Safe... Or (Do All Babies Go to Heaven?) Part V)

Why Do Babies Die?

Part Five 

Well, since I have made the point that all men sinned, how did all men sin? How do babies, many in the womb sin? I think we have to answer the question, “What is my relationship to Adam?” This is an important question, don’t you think?” 

The Apostle Paul has already demonstrated that every living human being has a relationship with Adam. That doesn’t minimize the relationship that all believers have with Jesus Christ. What is the relationship that all mankind has with Adam? How can we say that all human beings who have been conceived sinned in Adam? Remember, Paul made his case that all have sinned and that sin is the cause of death passing upon all men. 

Let’s take a look at a very interesting passage of Scripture, 

“Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham so to speak, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedeck met him.” (Hebrews 7:9-10, NKJV) 

This is a reference to an event that took place in Genesis. Abraham won a sizeable battle over some kings. Abraham paid a tenth of the spoils. The account goes on to say that Levi, a child of Jacob, a grandson of Abraham, was in the loins of Abraham when Abraham paid those tithes. 

In the same way the entire human race was in the loins. When Adam sinned, all of humanity sinned since they were in the loins of Adam. When Adam came under the penalty of death for sin, that penalty was passed unto every member of the human race. 

Also, above and beyond the fact that Adam was the “natural head” of the human race, Adam was also constituted by God to be the federal head or representative of the human race. 

What we understand is that Paul states very clearly that the entire human race sinned in Adam and therefore the entire human race is guilty before God on account of that sin. God imputed that single sin of Adam to the entire human race. When Adam sinned every human being sinned. 

So the answer is quite simple, babies die because they sinned in Adam. Romans 5:12 is a very sobering passage. It is not necessary that any human being, including a baby commit an actual sin outside of the womb. Every human being sinned in Adam and the penalty for sin is death. Therefore, it is not unjust that babies die. 

I understand that from the perspective of compassionate, caring, and normal human beings, any death, especially the death of a baby is a great tragedy. One would have to be almost a psychopath to not be moved by a baby’s death.

Even though Paul made a very clear statement in Romans 5:12, namely death spread to all men, because all sinned, my friend refused to acknowledge the fact that this extends to even babies which have not yet left the womb. 

The second part of my friends question was to the effect, “Well, if they sin and as a result of sin die, where happens to them?” Grieving parents ask this question when a baby, born or not dies. Women who become Christians often ask what happened to my aborted baby (babies)? 

The scripture is silent on this issue. There is not a single passage that tells us specifically what happens to babies who die. Even though when Larry King asked John MacArthur, “What about a two year old baby crushed at the bottom of the World Trade Center,” and MacArthur shot back, “Instant heaven,” we don’t know. 

I think the biggest problem that we face is the notion that babies are innocent. MacArthur writes, “When our nation considers war, the question arises, ‘What about the innocent children who die?’”[1] The reality as hard as it is to fathom, is that there are no innocent children. All who have been conceived sinned in Adam, and death is the appropriate penalty. Babies are not innocent, not even my four (4) wonderful, intelligent, and beautiful daughters. 

Granted, there are some who say that all babies who die automatically go to heaven because God sovereignly chooses to extend His special grace to them. There is no doubt that God who is in fact sovereign can do just that. I, for one will not argue for a minute that God cannot do what He wants, especially in this situation. The question is does He?  Really, I think the question is, does He need to?  

Lord willing let’s go further into this topic on Friday.

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[1] Safe in the Arms of God, John MacArthur, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003), p. 3