Thursday, May 24, 2012

My Take on the Eternal Destiny of the Unborn & Babies who Die in Infancy (A Response to Ptr. Steve Griffin)

"Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have
prepared praise."
(Matthew 21:16, ESV)
Ptr. Steve Griffin, a reformed baptist pastor who runs the blog Just Thinking (and writing), recently wrote an article concerning the question whether hell is the eternal destination of the unborn and born babies dying in infancy. Though I agree with his answer, namely, that all such are going to heaven instead of hell, there are points in his treatment which I didn't find agreeable and biblically sound.

To summarize Ptr. Griffin's argument (the way I understand it), the unborn and born babies who die will not go to hell because they can't be liable for the sin of our first parents. While they are, as all humans, conceived with a sinful nature, they are still somewhat worthy to enter heaven in that they haven't done any actual sins, and for this reason the notion of baby-faith (i.e. that saving faith is mysteriously infused by God in the unborn and dying babies before their death) should be regarded as unnecessary.

His own words (original emphasis replaced with mine):
To be sure we are not born neutral or innocent or pure. We are born sinners by nature. But are we, as preborn/born babies, sinners by choice? That is, do babies enact their wills to transgress God’s law? “Sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). Do preborn/born babies willfully transgress the Law of God? Are they immoral when they awaken their exhausted parents just because they’re hungry or startled? Are they being sinfully selfish? 
(Please note: I am not speaking of children who have the mental/moral capacity to lie, disrespect/disobey their mommy and daddy, or hurt others; I am referring to preborn/born babies.) 
Hence, I think it germane to our conversation to distinguish between sinful nature and sinful behavior. Because of Adam’s sin we are born with a sinful nature, a propensity for evil. We are born sinners. But is the sinner damned to hell because of Adam’s sin? It seems the sinner shall be judged, not for the sins of Adam, but for his own transgressions of the law. 
“And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books” (Revelation 20:12). What evil works have preborn/born babies committed? It would seem the answer to that question is “none.” (In so saying, we are not denying or even addressing our sin in Adam per Romans 5:12; again, c.f. Romans 9:11).
Ptr. Griffin denies that humans are damned merely on account of Adam's original sin, but what of Romans 5:18 which says that Adam's "trespass led to condemnation for all men"? (see also Romans 5:12). The traditional interpretation of this verse (see Council of Orange AD 529, Canon 2) is that all of mankind are actually one with Adam when he sinned, and so we are as much as liable (and worthy of condemnation) for his transgression. This is why Ephesians 2:3 says we are "by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind." If we cannot be condemned for Adam's sin, then what is the basis of this wrath which is upon us by nature/birth?

It is true and I agree that all men will be "judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books" (Revelations 20:21), but in so far as Adam was mankind's federal head and representative of the human race (just as Christ is the federal head and representative of the race of the elect - Romans 5:12-19), his sin was also OUR sin. It's as though we have actually committed the same sin ourselves. According to the London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689), under the 6th Chapter, acrticles two and three:
2. Our first parents, by this sin, fell from their original righteousness and communion with God, and we in them. For from this, death came upon all: all becoming dead in sin and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body. 
3. They being the root, and by God's appointment, standing in the room and stead of all mankind, the guilt of this sin was imputed, and their corrupted nature conveyed, to all their posterity descending from them by ordinary generation. Their descendants are therefore conceived in sin, and are by nature the children of wrath, the servants of sin, and the subjects of death and all other miseries, spiritual, temporal, and eternal, unless the Lord Jesus sets them free.
I'm not sure if Ptr. Griffin's a subscriber of LBCF. But I assume he is, since he claims himself to be a reformed baptist and that I saw some of his posts where he also quotes from the confession.

Anyway, the Bible is clear that in Adam we all sinned. Actual sins increase our guilt, but we are deserving of condemnation on account of original sin alone. This does not excempt unborn humans and those who die in infancy. Yet of course I believe none of those little ones really end up in hell by God's mercy. Though I admit I can't find any explicit statement from Scripture which says so, nonetheless I believe God is able to save them. While Ptr. Griffin believes dying infants can go to heaven without being born again and having faith, I would stick with what the Bible says in John 3:3 and Hebrews 11:6. Nothing is impossible with God, and this is clearly seen in Luke 1:41.

Praise God!

-Jeph

4 comments:

  1. Thank you for your thoughtful response. Yes, I do subscribe to the LBCF. I do not however interpret my words to be contrary to the confession.

    And, admittedly, I don't find myself in disagreement with the bulk of your response! I think I made it abundantly clear that we are born sinners and that we are not innocent or pure.

    (If we are not innocent...we are guilty. Right?)

    Further, I don't think you fail to distinguish between "nature" and "bahavior"? (Reformed confessions do speak of "original" and "actual" sin...a clear distinction.)

    I agree fully with your statements regarding Adam's and Christ's imputation.

    I'm sure I need to rework my wording concerning original sin and the Great White Throne Judgment.

    That being said, I'm not seeing anyone being condemned to hell on the sole basis of original sin in scipture.

    That no one is cast into hell on the sole basis of original sin, you seem to agree. For you write:

    "Actual sins increase our guilt, but we are deserving of condemnation on account of original sin alone. This does not excempt unborn humans and those who die in infancy. Yet of course I believe none of those little ones really end up in hell by God's mercy..."

    In other words, you don't believe a single soul is cast into hell on the sole basis of original sin. And like me you admit, "I can't find any explicit statement from Scripture which says so."

    Again, it seems to me that we are agreed that no souls are cast into hell on the sole basis of original sin.

    (This has nothing to do with whether or not such souls are "deserving." I don't think I ever mentioned babies being undeserving of hell. And I certainly never said they were deserving of heaven. Rather, I was speaking to the actual judgment we see taking place in scripture.)

    One point of disageement: You write of me that I belive babies "are still somewhat worthy to enter heaven." This I deny. They are sinners by nature and as such are guilty and impure.

    Thus my conclusion: "it may be that He welcomes dead babies into glory on the basis of His good pleasure and the merit of the shed blood of His Son."

    If I believed babies are "somewhat worthy" I would not have refered to election and the shed blood of Christ [meritorious atonemtent] as the basis for their heavenly abode.

    Thus, if dead babies go to heaven it will be entirely by the mercy and grace of God...baby-faith not required (or seen in scripture).

    ReplyDelete
  2. Pastor Steve,

    Before anything, first I wanna greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Welcome to my blog and thank you for your quick response.

    First, based on your clarifications I realized I have misrepresented you on many points. One example is that I wrongly took the impression that you were denying that babies are deserving of condemnation on account of original sin, and I based that impression on your insistence that such are incapable of committing actual sins. It seemed to me that you were saying that since babies cannot actually transgress God's commands, it follows that they should not be condemned, however sinful they are by birth. I am yet to you understand fully the significance of your insistence that babies cannot sin (actually) to your overall argument, but I want to apologize for overlooking some of your statements that could have prevented me from misrepresenting your position had I read you carefully. This was an honest mistake.

    Second, I admit I was wrong when I equated "there's no one who are actually condemned merely on account of original sin" with "there's no one who deserves to be condemned merely on account of original sin." I was attacking the latter, thinking it was your position. Again, this is an honest mistake.

    Yet, there is still one point on which we are not in agreement - namely, on the manner by which God saves the unborn and dying babies. You said:

    [Thus, if dead babies go to heaven it will be entirely by the mercy and grace of God...baby-faith not required (or seen in scripture).]

    We agree that dead babies go to heaven entirely by the mercy of God, but I will add that God does so by regenerating them and infusing faith in them. Again, there's no explicit statement from the Bible stating that God regenerates and converts dying infants, but we can infer this idea from some general statements from the Bible which says that "no man can enter the kingdom of heaven unless he is born again" (Jn. 3:3) and "without faith it is impossible to please God" (Heb. 11:6). If we take these verses seriously, together with the premise that God saves all those who die as babes, it should be clear that God regenerates and converts dying infants before they taken away from this life.

    Thanks and God bless!

    -Jeph

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you again for contemplating these things with me. As I said in my article, I would never preach such things as doctrine. This really is a matter of speculation [but we are indeed attempting to speculate biblically!].

      Now...something else for you to consider: Romans 10:14,17.

      Is preaching the Gospel the normative, ordinary means of bringing sinners to faith? Does God save sinners without them hearing of Christ? How can sinners believe on whom they've never heard? Does God give infants who die faith by another means? (I would assume you would say "yes.")

      Now...some take baby-faith to be true of ALL babies born of believers. Thus, by implication, babies with baby-faith need never be "born again."

      What are your thoughts on these things?

      Blessings to you!

      Delete
  3. Thank you again for responding, Ptr. Griffin. Here's my reply to your reply.

    [Is preaching the Gospel the normative, ordinary means of bringing sinners to faith?]

    I believe Yes, in all cases.

    [Does God save sinners without them hearing of Christ? How can sinners believe on whom they've never heard?]

    I believe no one is saved without faith, and no one has faith except they are first regenerated, and finally, no one is regenerated except by the power of the Gospel.

    [Does God give infants who die faith by another means?]

    I don't think so.

    [Now...some take baby-faith to be true of ALL babies born of believers. Thus, by implication, babies with baby-faith need never be "born again."]

    I don't believe that.

    God bless!

    ReplyDelete

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