babies and heaven

[guest]

Pastor Mike,
So somehow during our Experiencing God bible study tonight, we somehow got to the subject of heaven and salvation with babies. I know and believe that in order to go to heaven, we have to trust Christ as our Savior and have acknowledged Him as Lord of our life. Well what if you have never heard the gospel at some point in your life? What if you have never come across someone that has shared Christ with you? My main concern/question is what happens to babies if they die so young? I mean, for one they have never heard the gospel? So where do they go when they die? Does God have a special place for them in heaven?

[Mike Miller]

First of all, let me clear up a common misconception. People do not go to hell for rejecting Christ. If that were true, the most merciful thing we could do would be not to tell anyone about Jesus so that no one could reject Him. No, people go to hell for sinning. That's why everyone deserves hell. We all sin, which is an offense to the glory of God. Therefore, it is my conviction that babies who have never sinned are not in danger of hell because they have never sinned. Only when a person has the moral capacity to sin can that person be lost, so this is relevant not only to children but to mentally retarded people as well.

For a more detailed discussion, check out the thread titled "age of accountability" on this website: askmike.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=16