Death of Infants...

jd.morrison · #1 (**permalink**) 09-26-2008, 04:54 PM

I do not quite understand the death of infants and them being elect. Could someone explain this? Or am I miss understanding something?

FrielWatcher · #2 (**permalink**) 09-26-2008, 09:10 PM

Infants are elected or they are not. The divine providence and sovereignty of God means that He elects alone. Infants are or are not elect. Jacob and Esau - Jacob was loved by God and Esau was hated by God before they did anything good or bad, in infancy.

That is the way I know it. It is not our call. If God sends an infant to hell or to heaven, to Him be the glory alone. Only His ways are known by Him and they are perfect for His own reasons.

Iconoclast · #3 (**permalink**) 09-26-2008, 09:25 PM

Paragraph 3. Elect infants dying in infancy are regenerated and saved by Christ through the Spirit;10 who works when, and where, and how He pleases;11 so also are all elect persons, who are incapable of being outwardly called by the ministry of the Word.
10 John 3:3, 5, 6
11 John 3:8

This statement from the 1689 speaks directly to the issue

Scott1 · #4 (**permalink**) 09-27-2008, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Westminster Confession of Faith

III. Elect infants, dying in infancy, are regenerated, and saved by Christ, through the Spirit,[12] who works when, and where, and how He pleases:[13] so also are all other elect persons who are incapable of being outwardly called by the ministry of the Word.[14]

Scripture proofs

Quote:

[12] LUK 18:15 And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. ACT 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. JOH 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 1JO 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. ROM 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

[13] JOH 3:8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

[14] 1JO 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. ACT 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

The Confession summarizes the doctrine of Scripture to say that God does save infants He elected (in eternity past). It does not say how many or how few those are.

Understand this is not saying that all infants are saved nor is it saying that all infants are not saved, it is saying that God can and does save infants who die in infancy.

A Pastor once told me that in this "difficult" area, we must, in the final analysis, "let God be God."

Gomarus · #5 (**permalink**) 09-27-2008, 07:51 AM

See also this thread among others:
Infants, dying in infancy

VirginiaHuguenot · #6 (**permalink**) 09-27-2008, 08:26 PM

My pastor preached a sermon on infant salvation on the day that my youngest child was baptized which is a good treatment of this subject.