Unfortunately, many of us as Christians, as the Church, are ill-prepared to give with confidence, sound Scriptural assurance, hope and comfort to the parents and families, be they believers or not, who have lost a baby, an infant or a young child to death, or who have had a child born with or succumb to mental disability. In many cases the answers we provide are based on theological or doctrinal errors that offer misplaced confidence / hope or no confidence / hope at all. Some examples of these errors include:
- A child is benefited by the faith of those who bring it for water baptism. Augustinianism
- A child is benefited by the faith of the parents who are believers and have been baptized by the Spirit.
- Some children will go to heaven, others to Hell based on God’s Omniscience, His knowledge of what would have happened had the child lived or had not been stricken with mental disability.
- A child who dies before the age of accountability is destined to Hell.
I can’t claim with absolute certainty that what I’m about to share is an infallible truth. But I can say this: I have not yet found anything in Scripture—nor has anyone shown me any biblical or theological argument—that contradicts what I’m about to explain. Until such evidence appears, and based on the Scriptural support that overwhelmingly seems to point this way, I believe there is strong reason for hope that every child who dies, and every person who suffers mental disability before reaching the age of accountability, will receive the saving grace of Christ. As always, I encourage everyone to test these things against God’s Character and His Word.
Not A Matter Of Water Baptism
The idea that a child is benefited by the faith of those who bring it for water baptism, is rooted in Augustinian theology where Augustine himself wrote: “no human being – whether adult or infant – has any claim or right to God’s grace, which is not granted or earned according to a person’s merits … About this there is a good and pious belief that the child is benefited by the faith of those who bring it for baptism. This belief is supported by the salutatory authority of the Church…What benefit did the widow’s son gain from his own faith, since being dead he had none? [1 Kings 17:17-24] Yet the faith of his mother helped bring about his resurrection. How much more probable is it that the faith of another can help a child, whose lack of faith cannot be imputed to it? “(Book 3, Chap 67).
Augustine taught that the faith of others is imputed upon those who cannot believe, and yet, this is in complete contradiction of Ezekiel 18:20 ESV: “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself”.
Furthermore, Water Baptism has no salvational value. Water Baptism is an ordinance, a command given NOT to unbelievers but instead given to believers who are already saved by faith in Christ. Another ordinance is communion, in remembrance of Christ broken body and the shedding of His blood. Again, God commands this be done but it does not bring about salvation because you only do communion and water Baptism after you are saved, after you are baptized by the Spirit. The idea that a child is benefited by the faith of the parents who are believers and have been baptized by the Spirit, equally and as erroneously teaches that the faith of others, or lack of it, is imputed upon those who cannot believe. In both of these doctrines, faith and salvation of the child would be contingent upon the act of the parent and or water baptism and this is completely beyond the truth found within the context of Scripture.
This is an error that even Augustine should have realized. While such a teaching might provide a measure of hope and comfort to a grieving believer, it would be based on theological error. Furthermore, such a false teaching would not only serve to needlessly cause additional pain and guilt for a grieving unbeliever, but its misrepresentation of God, could cause an unbeliever unnecessary resentment / rejection of God.
Not A Matter of God’s Omniscience
The idea that some children will go to heaven, others to Hell based on God’s Omniscience, His knowledge of what would have happened had the child lived or had not been stricken with mental disability is not only unscriptural but a false logic. God’s Omniscience is such that He foreknew / knows of all that shall come to pass in this reality that He chose to create from among an endless array of possible uncreated realities. Uncreated realities that God equally foreknew all that could have come to pass but that (having not been created) will not come to pass.
Of those endless realities that God foreknew of but chose not to create there would surely be the possible reality where the child who dies before adulthood in this reality, would have:
- Grown up and rejected salvation through Christ.
- Grown up and accepted salvation through Christ.
- Never been conceived, and therefore never existed.
The same could be said of anyone of us as believers in so much that there surely exists a possible reality in which God could have created (but did not) where anyone of us would never have existed or far worse where we never accepted Christ. This is not what God does, that He should arbitrarily judge us on what should have, would have, could have been in any other of an endless array of possible realities, but instead He will judge us on the decisions we make in this reality and no other.
Not A Matter Of Guilt
The idea that a child who dies before the age of accountability is destined to Hell, is also somewhat rooted in Augustinian teachings that the “guilt” of Adam’s sin is imputed upon all his posterity. While those who hold to this belief might reject Augustine’s doctrine of the “benefit of infant water baptism”, they still believe that the child who dies, unable to repent and accept salvation by faith in Christ, will suffer God’s just punishment of that unresolved and imputed guilt of Adam’s sin. Granted there are yet others who do not necessarily believe in the doctrine of imputed guilt but instead claim it the circumstance of being born sinful and therefore God’s justness which demands punishment is the circumstance of that unresolved sinfulness. In either case, such views have to do with the doctrines of Original Sin and traducianism.
Tranducianism
Traducianism is a mainstream Christian theological doctrine concerning the origin of the soul. This doctrine holds that the immaterial soul and its nature is transmitted through natural generation along with the material body and its nature at the moment of conception. In other words, human propagation involves both the material and immaterial in so much that an individual’s soul is derived (propagated and inherited) from the soul of one or both parents. Psalm 51:5 ESV: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me”.
This does not mean that the act of conception is sinful, else God would not have commanded that man “be fruitful and multiply”. It is however widely thought that the immaterial aspect of the soul and its nature is derived from the male parent only, thus explaining how since the fall of Adam, sin has been transmitted to all his posterity and likewise how Christ being born to a human female parent but not of a human male parent, was born without sin. Traducianism therefore is a fancy word for the Scriptural truth that a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. It means that since the original sin, all of Adam’s posterity at the moment of conception is corrupted by sin. Just as darkness cannot exist in the presence of light, neither can that which is corrupted with sin, exist in the presence of our pure, perfect, and holy God.
We are not sinful because we sin, but instead we sin because we are sinful, and so ever since the advent of the original sin committed by Adam, all of Adam’s posterity are corrupted with a sinful, sin filled nature at the moment of conception and thus separated from God. Some like Augustine (who was a hard-core traducianist) have taken Traducianism beyond the teaching that the sin nature of the soul has been inherited by Adam’s posterity and also claim that the guilt of original sin committed by Adam, has been transmitted / inherited and thus imputed upon Adam’s posterity.
Inherited Guilt
The concept of inherited guilt, AKA Imputed Guilt or Mediate Imputation, originated with the writings of the theologian, Augustine. However, these writings did not appear until Augustine had formed his teaching of total depravity in direct opposition of Pelagian heresy. While Augustine is considered a great theologian of his time, he as a man was not beyond, nor was he without making some critical biased and interpretational errors that to this day are widely accepted and that have significantly influenced both Protestant and Roman Catholic theology in regard to the doctrine of Original Sin. The critical interpretational errors Augustine made regarding Original Sin and Imputed Guilt were not limited to but include his using and quoting the Latin version of Romans 5:12 VUL, which in Latin reads “in quo omnes peccaverunt” and means “in whom all have sinned”. Therefore, Augustine read and understood “in whom all have sinned” to imply that all humanity sinned in Adam himself and thus inherited his guilt.
The problem, however, is that the Latin version was translated from the original Greek texts, which read “eph ho” and meant “because”. Thus, the original Greek version of Romans 5:12 LXX, read: “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all have sinned”. Thus, indicating that death spread to all people because each person sinned, not because Adam’s guilt was transmitted to his descendants. This distinction is crucial: Scripture teaches that humanity inherits mortality -death – and a fallen nature from Adam, but individual guilt is tied to one’s own sins, not to the sins of one’s ancestors. For this reason, the practice of infant baptism cannot be grounded in the New Testament pattern of baptism, which consistently presents baptism as a conscious, personal response of faith by someone who understands and embraces the gospel.
Augustine, then took his misinterpretation of Romans 5:12 and paired it with 1 Corinthians 15:22: “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive”, giving him what he needed to support his concept of imputed guilt. However, Augustine failed to account for:
- Deuteronomy 24:16: “Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin”.
- 2 Kings 14:6: “But the sons of the slayers he did not put to death, according to what is written in the book of the Law of Moses, as the Lord commanded, saying, “The fathers shall not be put to death for the sons, nor the sons be put to death for the fathers; but each sh all be put to death for his own sin.”
- Ezekiel 18:19: “Yet you say, ‘Why should the son not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity?’ When the son has practiced justice and righteousness and has observed all My statutes and done them, he shall surely live.”
- Ezekiel 18:20: “The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself”.
- Ezekiel 18:17: “he keeps his hand from the poor, does not take interest or increase, but executes My ordinances, and walks in My statutes; he will not die for his father’s iniquity, he will surely live”.
A Matter Of Consequence
Alternatively, the theology of Inherited Consequence teaches Scriptures contextual truth that all people inherit the consequence of Adam’s sin, such as a corrupted material (body) nature and a corrupted immaterial (Soul) nature, as well as a cursed and fallen world. Inherited consequence teaches that it is not the guilt of Adam’s sin, nor is it the guilt of the parents nor the guilt of the nation’s sins that are visited upon their offspring, Ezekiel 18:20 ESV: “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself”. This verse emphasizes individual responsibility of righteousness and unrighteousness, and clearly states that by God’s law, only the “soul who sins shall die “, be punished. If one sets aside their bias and allows Scripture to interpret Scripture, this verse brings clear contextual understanding of Exodus 20:5 ESV: “You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me”.
Contradiction between the two verses only exists where one interjects their biased notion of “guilt” and presupposes Exodus 20:5 to mean “visiting the guilt of iniquity of the fathers” and thus requiring punishment. There is, however, no contradiction between the two verses, if we allow Ezekiel 18:20 to contextualize Exodus 20:5 and understand it to mean “visiting the consequence of iniquity of the fathers”, not as punishment. The concept is similar to an expectant mother taking illegal drugs to feed her addiction. Although the baby, even before it is born, is by consequence of the mother’s drug abuse, addicted to those very drugs running through its veins and organs, the child is not guilty of taking illegal drugs. It is the mothers’ sins that are visited upon the child and not God’s punishment upon the child. While it might be comforting for the mother to deflect blame for the child’s suffering onto God, “the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself”.
Inherited Consequence holds to Scriptural truth of Traducianism, in that since the advent of original sin committed by Adam, we are conceived in sin and thus born in sin (as per having inherited a sinful / sin filled nature). In the same manner one cannot be a little bit pregnant, we are not conceived nor are we born a little bit sinful as per our nature, but instead we are conceived and born completely depraved in both our material and immaterial nature, sinful. Like the child born to a drug addicted mother, we are full of the toxin called sin that courses through our body, our mind and our spirit. We are conceived in it, and born to its addiction, a slave to sin with the propensity to sin. Thus, as per Inherited Consequence, people are not imputed with the guilt of Adam’s sin but instead, as a consequence of Traducianism, Adam’s sinful act, we are conceived with a sinful nature.
We become guilty at an age of accountability, having ability of awareness, understanding and thus fall under God’s condemnation for our own sins of commission and omission, Romans 7:9 ESV: “I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive, and I died”.
While it is important to understand the difference between inherited consequence and imputed guilt as it pertains to the original sin, age of accountability. Judgement and Punishment, it is equally important to understand that regardless of inherited consequence or imputed guilt, that which is of a corrupt sinful nature cannot exist in the presence of that which is of a pure nature without being consumed or having been redeemed. Simply put, darkness cannot exist where there is light.
Not A Matter Of The Parents
The idea that a child is benefited by the faith of the parents who are believers and have been baptized by the Spirit is often linked to 1 Corinthians 7:14 ESV: “For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy”.
However, Paul was not speaking of the covenant of Salvation but instead he addressed the covenantal sanctity of marriage, sexual relations between husband and wife united in holy matrimony. Among the crowd of Corinthian listeners were believers who had recently embraced the Christian faith, seeking guidance on how to navigate their marriages with spouses who had not yet accepted Jesus Christ. Many questioned whether a marriage of mixed faiths was not an unholy alliance that bore the fruit of unholy children and therefore such marital unions should be abandoned to divorce or celibacy. While Paul does not promote mixed faith marriages, he neither promotes, nor condones divorce or celibacy in answer to the potential problems often faced by believers in mixed faith marriages.
Instead, Paul upholds that as per God’s decree, that His original, unchanged design for men and women be they believers or not, in the covenantal institution of marriage and the sexual relations between husband and wife is still considered a holy institution in the eyes of God. Therefore, as for children, Paul says “but as it is, they are holy”, as in regardless of the parents’ faith and salvational status. Although at first glance, being “holy” as in “being blameless” may seem synonymous with being saved, we must understand that is a false inference for many people were made holy apart from salvation such as Aaron’s sons, the Levites including Korah and the nation of Israel. The very context of the word “holy” in 1 Corinthians 7:14 is further established in 1 Corinthians 7:15-16 ESV: “But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. [16] For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?”.
Paul is clearly saying that not only is sexual relations between husband and wife of mixed faiths still considered a holy matrimony, but that the faith of the believing spouse might be of influence in bringing the unbelieving spouse to faith in Christ / salvation. We must be careful not to take passages out of Scriptural context and It is made clear that Scripture absolutely teaches that all children conceived by the seed of the human male parent are conceived in sin (Psalm 51:5 ) and there is nothing that the child, nor its parents can do in and of themselves to cleanse themselves or the child of their sinful nature, and be restored, period! To believe otherwise is unscriptural and a fallacy, for “The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself”.
The Sins Of The Father Are Visited Upon The Children
This is not to say that our conduct be it righteous or unrighteous has no effect on our children for God makes it clear that what we do in this life, has consequences (Is visited) upon our children in this life, Exodus 20:5 ESV: “You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me”.
Everything that we do as parents and as a society, as a nation, impacts and is visited upon our children. This is clearly illustrated in the story of Exodus, a paradigm for salvation, in which the pattern is not only of Israel’s salvation from slavery and death in Egypt, but also of our own salvation from the bondage of sin and death, in Christ. In Exodus we read that the children of those parents and the nation of Israel, who in rebellion against God, refused to enter the promised land, equally suffered wandering, the desert for 40-years with their parents and the entire nation of Israel. After all, where else would the children go, or who else would raise them? Certainly, God would not leave them to raise or fend for themselves. Neither would God leave them to be raised by the Canaanites who were known to be sacrificing children.
Instead, they would have to remain with their parents and unfortunately suffer the consequences of their parents’ sinful rebellion and punishment. However, God did not impute the children with the guilt of their parents or national sin, else He would not have allowed those who were under the age of 21 at the time of their parent’s sinful act, to enter the promise land 40 years later. As a paradigm of salvation this should be Scriptural evidence / indication that neither will God hold the “guilt” of the sins of unbelieving parents against their children and keep them from the Kingdom of God. I would give caution, however, not to automatically conclude that the age of accountability is a fixed age of 21, for it could be based on individual awareness and maturity.
A Matter Of Who God Is
In the story of Exodus, we clearly see not only what God is in regard to His glorious nature / His attributes, but who God is, in His glorious Character, in what He chooses to do. This is important because without understanding who God is in character is to understand God as an impersonal machine, without purpose. and to know God’s character without His nature is to know God as capable of thinking and acting with purpose, but without ability. Equally it is important to understand both what and who God is when interpreting Scripture. So, let’s look at what Augustine said of God: “But God does good in correcting adults when their children whom they love suffer pain and death. Why should this not be done, since, when the suffering is past it is as nothing to those who endured it? Those…for whose sake this has happened will either be better men if they make use of the temporal ills and choose to live better lives [according to the aforementioned process of perfection] or they will have no excuse when they are punished at the future judgement, if in spite of the sufferings of this life they refuse to turn their hearts to eternal life?” (Book 3, Chap 68).
In other words, Augustine says the suffering and death of children is considered “good” because it potentially makes other people “better men”. Everyone is given the chance of feeling “pity,” discerning God’s “unity”, reflecting on their own mortality, or whatever, thanks to the death of children. Even those who do not repent! Now let’s compare that to what God says of Himself, Deuteronomy 12:31: ESV:“You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the LORD hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods”.
This verse refers to the horrible practices associated with the worship of Molech and Chemosh by idolaters who practiced child sacrifice in service to their false god and in the belief that the sacrificial death of a child bettered them. It breaks my heart when I read comments from the likes of influential men like Augustine and so many others who are actually good men, who have a personal relationship with God and yet have no understanding of Him, despite what He has revealed of Himself in Scripture.
A Matter of God’s Grace
It must also be made clear that Scripture absolutely teaches that there can be no salvation apart from faith in Christ and the substitutional sacrifice He made for us, but what of Noah, Moses, Abraham, Solomon, David and all the other prophets, patriarchs and or even the common Jew of the Old Testament? Are we to understand that they all knew of Jesus Christ as their personal savior? They understood that there would be a Messiah, even the Pharisees and Sadducees understood that, but they never truly understood that Jesus would die on a cross for their sins. Even the disciples as well as the Apostle Paul himself did not understand that until after it had happened. Paul clearly says this in Ephesians 3:4-5 ESV: “When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, [5] which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit”, Colossians 1:26: ESV: “the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints”, Romans 16:25-26: “Now to Him who is able to strengthen you by my gospel and by the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past but now revealed and made known through the writings of the prophets by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey Him”.
Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 2:7-10: “No, we speak of the mysterious and hidden wisdom of God, which He destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it. For if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Rather, as it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.’ But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit.”.
Are we to believe then that all the Old Testament Patriarchs and Prophets are going to Hell? No! God credited these people with righteousness for their faith in Him and I believe that God had already applied the substitutionary, sacrificial and salvational works of Christ to them. Otherwise, how else can they be saved? Now if God is able to attribute the substitutionary, sacrificial and salvational works of Christ to them, then God is able do the same for children who while corrupted with sin, have no knowledge of good or evil and are incapable of knowing Christ little lone deciding to accept Him. Titus 3:5 ESV: “he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit”.
The question then becomes, would God choose to do that, is that in the character of God? The answer to that question is found not only in the context of Scripture but is also found in black and white in Deuteronomy 1:39: “And as for your little ones, who you said would become a prey, and your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there. And to them I will give it, and they shall possess it”, and in red lettering in Luke 18:15-17 ESV: “Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. [16] But Jesus called them to him, saying, ‘Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. [17] Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it“.
Now each person must decide for themselves if the answer to the following question is Yes or No. Would Jesus make this statement if the truth was that if any of these children died, or that any child who dies, will not enter to the kingdom of God?
Why Is This Not Candidly Revealed?
I anticipate that some might ask, why then has God not simply, candidly and unambiguously revealed that all children who die or become mentally handicapped before the age of accountability are saved? My answer to this question will be the same answer I give to those who might ask, if all babies who die go to heaven, then in reality, would abortion not be benefitting millions who would likely otherwise never be saved if brought into this world of such depraved conditions?
Although Scripture is often as complex / hard to understand as it is simple, one needs no more special insight than that which is readily available to all who are willing to pursue God with an enthusiastic, intentional and meaningful effort to draw closer to Him, to search out His word and to align one’s life with His will. This pursuit is a vital component of a faithful life, promising divine rewards, a deeper relationship and a deeper spiritual understanding. Luke 11:9-10 ESV: “And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. [10] For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened”. Jeremiah 29:11-13 ESV: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. [12] Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. [13] You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart”.
Scripture in many ways is like a sweet onion, where just below its readily discernable surface, there exists yet other, deeper layers, each with the same but sharper and more pronounced savory of truth than the previous layer. In other ways, Scripture is like that of a tapestry, its truth like a thread, strategically woven through the historical accounts that showcase God’s actions, promises, and covenants. Through the spiritual lessons conveyed in relatable parables and impactful stories / paradigms, examples, and patterns. Through the divinely inspired prophecies that offer hope and assurance of God’s plans for humanity.
It is not that God has concealed certain things so that they cannot be found and understood by His children but rather, God has distributed throughout, and deep within Scripture, certain aspects of Himself and His divine truth and plans. In part, as reward for diligently searching. This is not to say that God has revealed all that there is to know of Himself, Ecclesiastes 3:11 ESV: “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end”. However, unless one believes that God babbles incoherently without purpose, then that which God has revealed of Himself is purposed for us who are of the Spirit, to search out, discover, know and to understand. Deuteronomy 29:29: ““The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law”.
Great are the glorious gifts and rewards of searching out God’s truth, Proverbs 25:2: “It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out”. Although these things that we search out are often camouflaged and therefore not always clearly perceived, self-evident, neither are they comprehensible & discernable through human reasoning alone, if at all. 1 Corinthians 2:14: “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit”. In some ways we could liken it to a “national security protocol”, where sensitive information is shared only with those who have the proper security clearance and is for their eyes only.
Thus, I believe that God’s purpose for camouflaging and concealing within Scripture, certain aspects of Himself, His divine truth and His plans for humanity is so that such knowledge is revealed only by the Holy Spirit and only to the right persons and only at the right time. Steadfast believers who diligently and sincerely seek God’s word through God’s eyes. In other words, it is purposed, in part, for God’s glory and for our benefit, that certain things be kept hidden from God’s adversaries. After all, we would be naïve to believe that Satan does not know Scripture, metaphorically speaking, like the back of his own hand. Yet Satan obviously did not perceive the mystery of Christ that was hidden in plain sight, within the Old Testament. Genesis 3:15 ESV: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel“.
Satan did not understand the significance of this as the first Gospel, the protoevangelium, which poetically foretold of the Messiah’s heel wound. The sacrifice at Calvary that would deliver to Satan a fatal head wound, and bring victory over sin and death. Had Satan understood this, then it only stands to reason that Satan would have done everything within his deceptive power to make sure Christ was never crucified. Conversely, somethings in Scripture are not hidden from God’s enemies, but instead are meant for and speak specifically to them. In but one small example, Jesus was speaking to and of His enemies when He said, “YOU” in John 8:44 ESV. “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies”? The “You” in the previous verse are the many, be they spiritual or human entities, who oppose Christ / God, His people and His righteous purposes. Those who have learned from their father, the devil. Those who are deceived and do their father’s will to deceive others who are ignorant and unstable. This in itself underscores the necessity for grounding oneself in sound doctrine and being vigilant against false teachings.
The English word “Ignorant” as translated from the Hebrew word “amathēs”, characterizes those not taught by God, to be lacking in knowledge of or to have a darkened understanding of Scripture. 2 Peter 3:16 ESV: “… There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures”. The English word “unstable” as translated from the Hebrew word “astēriktos”, characterizes individuals, unbelievers and or believers who do not lean on and trust in God for understanding. As a natural result of this ignorance, they are, as described in Ephesians 4:14,“… tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes”.
This underscores the necessity of grounding oneself in sound Scriptural doctrine so as to be vigilant against false teachings. It is not that the believer should claim to be, in and of themselves, without ignorance and instability. Instead, anyone who does not lean on God and trust in His word as the staff for guidance, understanding and stability, will surely fall. Proverbs 3:5-7 ESV: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. [6] In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. [7] Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil”. Although many live as though “Ignorance is bliss”, it is important to understand that ignorance no more equates to innocence, than innocence equates to ignorance.
Although often used interchangeably, Ignorance and innocence are distinguished by ones capacity or ability to know and understand that which is established and available for them to know and understand. Thus be response able and account able. Most of us should be familiar with the phrase “ignorance is no excuse” which refers to the legal principle “ignorantia juris non excusat”. The principle whereby a person who is capable, response able and account able cannot escape liability for violating an established law simply because they were unaware of it. This principle emphasizes that capable individuals are expected to know and understand the laws that govern them, and lack of knowledge or understanding will not absolve them from their responsibility or accountability.
Equally, one should not expect instability by way of one’s ignorance of God, His revelations and His word to exonerate those who are capable, response able, account able and li-able for violating His righteous commands. In further clarification, the English word “responsible” comes from the Latin word “responsus”, meaning commitment & the moral obligation of a response able moral agent to respond in action or inaction & to do what is right and fulfill a given duty. Today, many misunderstand “responsible” as merely accepting personal ownership of a duty, wherein the unfulfillment of responsibility leads to internal feelings of guilt and shame. However, the English word “accountable“, dates back to the 14th century where it was formed by combining the English words “account” and “able“, meaning “liable“ or “liability”.
Liability is the obligation & responsibility of lawful authority to demand justice, to hold unto account and levy unto an individual or an entity, the fitting consequence or debt for the damages or injuries caused by their dereliction of duty, the act of willful misconduct or the willful and gross neglect of a given responsibility. Accountability must be demanded and it must be certain. If accountability it is to be more than meaningless words, then fitting consequences must accompany the accountable actions. Hosea 10:4 ESV: “They utter mere words; with empty oaths they make covenants; so judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field”.
It is as unfortunate as it is evident within our secular world, that there is no shortage of God’s enemies. Those who do the will of Satan, of Evil and deceive others to do that which is sinful, abhorrent and of evil in the eyes of God. They will twist God’s word and His teachings. If God’s enemies cannot destroy God’s word then their next available tactic is to try and keep those who are ignorant and unstable of it; ignorant and unstable of it. They accomplish this by exploiting the desires of “self”, the weakness of flesh, the emotions of fears and anxieties to deceive, and lead astray into sinful acts, those who do not lean fully on God for knowledge and understanding.
This has not taken God by surprise, but rather in His Omniscience, God foreknew that the ignorant and unstable, would be vulnerable to these, His enemies tactics. Vulnerable to the twisting of anything in Scripture that for example, unambiguously confirmed infant salvation, as perverse justification for the sinful desires, the want for something sinful to happen and practice of child sacrifice. In other words, His enemies would use it to deceive those leaning not on God, but on their emotions, anxiety, fear, and uncertainty of unintended pregnancy by justifying abortion as benefitting to millions of children, who would likely otherwise never be saved if brought into this world of such depraved conditions.
As incomprehensible as that may sound, it is the practice of “making excuses”, for sinful desires and actions & for which there is no excuse. Excuses are lies that we tell ourselves or others, so as to displace our responsibility and accountability of unethical behavior by means of false attribution of blame onto someone or something else. The sole purpose is to rationalize, defend and justify sinful desires and actions. Often practiced by both unbelievers and believers who manipulate scriptural texts, to make a sinful desire or act acceptable and thus avoid the consequences of guilt and shame. It is both a moral disengagement and a disconnect from the truth and righteousness of God.
It is not then, that God has necessarily concealed the answer to the question of say, infant salvation, so that it does not exist or cannot be found in Scripture. Instead, in His Omnisapience (His wisdom), He has purposely and strategically camouflaged the answer by distributing it throughout and deep within Scripture so that it in the process of being searched out by the faithful, and revealed to them at the right time by the Holy Spirit, it is properly discerned so as to not only protect the sanctity of life of the innocent / helpless child but to likewise and just as importantly, protect the best interests of parents, families and all humanity.
Perhaps a fitting Scriptural illustration that wields together the subject of abortion, ignorance, instability, self, fear, and uncertainty with the necessity of immersing oneself in and leaning on the word of God, is that contained in Luke 1:26-38. It is here in this passage that we learn of how Mary was troubled at the appearance and announcement by an angel that she had been chosen by God to bear the Messiah. Luke 1:26-34 ESV: “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, [27] to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. [28] And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!’ [29] But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. [30] And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. [31] And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. [32] He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, [33] and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ [34] And Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’”.
This passage explores Mary’s emotions of uncertainty, unworthiness, her fear and confusion as a virgin betrothed to Joseph. Mary’s initial and troubled response to God’s favor (His grace) was “why me?”. However, Mary was very familiar with the Scriptures and thus acquainted with the phrase “The Lord is with you”. This phrase appears multiple times in Scripture, often spoken to individuals such as Jacob (Genesis. 28:15), Moses (Exodus. 3:12), Joshua (Joshuah 1:5), and Gideon (Judges 6:12). Similar words were addressed to King David and the prophet Jeremiah. Mary knew and understood the expression typically preceded a significant tasks or event involving these figures.
Mary understood that when a person received this statement, it indicated they were being assigned an important responsibility related to the future of Israel. The way recipients responded to this message was often if not always noted as pivotal in the narratives. Thus, Mary did not give into “self” or into her fear but instead leaned on God, emphasizing the importance of trusting in God and His word. Mary surrendered herself to His will in the face of life’s unexpected events. Luke 1:38 ESV: “And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her”. The passage highlights Mary’s transformation from being troubled to rejoicing in her willingness to serve God.
Luke 1:46-50 ESV: “And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, [47] and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, [48] for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; [49] for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. [50] And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation”. Imagine however, a world where Mary, the mother of Jesus, was ignorant of Scripture, leaning on the instability of self and fear, and instead of leaning on God, she made the heartbreaking decision to abort her unborn child. The implications it would have had for mankind’s eternity without the atonement provided by Jesus’ consecration as high priest to make offer of Himself, as the sacrificial lamb on the cross, is simply unimaginable.
Now it is by no accident that I include the necessity of Jesus having been consecrated as the High priest. In accordance to God’s commands in Levitical law, sin offerings had to be offered on behalf of the people by the High Priest who was at minimum, 25-years of age and had been consecrated. This therefore, should dispel any notion that the death of Jesus by abortion could have somehow still been an acceptable sacrifice. God is not a God of double standards and so Jesus, God incarnate, came not to circumvent His law but to fulfill it. Matthew 5:17-18 ESV: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. [18] For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished”.