldn't that be closer to Calvinism? If so, then wouldn't the fact that those without that chance fall under Gods (I'm using a word to manipulate your thinking here lol :-) ) "loving" grace?

And how do we know or can we even presume that all aborted babies would not have trusted in Jesus later in life?

Though the bible isn't black and white on this. I tend to believe they are and will go to heaven.

It really bugs me that there are grey areas. :-)

[schwartzie]

Well, there are grey areas on lots of issues - things we won't understand until we get home.  Bear in mind, all those babies are born spiritually dead. 

And how about those who've never heard the gospel? What about a hypothetical African or Hawaiian or Native American who, in is heart, really wanted to know who created the world, and who God really is.  He would have eagerly accepted the Gospel, but...he died just a day or two before the missionaries arrived.  Would God say, "Tough luck!  If only you'd have lived a few more days, you'd have been saved."  Somehow, I don't think so...how can you reject what you've never been offered?

What's the answer?  As it says in Genesis 18:25, "Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?" Some day we'll understand it all...and the reasons why.