The thread concerning infant salvation has demonstrated some amazing use of  texts of Scripture. At times the discussion has veered off from biblical exegesis into "I want to believe this so it has to be true."

 

First of all, I am not sure it is fair to say, as some have, that "Calvinists, or Reformed people, are antagonistic to infant salvation." Nearly all Reformed people believe in the salvation of "elect children." They merely insist that Jacob and Esau must be considered in the mix when the subject of general infant salvation is discussed.

 

It seems to me that any discussion of infant salvation must begin with the biblical data that we have that might, in one way or another, touch on the subject. MacArthur has mentioned many texts of Scripture that I had never before seen used in an attempt to prove infant salvation. I will leave it to others more capable than I am to evaluate whether his exegesis of those texts are correct. At this point in my thinking I would say, "I do believe in infant salvation but I cannot prove it as a fact from Scripture." To me the final word is "Shall not the righteous judge of all the earth do right." In no sense is that a hardnosed response without any compassion for an aching heart looking at an empty cradle. What more comfort is needed for a child of God who believes that a wise, holy, gracious heavenly Father ordained the death of that Child just as He ordained the horrible death of his own only begotten son? Likewise it is not a cop out but an honest opinion that Scripture is not all that clear on the subject.

 

Ever person with an ounce of humanity in their hearts wants to believe in "instant heaven" for all babies who die? Does Scripture give us clear assurance that such is the case? I must answer, "NO, it does not." Does Scripture give us any hints at all upon which we can hope? I can answer, "Yes, it does." However, "hints of hope" and "clear assurance" are two different things. My biggest problem with a lot of the posts on the chat room is that they simply do not start with the clear facts about the DEATH of infants.

 

First of all, do some one day old infants die? Of course they do. That is a fact beyond dispute. We have all witnessed or heard of that heart wrenching event. It is essential that we ask, "How and why is it possible for a one day old baby to die?" Any discussion of whether or not that one day old baby can possibly be saved is a waste of time until you established the ground upon which death had a just claim on the child?and death did have a just claim on the infant or they could not die in the first place. There may not be much information concerning an infant's salvation but there is ample and clear evidence in Scripture concerning the ground of the infant's just death. A one day old child deserves to die or else God acts unjustly when he takes that infant's life. That is clear biblical fact.

 

Secondly, why does any infant die? He dies for the same reason that anyone else dies. He dies only because he is a guilty sinner in the sight of a holy God. The Bible is clear: "The wages of sin is death." Wherever you find death you find the wages of that sin being punished. Death is the penalty for sin and the penalty, death, is only exacted where it is deserved. Death, as the wages paid for sin, is never given to anyone who is not a guilty sinner deserving those wages. I know that some people will cringe when I say that a one day old baby is a "guilty sinner deserving death" but if that were not true then no baby would ever die. DEATH IS THE ABSOLUTE AND IRREFUTABLE PROOF THAT AN INFANT IS A GUILTY SINNER DESERVING GOD'S WRATH! In order to believe in infant salvation we must believe that the benefits of the atoning work of Christ are somehow applied to the infant. That infant, as a guilty sinner, must be regenerated and cleansed from sin before it can be saved. The Bible is quite clear that the infant is a guilty sinner who NEEDS to be saved but it seems to me the Bible is not clear on exactly HOW redemption is applied to the infant.

 

Thirdly, what did an infant ever do that made them a guilty sinner in the sight of God deserving death as the penalty of their sin? Again, Scripture is quite clear on this point. Romans 5:12-14 specifically deals with this very thing. All people, including the infant who dies, actually sinned in Adam. Romans 5:12 does not say that Adam "sinned for me" but it says that I "sinned in Adam." Adam's sin is my sin. When Adam sinned that infant who dies was in Adam and, in God's sight, that infant is accounted to be just as guilty in the sight of God as Adam. That is the doctrine of imputation because of representation. We may talk about "not fair" or "I had nothing to do with it" but the Biblical fact remains, the actual guilt of Adam's one transgression is credited to everyone of his posterity including the infant who dies. If we start our discussion of an infant's salvation by even suggesting the child is "innocent" and does not need to be washed in the blood of Christ, we are flying right in the face of clear Biblical truth.

 

Paul's formula in Romans 5:12-14 is iron clad.  

(1)      Death follows sin as the just penalty of sin. 

(2)      If there is no sin there can be no death or penalty.  "Remember now, who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright ever cut off?"  Job 4:7.

(3)      Find death and you have also found sin and guilt being punished. We must grasp this fact.

(4)      Infants incur death as the penalty of sin only because they are guilty sinners who deserve that penalty.

(5)      But infants (a) never knowledgably disobeyed a commandment as Adam did. How can they be "guilty?" (b) Sin is not imputed where there is no law and there was no codified law until Sinai. 

(6)      Fine, but then why did the infants, from the time of Adam to Sinai, who had broken no law by actual transgression, still die before the law was given at Sinai?

(7)      Answer:  They were represented by Adam and they literally "sinned and became guilty in Adam."  

(8)      Romans 5:12 does not say "death spread to all men, because ADAM sinned," but because "ALL sinned." All people, including the infant who dies, actually, literally, "sinned in Adam."

(9)        Every infant who dies is a guilty sinner. They, and we today, are accounted just as guilty as Adam because in him we choose to eat the fruit. If you struggle with the imputation of guilt by representation in Adam then you will never understand the imputation of righteousness by representation in Christ.

(10)     The only way the guilty infant can be saved is by proving that just as the infant, and all the elect, were actually in Christ on the cross at Calvary in the same sense that they were in Adam in the Garden. Our condemnation and our justification are both grounded in the same truth of imputation and representation. 

 

Rom 5:12-14

12  Therefore, just as through one man [Adam] sin entered the world [by Adam's one sin], and death [as the just penalty for sin] through sin, and thus death spread to all men [including infants], because all sinned [because they were in Adam and represented by him. Adam's act was their act.]--

13  [Problem!!]  (For until the law [From Adam to Sinai] sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. [All agree. You can't break a law that does not exist or is not known]

14  [I agree, but your argument proves too much]  Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses [in spite of the fact there was no law people still suffered the penalty of sin, or death], even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam [death reigned over infants who had never broken a known law in the sense that Adam did], who is a type of Him who was to come.  (NKJ)

 

The only answer to the death of infants is they must have been someway united to and represented by Adam. When Adam sinned they also sinned in him. Adam's guilt is imputed to all his posterity. All his posterity, including infants who die, are just as guilty as Adam.

 

Once the above is acknowledged and we choose to believe in infant salvation then we must demonstrate how infants as guilty sinners can somehow have the redeeming grace of Christ applied to them. If they have to exercise their wills, as the Arminian insists, then there is no hope. If we believe regeneration precedes faith then we can hope that happens in the infant's case. I cannot prove from Scripture that it does but I think there are some hints of it being more than possible.

 

I have a list of charts on Romans 5 called "The Theology of Death."  They are in Microsoft Word 97 format. I would be happy to e-mail them to anyone desiring them. Send me your personal e-mail address.

 

JGR