Doctrine of the Day: Original Sin

The other day I asked my son, Asher, “Where will you go when you die?” He said, “Nashville.” It is hard to know what to make of that answer. Does he know that we don’t live in Nashville anymore? Does he think Nashville is Heaven or Hell? Does he even know what it means to die? He’s only 2.5 years old, so I will cut him some slack.

This made me think of a bigger question though, “What happens to infants when they die?”

This is a difficult question with huge implications for our everyday lives. My immediate response is “All infants go to heaven when they die.” Even after much reflection and serious thought, my answer is the same. I believe in a God who is gracious and merciful. I believe that in his great grace and mercy there is room for infants who die to spend eternity with Him.

But as I said, this is difficult question for two reasons.

One, the Bible does not give a clear, direct answer to this question. Two, there is the issue of original sin.

The Bible makes it clear that there is one Way to God the Father: through Jesus Christ the Son (John 14:6). That Way is the way of faith and repentance. We believe on Christ in order to be saved. This is how God’s grace in salvation is manifested in us.

So if Jesus is the only way to the Father, and if that way requires faith, what about infants who die without the ability or opportunity to express that faith? The Bible does not say much. There are passages that mention God knows us before we were conceived in the womb (Jeremiah 1:5) and examples of his Spirit upon babies in the womb (Luke 1:15), but none that say definitively that when those infant lives end they are immediately swept up into heaven.

Now the prevailing thought is that these babies have not yet sinned and therefore they are innocent in God’s eyes. That means He will automatically welcome them into eternity with Him.

The problem with that thinking is that we are born as sinners. This is the doctrine of original sin. We are born in sin (Psalm 51:5). We are by nature children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3). Because of Adam we are born guilty of his first sin (Romans 5:12-21). The very fact that infants do die is evidence of this effect of sin on their lives. Adam’s sin and the penalty of death is inherited in all his descendants. This gives us what we call the sin nature. This means that every person WILL sin as soon as he understands right from wrong. There is not a single person who can make it through life without sinning. Such is Adam’s curse.

Original sin is a big problem. This means that even infants are not innocent. No, they have not consciously committed any sin, but they are Adam’s offspring and have inherited his guilt. The question we then need to ask is “On what basis can God allow them into heaven?”

I have heard and read different responses to this question, and none of them are completely satisfactory to me. John MacArthur has written a book on this topic that many find helpful, Safe in the Arms of God. He has also delivered a couple of sermons that are very detailed (http://www.gty.org/AudioPlayer/Sermons/80-242). John Piper has a more succinct answer on his website (http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Articles/ByDate/2006/1622_What_happens_to_infants_who_die/).

I don’t like coming to firm conclusions without the help of solid biblical support, so it is difficult for me to say without question that all infants who die go to heaven.

However, even with the issue of original sin and the problem it poses, I still believe that the primary attribute of his being that God chooses to magnify above all others is his mercy (Romans 15:8-9). Therefore, I believe that God in his mercy, somehow in a way unknown to us, overcomes the problem of original sin in infants who die and graciously welcomes them into his presence.