Before there was Jeff Foxworthy there was Jerry Clower, a Mississippi Baptist lay preacher and story-telling comedian. He used to talk about the time one of his cousins was engaged to a nice Methodist girl from the neighborhood. There was only one thing wrong with this young woman—she had received infant baptism. For the groom’s staunchly Baptist family this simply would not do, she must be properly baptized—as an adult believer by immersion in the river. The young lady politely refused.
Brother Jerry was called in to mediate the situation. Jerry sat down with the couple and the family patriarch. He said to Uncle Jehu, “What if I took Mary Lou out into the river just waist deep? That would be a compromise.” Uncle Jehu said, “No, that won’t do.” Jerry tried again, “What if I take her in up to her shoulders?” Jehu shook his head no. “What about up to her chin?” Again, a vigorous no. “What if I take her in so that just the top of her head is still sticking out of the water? Uncle Jehu shook his head again and said, “Nope, it has to be all the way.” Jerry leaned back in triumph and said, “That’s what Mary Lou’s been trying to tell you—it’s just that little bit on the top of the head that does the trick anyway!”
[from a post to the blog Living Lutheran]
While thumbing through the latest issue of Christianity Today, the following article caught my attention: Do Children Go to Heaven When They Die?: God's love for children is clear in Scripture, but the 'age of accountability' is harder to find. Before I even read a word of the article, I pondered the question a moment. How awful to be a parent and be vexed in such a way!
Brother Jerry was called in to mediate the situation. Jerry sat down with the couple and the family patriarch. He said to Uncle Jehu, “What if I took Mary Lou out into the river just waist deep? That would be a compromise.” Uncle Jehu said, “No, that won’t do.” Jerry tried again, “What if I take her in up to her shoulders?” Jehu shook his head no. “What about up to her chin?” Again, a vigorous no. “What if I take her in so that just the top of her head is still sticking out of the water? Uncle Jehu shook his head again and said, “Nope, it has to be all the way.” Jerry leaned back in triumph and said, “That’s what Mary Lou’s been trying to tell you—it’s just that little bit on the top of the head that does the trick anyway!”
[from a post to the blog Living Lutheran]
I find CT magazine interesting-- even, at times, enlightening; however, its pop-Christian culture aspect and Billy Graham Baptist theology roots leave me wondering sometimes. This is one of those times.
This is straight from the LCMS (website FAQs section)...
Why do we baptize children? Three reasons:
On the contrary, the divine commands to baptize in Scripture are all universal in nature. On the basis of these commands, the Christian church has baptized infants from the earliest days of its history.
Since those baptized are also to be instructed in the Christian faith, (Matt. 28:20), the church baptizes infants only where there is the assurance that parents or spiritual guardians will nurture the faith of the one baptized through continued teaching of God's Word.
2. Our need for Baptism (Psalm 51:5; John 3:5-7; Acts 2:38; Rom. 3:23; Rom. 6:3-4). According to the Bible, all people–including infants–are sinful and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).
King David confesses, “I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Ps. 51:5). Like adults, infants die–sure proof that they too are under the curse of sin and death.
According to the Bible, Baptism (somewhat like Old Testament circumcision, administered to 8-day-old-babies – see Col. 2:11-12) is God's gracious way of washing away our sins – even the sins of infants – without any help or cooperation on our part. It is a wonderful gift of a loving and gracious God.
3. God's promises and power (Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; Acts 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21; John 3:5-7; Titus 3:5-6; Gal. 3:26-27; Rom. 6:1-4; Col. 2;11-12; Eph. 5:25-26; 1 Cor. 12:13).
Those churches which deny Baptism to infants usually do so because they have a wrong understanding of Baptism. They see Baptism as something we do (e.g., a public profession of faith, etc.) rather than seeing it as something that God does for us and in us.
None of the passages listed above, nor any passage in Scripture, describes Baptism as “our work” or as “our public confession of faith.”
Instead, these passages describe Baptism as a gracious and powerful work of God through which He miraculously (though through very “ordinary” means) washes away our sins by applying to us the benefits of Christ's death and resurrection (Acts 2:38-39; Acts 22:16), gives us a new birth in which we “cooperate” just as little as we did in our first birth (John 3:5-7), clothes us in Christ's righteousness (Gal. 3:26-27), gives us the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5-6), saves us (1 Peter 3:21), buries us and raises us up with Christ as new creatures (Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:11-12), makes us holy in God's sight (Eph. 5: 25-26) and incorporates us into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13).
What happens if an un-baptized child dies?
The position of our Lutheran Church on the first point in this question can best be expressed in the words of Dr. Francis Pieper:
"There is some basis for the hope that God has a method, not revealed to us, by which He works faith in the children of Christians dying without Baptism (Mark 10:13-16). For children of unbelievers we do not venture to hold out such hope. We are here entering the field of the unsearchable judgments of God" (Romans 11:33).
What is the basis of such hope? It is this, that God is not Himself bound by the means to the use of which He has bound us. That is to say that while Christ has commanded us to baptize all nations, God can save sinners without Baptism. He did so throughout the entire Old Testament. During the first 2,000 years we know of no special means of grace for little children. At the time of Abraham He instituted circumcision, but He did not thereby provide for little girls. It is for God to determine under what conditions He will receive children into His kingdom.
A most encouraging instance for the Holy Spirit's power to influence even unborn infants in a spiritual way is found in Luke 1:15, 41, 44, where it is stated that the unborn John the Baptist leaped for joy within his mother's womb when the unborn Jesus was brought into his presence by His mother Mary. Behind all this is the all-encompassing Gospel pronouncement that "God
As to the second point we might say: Whether individual Lutheran pastors have ever baptized stillborn children immediately upon their arrival, we do not know, and to our knowledge such practice has never been sanctioned by our church. Nor should it be sanctioned. The means of grace, including Baptism, are for the living only (Heb. 9:27).
So. Do children go to heaven when they die? We have every reason to believe that they do. And Christ Himself placed an emphasis on children more than once, for example:
Matthew 19:14 (ESV): But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”
Mark 10:14-16 (ESV): But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.
The answer to the question is that we cannot presume to know, but can only remain encouraged by God's Word, in which He reveals Himself to be a God of Grace!
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