Infants who die in infancy

Article 17 was not original… Why? The question was this, “Should we discuss infants when we discuss predestination?”

The Arminians had a quick answer

So David says, “In sin my mother conceived me” that is we are all born in sin. Those super cute sonograms … Article 17 was added to the Canons because we are Augustinians.

Article 17: The Salvation of Deceased Infants of Believers

Sola Scriptura is the reason behind this article “Since we must make judgments about God’s will from his Word.” Why was this article eventually added?

Because we are Protestants.

We confess that only believers babies go to heaven. We make no observation… CoG. Many fathers at Dort believed… argued for election, that God only takes elect infants who die before maturity. While Dort may hope so, I hope so, nevertheless we don’t rule in this favor because the Bible… good Christian hope that God elects all, yet to be on the safe side we only affirm what the Bible affirms.

We confess that only believers babies go to heaven. We make no observant about children outside the CoG. Many fathers at Dort believed this all babies go to heaven; yet they did not argue for innocence. They argued for election, that God only takes elect infants who die before maturity. While Dort may hope so, I hope so, nevertheless we don’t rule in this favor because the Bible makes no clear and present argument for it. There is no implication whatsoever that all babies go to heaven. It is a good Christian hope that God elects all, yet to be on the safe side we only affirm what the Bible affirms.

We confess that children of believers who die in infancy are “holy, not by nature but by virtue of the gracious covenant in which they together with their parents are included.” Where is this in Scripture?

“holy” (1 For 7:14).

Children of believers are clean. There are set apart from the profane world. Our children are not like the rest of the children in the world. They are set apart.

In continuity ().

Our children are not holy by nature. They are little sinners. This holiness is covenantal. They are holy in a forensic sense or a declarative holy— God says mine. It's the same for us by the way, who are being sanctified yet really never make it. It’s important to realize here that faith does not make us holy. Christ makes us holy. Faith is simply an instrument by which we receive Christ’s holiness. This instrument is given by God. Salvation is totally a work of God. Once you get that the baptizing of infants isn’t such a big deal. Can God not save our little ones? If he can save a wretch like me, I think he can save my children. Children of the covenant are holy—clean and sanctified—because they belong to God.

Can God lose what is his?

Does death have any power over God?

This is not the end of the story. We are holy in union with Christ. We become one with Christ through regeneration. The regenerate will eventually exercise faith and repentance. I said eventually because there are some regenerate who never allowed this exercise. Jesus said, “you must be born again (regenerate) to see the Kingdom of heaven.” Everybody in heaven is regenerate. We must be born again into the Kingdom of heaven. The regenerate will exercise the gift of faith unless they cannot.

What might happen to keep…

Are there any biblical texts that support infant regeneration? Yes, we have the examples… They Holy Spirit works this mysterious power in our elect children.

The word offspring in the Hebrew means “buds.” I will pour my Spirit (water) upon your buds, that is my little ones, my infants. In the NC, God will place his Holy Spirit upon our little children through the waters of baptism. Our little ones have been given the habit of faith. The Lord has implanted in their souls the habit, the principle or seed of faith.

The fall implanted

Yet our elect infants have the seed of faith and by the Holy Spirit through the means of grace they are moved more and more to faith.

What about children who grow up only to apostatize?

Nothing to do with children who die in infancy.

Secondly, it's another sermon, yet there is in the question a covenantal command to our children. Believe and never stop, you must for you belong to God. Same goes for you parents too.

It's another sermon, yet there is in the question a covenantal command to our children. Believe…

Yet for those whom God calls to himself in infancy, what a comfort to know that the promise of life eternal is for you and your children. We are all saved by grace. It’s the grace of election that all infants who die in infancy belong to God. God is at the liberty to take one and leave another; He will take Jacob and leave Esau. If and when he takes elect infants we know according to the covenant of grace, our children are holy for a reason. They belong to God, who can and does regenerate as he wishes. I do hope that all infants go to heaven, its a judgment of charity. Yet I know for certain that our little ones who die in infancy we will see… for such…