This question recognizes that it is a good and necessary implication of the basic premise of Evangelical Inclusivism that all who die before the age of accountability will be saved.
The
So-called "Universalistic" Texts
Evangelical Inclusivism does not close its eyes to what the Bible says in the "so-called" universalistic texts (e.g. John 12:32;
Rom. 5:18, 11:32; 1 Cor. 15:22; 2 Cor. 5:19; 1 Tim. 4:10; Titus 2:11,
Heb. 2:9; 1 John 2:2; etc.).
It is beyond all reasonable doubt that,
whether read in English or Greek, these passages speak of a certain-to-be-realized
salvation as Calvinist have consistently maintained and they do so
in terms of all persons as Arminians have always affirmed.
These passages are not unclear or fuzzy.
Either we accept these passages as written without any exceptions
(Absolute Universalism); or, we accept them as written with the exceptions
that are necessarily imposed on them by the broader context of the
Scriptures as a whole (Evangelical Inclusivism). No one has been able
to suggest a third way of accepting these passages as written (See
Posting #1).
The exceptions to these passages, that
is, those who will be lost (the reprobate) as described in the Scriptures
and as characterized in the "elucidation" adopted by the
Christian Reformed Church in 1980 do not include any infants whether born
of believers or of unbelievers (See Posting #11).
The
Nature of God
Secondly —
Most importantly, is the reason stated by Charles Spurgeon for believing
that all who die in infancy are saved. In a sermon entitled "Infant
Salvation," preached September 29, 1861 he said, "We ground
our conviction about infant salvation very much upon the goodness
of the nature of God." Again he said "We think that eternal
banishment of those dying in infancy would be utterly inconsistent
with the known character of our Lord Jesus Christ."
For anyone to say or to imply that
God may have created some infants for the sole purpose of casting
them into hell may well be guilty of contemptuous speech concerning
God. "If we had a god whose name was Moloch; if God were an arbitrary
tyrant, without benevolence or grace, we could imagine some infants
being cast into hell" (Spurgeon).
The Christian Reformed Church on Infant Salvation
Thirdly — Although many of its members are not aware of this the Christian Reformed Church has officially taken the stand that ALL who die in infancy, whether children of believers or unbelievers, are saved. It accepted this truth when it adopt Report 30 as its official reply to Dr. Harry Boer's complaint against the teaching of the Reformed Creeds.
This stance taken by Synod 1980 of the CRC, with its unavoidable implication concerning ALL who die in infancy, is discussed in detail in Posting 11 "Evangelical Inclusivism in the Christian Reformed Church."
An
Unanswerable Question
"At what point does an infant/child become accountable?"
This question baffles me. Surely
no one expects an answer in terms of years or months. We have
no way of knowing the answer to this question and there is no need
for us to know.
God alone decides who has finally and
decisively refused "to have God in their knowledge." That
knowledge concerning other human beings, no matter what their age,
will not be ours until "the last day."
Listen to these words spoken by Jesus: "As for the
person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him.
For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. There is a
judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that
very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day" (John
12:47,48).
Genesis
18:25
Isn't it enough to say 'Will
not the judge of all the earth do right?'" Such "pious agnosticism"
is appropriate only concerning matters about which the Scriptures
remain silent. This question from Gen. 18:25 is not an expression
of Abraham's willingness to acquiesce in silence, that is, to let
the matter at hand go unanswered. He posed the question in order to
urge God to answer.
We have no reason to think that God
is pleased with the claim or the implication that he may have created
some infants for the sole purpose of casting them into hell. It is
just as wrong to affirm that which the Bible denies as it is to deny
that which the Bible affirms.
Back
to Frequently Asked Questions
Contact
Neal Punt at: whenindoubt1@charter.net
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