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"Do children go to heaven when they die?" Many people have a problem with Christians claiming that Jesus is the Way, Truth, and Life. All who do not accept Jesus as Lord and Savior are condemned to hell. What about people who have never heard the name of Jesus? What about children who are not old enough to understand sin and repentance and the need of a Savior? I was reading a passage from the Old Testament earlier today when I gained some insight to these questions. The passage is Deuteronomy 1:35-39. Moses is delivering a farewell sermon to Israel as his life is coming to an end. He retells how the LORD sent them from Horeb, appointed judges for the people, and commanded the Israelites to take possession of the promised land. Twelve men, one man from each tribe, went up into the hill country and to the Valley of Eschol to spy out the land. The men returned and gave this report, "The people are greater and taller than we. The cities are great and fortified up to heaven. And besides, we have seen the sons of the Anakim there." Moses assures them that the LORD will go before them and give them victory but the people did not believe, despite all that they've seen from the exodus out of Egypt. Therefore, the LORD was angered and He swore,"Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He shall see it, and to him and to his children I will give the land on which he has trodden, because he has wholly followed the LORD!"(Deuteronomy 1:35-36 ESV)
Moses continues,
"Even with me the LORD was angry on your account and said, 'You also shall not go in there. Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. 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.'"(Deuteronomy 1:37-39 ESV)
And as for your little ones, they shall go into the promised land. Why are they exempt from the judgment against an evil generation? Simply put, they are innocent. They have no knowledge of good or evil. Everyone else does, and so they are judged according to their knowledge. Do children go to heaven when they die? Yes. Innocent children who have no knowledge of good or evil cannot be judged for what they do not know. What about the person who has never heard the name of Jesus? Do they go to heaven? As with the child, we ask, "Are you innocent? Do you have knowledge of good or evil?" Because we now have knowledge of good or evil, God will judge us accordingly.
"Do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality. For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. "(Romans 2:4-16 ESV)
Without Christ, we walk on extremely unstable ground. Even if you are inclined to do righteous deeds, do you boast in them, or does it flow from your heart to obey and honor God? And if you claim to obey and honor God, how is it that you can reject Christ? Jesus says, "If God were your Father, you would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God."(John 8:42)
The closer you are to God, the more you realize that even your most righteous deeds are but filthy rags, and the more Jesus Christ becomes infinitely valuable. I fear for those who must give an account to God according to their righteous deeds apart from Christ. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. I pray this day that you will see the need for the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ.
Moses continues,"Even with me the LORD was angry on your account and said, 'You also shall not go in there. Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. 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.'"(Deuteronomy 1:37-39 ESV)
And as for your little ones, they shall go into the promised land. Why are they exempt from the judgment against an evil generation? Simply put, they are innocent. They have no knowledge of good or evil. Everyone else does, and so they are judged according to their knowledge. Do children go to heaven when they die? Yes. Innocent children who have no knowledge of good or evil cannot be judged for what they do not know. What about the person who has never heard the name of Jesus? Do they go to heaven? As with the child, we ask, "Are you innocent? Do you have knowledge of good or evil?" Because we now have knowledge of good or evil, God will judge us accordingly."Do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality. For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. "(Romans 2:4-16 ESV)
Without Christ, we walk on extremely unstable ground. Even if you are inclined to do righteous deeds, do you boast in them, or does it flow from your heart to obey and honor God? And if you claim to obey and honor God, how is it that you can reject Christ? Jesus says, "If God were your Father, you would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God."(John 8:42)
The closer you are to God, the more you realize that even your most righteous deeds are but filthy rags, and the more Jesus Christ becomes infinitely valuable. I fear for those who must give an account to God according to their righteous deeds apart from Christ. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. I pray this day that you will see the need for the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ.
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