Do All Babies Who Die in the Womb or in Infancy Go to Heaven?
Liberalism paved the way and keeps the way of abortion open. The systematic slaughter of children in the womb of their mothers raises an age-old question about the salvation of children who die at or before infancy.
Often missing from this question is the issue of eternal election and reprobation. In these biblical doctrines, God eternally decrees who will be saved from sin, death, judgment, hell, and the wrath of God in the eternal lake of fire. He also decrees who will not be saved (Romans 9:22–23).
The death of babies in the womb is cheap, simply because a personality is not known, and the child’s murder is dismissed as irrelevant by law courts, abortionists, and parents who choose to kill their offspring.
The death of infants is viewed in stark contrast. The emotions of almost everyone are charged with utmost sensitivity. If the biblical doctrines of election and reprobation are all but banned in most church pulpits, the subject is on the absolute top of the taboo list for funeral preachers and speakers. Withholding the truth keeps the people in bondage to the lies about God’s sovereignty in salvation. Obviously, people cannot handle the truth without the Spirit of truth revealing the Word of truth (Bible).
In a moment of rational, scriptural clarity what should Bible teachers teach and Christians know about the death of an infant?
First, Arminians are repulsed by sovereign predestination, especially sovereign reprobation, entering this discussion. One reason is their contrived conditional salvation. In this, God looks down the tunnel of time and foresees who will make the rational choice of making Jesus their savior, by their own free will decision.
Babies cannot do this, so the Arminian invents an age of accountability before which all children are apparently saved because “God loves all the little children of the world.” Of course, this ingenious and ever-pacifying lie does not come with a certain age for decision-making. This is because these ideas cannot be found in the Bible.
Second, the Arminian heresy, so prevalent in American churches, follows the Pelagian heresy in belittling original sin, which keeps infants “innocent” and man’s free will on its sacred altar.
Correcting this error, we say, “in Adam, all died (1 Cor 15:22).” This is a corporate death contracted from a federal head (Rom 5:12–21). In Christ and His federal headship, all Israel (God’s elect seed from Jews and Gentiles) is saved (1 Cor 1:30; Gal 3:28; Col 1:18; Titus 3:5; 1 Pet 2:9).
Third, in believing the Bible’s clear teaching on God’s choosing His people before the foundation of the world (Rom 8:30; 11:5; Eph 1:4–5; Rev 13:8; 17:8), we must acknowledge every soul — in the womb, in infancy, in childhood, and in adulthood — as elect or reprobate (Rom 9:22–23). Age of a soul means nothing in salvation.
What matters is that God has chosen to take His elect seed from the continuous line of believers, under the covenant of grace. The formula of this covenant promise is, “I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants (seed) after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants (seed) after you (Genesis 17:7 NASB).”
Abraham, the believer, had an elect son, Isaac, and a reprobate son, Ishmael. Later, the believers, Isaac and Rebecca had an elect son, Jacob, and a reprobate son, Esau. Believing parents cannot be sure if all of their children are elect or reprobate. Thus, with the death of a baby in the womb, in infancy, or in childhood, believing parents must not speculate. We trust that the Judge of all the earth will do right (Gen 18:25), for He is the Judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42; 2 Tim 4:1; 1 Pet 4:5).
Does God consider the children of believing parents to be set apart from children of unbelievers? Yes, and this is our hope in the matter of infant death. Infant baptism (paedo-baptism) should never be used as a superstitious tool to wash away original sin (e. g. Roman Catholicism). That is false teaching. Rather, infant baptism, like circumcision before it (Col 2:11–12), serves as a sign for believing parent(s) to remember the faithfulness of God to the promises He has made to their family (God’s covenant faithfulness to His chosen people).
God our Savior (Titus 1:3; 3:4–6) saves us (Titus 3:5) according to His gracious choice (Rom 11:5) in the predestination of election (Rom 8:30; Eph 1:4–5), revealed to and believed by His holy nation of chosen people (1 Pet 2:9), who have been baptized by the Holy Spirit (Mt 3:11; Acts 2:38; 11:16) and made alive in Christ (Eph 2:5; Col 2:13). This is a reality in both time and eternity (Rev 13:8; 17:8).
In conclusion, the doctrine of election and reprobation must precede and predominate discussions of infant mortality. Arminian errors (conditional salvation, denying original sin, denying infant baptism, etc.) must always be rejected, in every doctrine, because of their deviant misrepresentation of our sovereign, all-wise, all-powerful, eternal God.
Regarding the death of infants in the womb or outside, we must trust Him to do all His holy will and forsake speculation about the deceased (Eph 1:11). He will have mercy on those infants upon whom He will have mercy, according to His free will and gracious choice (Rom 9:15–16; 11:5). As Christians, we believe this applies to adults; therefore, we should believe it applies to infants inside or outside of the womb, too.
David Norczyk
Spokane Valley, Washington
February 27, 2022
