Time Perpetually Lost

In the Garden of Eden there were two people. Both man and woman were born into ignorance and both born into bliss. The Garden created by God met the basic needs of the couple and for the most part, the pair was happy. Malcontent, however, bled into their hearts when they were offered the delightful looking morsels that hung from the ever forbidding Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

With hands raised high and common sense remarkably low, the two decided to ignore their creator and to instead partake of the forbidden fruit. When they did this they opened the metaphorical Pandora's Box and sin crept into the world like a dying man might creep along the ground as he slowly bleeds to death. The repercussions were almost immediate. God being the Holy God that He is could no longer suffer the couple to be in the Garden (a place of paradise) with sin inside of them.

So He did what every other god in his situation would do. He punished them.

The man, the woman, the snake, the ground, and essentially all of creation was changed due to the simple act of plucking a piece of fruit off of a tree. With the curse, however, there shined a single beacon of light. God told Adam and Eve that one day the bite of the serpent would no longer be as fierce. One day mankind would overcome.

Because of this folly, every child since has been born into the sinful nature and deserving of death eternal.

But a simple child? A baby that can't tell his mouth from his poozer (thank you)?

Yes, a baby. Born into a life that they could not possibly understand worthy of damnation from the very beginning of its existence to the day is breaths it last is deserving of eternal damnation due to our fallen state.

The reasons consistently seem to be allusive, but we know from scripture that we are indeed, fallen.

This begs the question: "Where do babies go when they die?"

Babies are too young to determine right from wrong, right?

They don't have enough time to sin shouldn't that negate their nature somehow?

Isn't God a merciful loving God?

But isn't he also a God of justice?

I know women who have lost babies. I know fathers who've watched their children die.

How could one possibly tell a grieving parent that their child is burning in Hell? Certainly, not I.

I, for one, don't believe that I'd have to.

Arguments like this could produce novels of information and I merely bring it up now because its what I happen to be thinking about this very instant.

So take this information with a grain of salt and now this is my humble opinion.

Here we go.

Adam and Eve were born into ignorance. An ignorance that allowed them to live free of sin. Their willful act caused them to receive damnation for it. I'm not saying that we are also born like that. I do, in fact, believe that without the grace of God no one can receive eternal reward. I am merely suggesting that perhaps children are born into an ignorance too.

Had Adam and Eve died in the garden (pre-Fall) what would've happened to them? Would their souls have meandered to heaven because they had nowhere else to go? I would imagine yes. They didn't know evil. Would it them be safe to assume that a baby, born into ignorance of good, would meander to Hell because they had nowhere else to go? Logic says "yes." This is where the theory of "age of accountability" comes in.

Ezekiel 18:20 says “The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him.” Every man will have to give an account to God for what they did on this Earth. A child does not really have the choice to accept Christ and what’s more is they don’t have the choice to accept sin. If whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, then obviously a baby would perish because of their lack of opportunity to believe in Him, but would a loving God who so loved the world that He gave his one and only son who was a part of Him be just enough to condemn a soul that never had the chance to accept salvation.

We choose damnation. God has ultimately given us that choice and as a baby we only possess the knowledge of evil and we are naturally born into that knowledge because of original sin, as we grow older we are taught good and then when we possess the knowledge of good and evil we then have the choice to make good or evil decisions. I would theorize that like Adam and Eve were born innocent into good, we are naturally born innocent into evil and until we possess the knowledge of good and evil we can not choose salvation or damnation. I believe that God looks upon babies and children as innocent of their sin because they’re naturally born into said sin with ignorance.

Are we all sinners without hope? No.

Are we all sinners in need of a desperate encounter with God? Yes.

Thoughts over.

It's late.

I think your babies aren't burning in Hell.

-scritch out