Will Babies Be in Heaven? (Part 1): 6 Options

Last updated on: May 18, 2020 at 5:00 am by Mark Driscoll

Will Babies Be in Heaven? (Part 1): 6 Options 2020-05-16T22:38:21-04:00 Mark Driscoll

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The loss of a child is deeply personal and painful. My wife Grace and I are very blessed to have five healthy children, but several years ago Grace also suffered a miscarriage. It was a deep loss for us both, and we’ve shed a lot of tears over the years. When someone loses a child, it is a deep emotional pain that is accompanied with a need for compassion, love, empathy, and support for those grieving. There are painful things in this life that do not make sense and raise questions that remain unanswered on this side of the Kingdom. The death of a little one has to stand near the top of that list. Beyond just an answer, a person grieving the loss of any life, especially a little life, needs time to heal by the grace of God.

However, one question that gets frequently asked when there is a miscarriage, when a young child dies, or in the case of abortion, is what the eternal fate of that child will be.

The eternal fate of unborn children and infants is a mystery that has always haunted the church. There are six options available as answers:

All babies are reprobate sinners and thus immediately banned from Heaven, awaiting the final eternal judgment for their sin nature inherited from Adam and sentenced to Hell.
All babies are elect by God and thus immediately translated into God’s presence in Heaven upon death.
God chooses whom He saves and damns, therefore some babies are taken to Heaven and the rest are left to spend eternity in Hell.
All babies are innocent until they reach the age of accountability, therefore all children who die before the age of accountability go to Heaven.
All babies who are baptized into a covenant family are part of the New Covenant and therefore go to Heaven upon death.
God is both the Father and Son who make the decision about salvation, the Spirit can save from the womb, and the decision is ultimately the Lord’s, whom we trust by faith.

I’ve never encountered a Christian theologian who holds to answer #1, which leaves the remaining options for consideration. We will explore each of these options in following daily devotionals.

Daily Devotions

Previous Post

May 15, 2020

Will we be married in the Kingdom of Heaven?

Next Post

May 19, 2020 Will Babies Be in Heaven? (Part 2): Baby Baptism

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Ask Pastor Mark Blog Daily Devotions Sermons Uncategorized

Select a Month July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 October 2018 September 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 December 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does the Bible say about using one's gifts or talents?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Brag about them Use them for God's glory Waste them Hide them