Do Infants Go to Hell? (3 of 3)

(Image: stjohn.org)

This 3 part series is in response to a question that came up with our youth at Effingham Presbyterian.

Grace Matters

It’s easy to get caught up in the question of infants and hell. The truth is, we are all destined for hell, and it is only by God’s grace that we go to heaven. That’s true for a 1 year old and a 100 year old. It has nothing to do with how good we are, how many times we’ve prayed, or whether we’ve been baptized, although those things are important to living out our faith.

Only by understanding that salvation is the result of unmerited favor can we understand the salvation of infants. If God is willing to unite with us even though we don’t deserve it, why would he do no less for a child? Or for that matter, an adult with the mind of a child?

Ephesians 1:11 states that we’re saved according to God’s plan and not from anything we do: “In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will...”

Romans 8:30 says that our journey to salvation begins with Christ, not by a decision on our part: “And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”

Faith in Christ is a result of His calling us closer to Him. Our living out our faith in the decisions we make and the actions we perform is evidence of our union with Christ (see James 2:18-26) While a child may not have a chance to develop this kind of faith, it does not mean that God is not willing to call him or her to be by His side. Young or old, it all comes back to Grace.