Question:
Why
does your two roads chart have two doors when the original one has one?
Many people say that we are born on the broad road.
Are we? Does this have any
impact on whether a child goes to heaven that dies before the age of
accountability? Some say that a baby
needs to be baptized to go to heaven, does it?
What is the teaching on whole house baptisim in Acts 16?
Any
info/links/verses you could give me on the subject of age of accountability,
people who die who have never heard the gospel, the broad road, original sin,
and infant baptism would be greatly appreciated.
Answer:
For
years I taught that we are born on the broad and crowded road of Matthew 7:13
and 14. But because there are two
roads and two doors in the passage I have redrawn the two roads chart and have
had to rethink my teaching on this issue. I
now believe that we enter the broad road when we reject Christ and that we enter
the narrow road when we trust Him. I
am not convinced that we come to that crossroads just once in life but I believe
everyone has to decide whether they want to be saved or not.
That decision leads to the repentance necessary for a person to trust
Christ and to be "born of the spirit" as in John 3:5 and 8.
We do not depend upon our decisions, we who are saved depend on the Word
of God as it promises eternal life through the Lord Jesus.
But God never saved someone who did not want to be saved.
When we "believe not" as in John 3:18, we enter the broad road.
People
that are unsaved are technically on a road that could lead to heaven and that
can lead to hell. Those on that road
are "lost" but they have not been awakened to that fact.
Until they reject Christ they are "safe" but not
"saved." I have
preached that we do not have to do anything to go to hell because neglect is one
way to reject the Lord. "How
shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation (Hebrews 2:3)?" I
will continue to preach that. Anyone
who would like to presume that they are "safe" would be old enought to
believe the truth and are not safe.
So
when are people written in the Lamb's book of life?
Are babies written there? My
view is that everyone is written in the Lamb's book of life from the foundation
of the world. To have names written
into the Book of Life upon believing would mean that babies are in the book of
life since most Christians believe that they would go to heaven if they died and
at some point they are not in the book of life and then are again written into
the book of life. Somehow that
doesn't seem to make sense to me.
Most
people think that when the Bible says that people are written in the Lamb's book
of life that that means that they are written into the book of life rather than
being found written in the book of Life.
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship
him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world. (KJV) (Rev 13:8)
The
lamb was not slain from the foundation of the world, but the Lamb's book of life
is written from the foundation of the world. I believe all names of all people
are written in the Lamb's book of life from the foundation of the world.
As people reject the Lord their names are blotted out. People who die
without Christ who were old enough to believe will be forced to admit that they
are the reason that they have ended up in hell.
It is not what God wanted.
The
ESV translates that verse this way:
(Rev 13:8) and all who dwell on earth will
worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of
the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.
This
verse states the situation more clearly.
(Rev
17:8) The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the
bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall
wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of
the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. (KJV)
To
repeat: we are born unsaved. We are
born "in sin". But the broad road of Matt 7:13-14 is entered into by
rejecting Christ. The passage says many go in thereat.
I
don't know when people are "blotted out" of the book of life but I do
know it is due to and because of a final rejection of the Lord. I assume anyone
can be saved until they die, but theologically that may not be true.
Because
of my view on the fact that all are in the book of life from the foundation of
the world but are blotted out when they “believe not”, one certainly would
not need to baptize infants so that they can become children of God and have
their “original sin” forgiven or cleansed.
I personally do not know what original sin is.
Possibly those who use this term are referring to the nature of sin that
we got from Adam. If baptizing
infants fitted them for heaven and made them children of God, this would mean
that parents are responsible for the eternal destinies of their children and
that a ceremony makes infants fit for heaven.
Of course later on these children are confirmed into their faith
according to many churches. But some
of these churches teach that an unbaptized infant will go to limbo wherever that
is. It is not found in Scripture.
An infant is “safe” until they are old enough to accept or reject
Christ. At that point they are
personally responsible for their own relationship with God.
And at that point they "must be saved."
They must be 'born again." Anyone
old enough to be convicted of their need to be saved is old enough to be
"accountable." That would
not include the new borns.
The
whole household baptism in Acts 16 is usually used to defend infant baptism. It
is assumed that there were infants there. But you will notice that the so-called
infants had to be old enough to believe. Act 16:34 And when he had brought
them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God
with all his house.
Recently,
I was reading in Luke 18:16 and notice that the Believer's Bible Commentary by
MacDonald had this to say about that verse:
Jesus
and the Little Children (18:15-17)
This
incident reinforces what we have just had before us, namely, that the humility
of a little child is necessary for entrance into the kingdom of God. Mothers
crowded around the Lord Jesus with their infants in order that they might
receive blessing from Him. His disciples were annoyed by this intrusion into the
Savior's time. But Jesus rebuked them, and tenderly called ... the little
children to Himself, saying, “Of such is the kingdom of God.” Verse 16
answers the question, “What happens to little children when they die?” The
answer is that they go to heaven. The Lord clearly said “of such is the
kingdom of God.”
Children
can be saved at a very tender age. That age probably varies in the case of
individual children, but the fact remains that any child, no matter how young,
who wishes to come to Jesus should be permitted to do so, and encouraged in his
faith.
Little
children do not need to become adults in order to be saved, but adults do need
the simple faith and humility of a little child in order to enter God's kingdom.
I
have always believed that David was convinced that his infant child that died
went to heaven and that he would go there as well. He said in 2Sa 12:23, "But
now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go
to him, but he shall not return to me."
This
was not his attitude when Absalom died. Absalom seems to be a picture of a
Christ-rejector. I think "going
to him" is talking about something other than the grave.
So
what about someone who has never heard the Gospel?
If
a person has truly never heard the gospel then they can't be one who
"believes not." However, God does hold everyone accountable through
their conscience (Romans 2) and and through creation (Psalm 19).
If they want to know the truth, I think they hear it.
The Bible promises that if we seek, we will find.
That was the case of the Ethiopian Eunuch who came from "darkest
Africa." But for those who do
not want to "know" intimately the God of creation and who do not allow
their consciences to speak to them about their sin, I am sure that they never
clearly hear the Gospel and end up among those who "believe not."
Notice:
(Mat 7:7) Ask, and it shall be given you; seek,
and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
(Act 17:24-27) God that made the world and all
things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in
temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he
needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And
hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the
earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their
habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him,
and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
(Rom
2:15) Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience
also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else
excusing one another;)