Heavy theology time - but an important issue!
Submitted by Forgiven on September 09 2000 18:51:52
In reply to Re: Romans 1 v18 to 32 is the crucial passage submitted by Dannyboy on September 09 2000 14:56:03
|
'As in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive.' 1 Cor 15 v 22 The issue of the status before God of the child who dies very early is one that has long perplexed the church. Two internally consistent answers have been offered over the years: 1) The child is consigned to 'Limbo' - a state of relative bliss, but one far short of heaven. This was late medieval Catholic doctrine, made famous in Dante's divine comedy, but never actually accepted as Christian doctrine. This was accompanied by the belief that baptism actually saved you, so the need was to get the child splashed if there was a chance of them dying young. 2) The child 'inherits' the state of their parents - being the beneficiary of their relationship to God, or else being subject to the same judgement as they are. This is reflected in a throw away comment by Paul in a different context where the children of a believer are described as consecrated 1 Cor 7 v 14. Both these approaches however disgust the modern mind which prefers to see things in a wholly individualistic context, with no pattern of collective responsibility. As a result we tend to fudge the issue, with comments about 'We have to trust our God to be fair', which on the whole is where I am these days. But the broader question outside the issue of the innocent child does not allow for a compromise - we have sinned, are spiritually dead and deserve eternal seperation from God. That is at the core of the New Testament, tear that out and as far as I'm concerned you've invented a new religion. The good news is that God has opened the way back to Him despite this situation - at the cost of Jesus dying on the cross. |
Follow ups: