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There may be no greater pain than a parent losing their child. We find ourselves in a unique time in history where not only are parents losing their children through no fault of their own, but millions of children are lost every year to abortion. Can we know where those children are right now? I think we can, and I think we can rejoice because of it.
2 misconceptions
First, let’s briefly discuss two mistakes people make on this subject. The first are those who claim babies would go to Hell. It sounds monstrous, but many who believe this are trying to be faithful to what God has revealed, even if that truth isn’ a pleasant one.
The basis of this belief lies in original sin. When Adam fell, He represented all of us as a sort of father, and thus His sin was passed down to every person with a human father. Though the idea of us being responsible for our father’s sin is foreign to our culture, the Bible is quite clear that our sin nature is inherited. As we’ll discuss, this view neglects the difference between the sin we inherit and the personal sin we choose because of that inheritance.
On the other side, people often refer to a statement King David makes when his own son dies. When David learned his child would die, he was filled with mourning at the reality that although his child was alive in the womb, David would never get to interact with him as a father. It’s understandable, but his servants become very critical when the child dies and David suddenly stops mourning. David responds with this:
While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who knows, the Lord may be gracious to me, that the child may live.’ But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me. (2 Samuel 12:23)
Here, David is saying that his son can’t return to him, but one day they will be together in the afterlife. The mistake here is that people take David’s last words as truth. When we read the Bible it’s critical that we understand the difference between things that are recorded, whether true or not, and things that are taught. In this case, we have no reason to believe that David’s statement is true – it’s simply part of a historical record, just like any other statement that may not be true.
However, David made that statement based on his worldview. There were certain things he understood about God, and the source of that worldview is where we can find great hope for those children who never had a chance to realize the weight of sin and the need for a savior.
What David knew
David would have been familiar with two areas where God dealt specifically with children being accountable for sin. First, we see God dealing with children after Israel had left Egypt. Their parents had shown, time after time, that they lacked faith in God. As a result, God forbade them from entering into the Promised Land. And yet, not all of Israel was condemned for the sin of those who knew better.
Moreover, your little ones who you said would become a prey, and your sons, who this day have no knowledge of good or evil, shall enter there, and I will give it to them and they shall possess it. But as for you, turn around and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.’(Deuteronomy 1:39-40)
Here we see that, despite their parents’ sin, children weren’t held accountable. God made them exempt from a judgment placed on an entire group. Certainly, these children would eventually grow up and consistently choose sin over God, but on that day God wasn’t holding them responsible for choices they were incapable of making.
David understood God’s grace in this. He knew there was value in mourning while the child was alive because of the uncertainty of his future. Yet upon death, David moved and spoke with absoutely certainty, knowing that God wouldn’t punish a child who had been incapable of personally choosing sin over his creator.
Other mentions of children
This point is continually emphasized throughout the Bible. We see, with absolutely clarity, that God sees children differently than He views adults who are capable of understanding right from wrong.
Jeremiah and the death of the innocent
Because they have forsaken Me and have made this an alien place and have burned sacrifices in it to other gods, that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known, and because they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent (Jeremiah 19:4)
Today, we off-handedly call children innocent without fully considering what that means. However, let’s not ignore the significance of what is being said here. Israel has been sacrificing children to pagan gods, and God is about to pronounce judgment on them. Calling them innocent isn’t a comment made lightly – it is a very specific description of how God views them. Despite being born with original sin, God nevertheless declares them innocent, completely and utterly without guilt, because they were too young to consciously choose to act on that sin nature.
Jonah and the ignorance of youth
“Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?” (Jonah 4:11)
Jonah wasn’t a man of great compassion. He hated the city of Ninevah where God had sent him to preach repentance from sin. Jonah threw a fit when God spared them, at which point the prophet got set straight. Here, God is pointing out His graciousness in choosing to offer forgiveness to a city, reminding Jonah that he was rooting for God to pronounce judgment on thousands of children who were too young to understand sin. Here, we see that God makes a clear separation from those who lived in sin, and those who didn’t yet comprehend the difference.
(It’s worth noting that, based on historical evidence, Ninevah couldn’t hold 120,000 children and their parents, so this likely refers to the entire city who didn’t understand sin. However, Romans 1:20 and Romans 2:12-15 are clear that people will have no excuse for the choices they make.)
Ezekial and the slaughter of God’s children
Moreover, you took your sons and daughters whom you had borne to Me and sacrificed them to idols to be devoured. Were your harlotries so small a matter? You slaughtered My children and offered them up to idols by causing them to pass through the fire. (Ezekial 16:20-21)
Just as God did something otherwise unheard of in declaring children “innocent,” here we see Him describing children in a way that is wholly unique. The term “my children” is reserved for those who belong to God – in the Old Testament, that would be those who were walking in faith and obedience to God, while today it would be those whose sins have been paid for by the blood of Christ.
Yet when Israel sacrificed their children to pagan gods, notice God gives them a title reserved only for those who are found in Christ. God’s wrath wasn’t just that the Israelites were killing children, but they were killing something that God held as His own – they were God’s children, innocent humans being slaughtered at the altar of a false god.
Christ and the residents of Heaven
But Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14)
Though we often point out how radical this verse is in how it gave value to children in a society that didn’t, Christ says something significant. His last words clearly imply that, just like we see in Ezekial, Heaven belongs to innocent children just as much as those who know sin and are redeemed by God.
When in doubt, trust God’s goodness
Let’s be clear, the Bible doesn’t outright state that children go to Heaven. That’s because it’s not a rules manual, but a continued reveal of who God is and how we should respond to Him. And throughout this book, God reveals His mercy in how He considers children.
When we deal with the painful subject of death and children, much like David we can find great hope. We worship a God who is filled with grace and mercy, and He will always do what is truly good and right. Although there are aspects of God we may struggle to understand and trust, we know His goodness will never fail. And as we consider the millions of children who don’t live long enough to understand right and wrong, we can trust that God’s grace is enough to cover them just as it covers those of us who could never hope to deserve it.
The Lord is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works. (Psalm 145:9)
To read more on this subject, check out my series on abortion (link) and what happens to those who never hear the gospel (link)
