Ron

I have to second what Tony said. I appreciate the manner in which you presented your objection, and I hope that I can accomplish the same in this response.

I agree that the “indoctrination of children with religion” would be best to come to an end. I can not speak for all belief systems (all of which constitute religions), but Christianity (which is about relationship not religion) is not about indoctrination. Christianity represent a choice to follow Christ and to make him Lord of our lives. In working with kids, it is important that you give them the information they need to make their own choices and not force your choice upon them. When you say “My mother had me ask Jesus into my life,” it seems that she made that choice for you and didn’t lead you to a place where you could make that choice.

I also agree that fear should not, and cannot, be the primary motivator in spiritual formation. While we are called to fear the Lord, the Bible is also clear that God is love, and God loves us. When anyone loses the balance between God’s love and God’s justice, the presentation of the gospel gets “out of whack.”

As someone who did not accept Jesus as Lord until he was thirty years old, I was fortunate not to have to overcome a religious upbringing. That said, we can not, and should not, reject Jesus because of the mistakes of his followers.

Finally, you conclude that “children do not have the capacity to make reasonable judgments as adults do.” I have to disagree with you on this account. Children may be more susceptible to manipulation than adults (though perhaps not), they are certainly capable of make decisions. To assume that they are incapable of forming an independent decision, and therefore not give them a chance to know God because of their age, is insulting to both them and the God who created them. Indeed, in Deuteronomy 6, God gives us the formula for teaching kids about him – tell them everything that God has done. Show them his glory, and they can decide whether or not to reject him.

Like Tony, I pray that kids would continue to accept God and join him in his kingdom because of God’s grace, because of God’s mercy, and for God’s glory.

God bless you.

As for children of believers, the scriptural assumption and commandment is that we will obey scripture in the many ways it instructs us to raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the LORD; talking about Him when we get up, sit down, walk along the way and when we lay down as scripture instructs (Deut. 6: 4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. [a] 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”) In the old testament they understood better than current Christian society does, I believe, that the future of all believers rests on how we raise our children. “Gen. 18: 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.” Any time we read of the children of Israel turning away it is a direct result of generational “forgetfulness.” Generations where the people did not direct their children in keeping the ways of the LORD. I believe our generation is so worried about making converts out of our children that we are actually often “forgetting” to train them up in righteousness, teaching them both what the LORD has done for us, His people, in the past (through generations of those who call on Him), to what He is doing now in the church and in the world to the glorious things that He has prepared for us. We have so often forgotten to teach them that the commandments of the LORD are the freedom to which He led the Israelites after their life of slavery… they were set free to obey God and live as a Holy people, set apart for Him — a people through whom all nations would one day be blessed which we see come to fruition on the day of Pentecost and which we witness now throughout the world.

Also in the Old Testament scripture is very clear that children born into Israel were members of the covenant before they could reply. All of the males were given the sign of the covenant on their bodies to remind them that since before they could remember or speak or choose Him, God had put His sign on them and set them apart to be His own people. This is how we view baptism. For children of believers there is never necessarily a moment of conversion that they can write in a bible. They won’t necessarily have a date to point to at which they went from the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of light. We should hope and pray that Christians are raising their children in such a way, as well as praying for the hearts of their children in such a way that there is never a time in their lives where they can look back and remember anything but knowing that they have an identity given to them by God — “Set apart” — and that they can not really remember a time when they did not love Jesus. That this identity is given to them and they do not have to search for their identity or create one but they have one. They belong. If God wanted his sign placed upon the 8 day old children of old testament believers in the coming messiah, how cruel do we have to believe God is to not extend that gracious sign of His covenant love to our children? Where many believe that God sort of closed that door of covenantal belonging when the “testaments switched over,” they may be (possibly initially) dumbfounded, and then hopefully thrilled, to know that He indeed opened it even further in saying, “there is now neither male nor female, slave nor free, jew nor gentile…!” Circumcision was no longer the sign (aren’t all new converts thankful for that!!) and the promise was not only open to Israelites… The sign wasn’t something that could just be given to males. But now “The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” And the sign of the new covenant is baptism.

In the Old Testament every piece of furniture and every item used in the service of worship and sacrifice to the LORD was literally baptized in blood. They were sprinkled with the blood of the sacrificial animal. In this way these things were set apart for holy use in the worship of God. It probably still sounds very confusing to many people… why all the blood?! That tent where God made His dwelling in the Holy of Holies, was a small picture of the slightly more permanent dwelling place of God, the Temple, but then in 70 A.D. the temple itself was providentially destroyed… so, as Christ had hinted, it wasn’t permanent either. It was a more solid (than a movable tent), though still not lasting, picture of the eternal dwelling place of God.

By God’s grace, the permanent dwelling place of God is with Man. John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” We ourselves, the Church, are the ones that are made holy — set apart for His use and are called in the new testament, “living stones being built together.” 4As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— 5you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”[a]

Just as every article in the worship of God in the first place that God dwelt among His people was baptized and thereby ceremonially cleansed for God’s use, so every member of the household of faith must be baptized. Just as cups and alters and furniture didn’t wash themselves or choose to be used for holy purposes, so we do not. Baptism is God’s mark upon His people that they are to be set apart for Him from the very earliest age.

We are called not to convert our children but to disciple them, to instruct them and to train them up in the way they should go. This starts before they are even able to speak. We disciple them as God has done for us. He condescends, comes down and speaks on our level though His thoughts and ways are so far above our own. His son came down and was born in a crude stable and lived a human existence and made His dwelling among us. He came down to our level and said, “let the little children come unto me for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these…” A baby who can’t express their faith might have the simplest faith, the likes of which we need often emulate — total dependence. And while earthly Fathers and Mothers will fail at coming through many times, when we admit that we are totally dependent upon God He will never put us to shame. But, just as a loving mother will not forget the baby at her breast, how much more will He hear our cry and have mercy on us and feed us with Himself?

As for the children of unbelievers who die while unable to express any kind of faith at all, we simply continue to trust in God’s sovereignty. We cannot say with any Biblical proof that everyone younger than X age is automatically in. We simply must say that we trust that God is merciful and good and that He is able to grant the gift of faith to even those who cannot express that gift if it is His will to do so. As much can be said for those with disabilities. God is sovereign. Romans 9: 10Not only that, but Rebekah’s children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. 11Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: 12not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”[d] 13Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”[e]

14What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15For he says to Moses,
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”[f] 16It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.

Many will balk at this but the eternal security of an unborn child or a newborn baby or a toddler is under the exact same amount of sovereignty as our own salvation. Phil. 2: “13for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. “

Thank you for your comments. I certainly don’t mind the questions. I appreciate the input (“as iron sharpens iron”). I think the specific scripture that many people point to in the passage from Samuel where David says that he will see his infant son again. I believe that is a strong argument that infant who die go to heaven, there are several others taken, not from specific passages, but from the whole of scripture. I could reiterate them here, but there is a great article by Albert Mohler and Daniel Akin (both men I have a great deal of respect for) titled “Why We Believe Children Who Die Go to Heaven.” You can find it at:

http://betweenthetimes.com/2009/07/24/why-we-believe-children-who-die-go-to-heaven-2/

They present the arguments much more convincingly and eloquently than I could, so I would refer you to their article.

I hope this helps!

Sincerely,

Wayne