Are Children Innocent? (2 Kings 21:6 and Psalm 106:38)

Do you wonder, "Are children innocent?" There are many bible verses about children's innocence, such as Jeremiah 2:34 Jeremiah 19:4, 2 Kings 21:6, and Psalm 106:38. Children are innocent until they reach the biblical age of accountability. Table of contentsEven Babies Wouldn't Go to Hell as BabiesThe Dispensation of InnocenceAdam and Eve's Lack of ShameHow Shame Is CreatedAdam and Eve Had to "Trust and Obey"Adam and Eve’s Innocence Was LostThe Connection to Children Being Innocent...Jeremiah 2:33 and 19:4 Teach Children Are InnocentGod Is not Too SeverePsalm 106:38 Teaches Children Are InnocentSecond Kings 21:6 Teaches Children Are InnocentFirst Kings 14:10 Teaches God Is Pleased with ChildrenEzekiel 16:20 Teaches Children Belong to GodJob Thought Children Escape SufferingChildren Are Made HolyOur Older Children Are Not InnocentFootnotes https://youtu.be/b9X-WfijBGU Do you wonder, "Are children innocent?" There are many bible verses about children's innocence, such as Jeremiah 2:34 Jeremiah 19:4, 2 Kings 21:6, and Psalm 106:38. Many people’s beliefs about babies going to heaven come more from wishful thinking or sentimentality than Scripture. We all want to believe babies go to heaven. We would probably all say that it seems right for babies to go to heaven. But the question is NOT, "Do we think babies go to heaven?" or "Does it seem right that babies go to heaven?" The question is, “Does the bible TEACH that babies go to heaven?” Even though I want to believe that babies go to heaven, and it seems right to me that babies to go to heaven, that is not why I believe that babies go to heaven. I believe this because that’s what the Bible teaches. If you have experienced a miscarriage, I don’t want you wondering what happened to your child and whether you will see that child again. I also don’t want you saying things like, "I believe my baby is in heaven because that’s what so many people have told me,” or “I think my baby is in heaven because the alternative is too terrible to imagine.” I want you saying, “I know my baby is in heaven because that’s what the Bible teaches.” If you read this as a young person, you face the very real possibility of experiencing a miscarriage, or miscarriages, yourself. But even if, by God’s grace you never have to know the loss of a baby, you are going to meet people who have lost a baby. Few things cause people as much heartache. I want you equipped to minister to people experiencing that trial. I want you to be able to comfort these people, not with clichés and platitudes, but with a biblical defense for their baby’s salvation. When those parents say something like, “How do I know I will see my child again?” I want you to be able to share Scripture with them. Even Babies Wouldn't Go to Hell as Babies Everyone, believers and unbelievers alike, receive resurrection bodies. Nobody spends eternity in their earthly body. Here are a few verses making the point that our earthly bodies are much different than our resurrection bodies: 1 Corinthians 15:42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown (referring to our earthly bodies) is perishable; what is raised (referring to our resurrection bodies) is imperishable. 43 It (referring to our earthly bodies) is sown in dishonor; it (referring to our resurrection bodies) is raised in glory. It (referring to our earthly bodies) is sown in weakness; it (referring to our resurrection bodies) is raised in power. 44 It (referring to our earthly bodies) is sown a natural body; it (referring to our resurrection bodies) is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body (referring to our earthly bodies), there is also a spiritual body (referring to our resurrection bodies). We can tell there are considerable differences between our earthly bodies and resurrection bodies. From what I have learned, most scholars don’t believe that our resurrection bodies will be the same age as our earthly bodies. This means that if a 90yo Christian woman dies, she doesn’t spend eternity looking like a 90 year old. If people thought they would spend eternity at the age they died, they might not want to live as long. So, for lack of a better way to say it, what age will we look like for eternity? Many scholars believe we will be the age Adam and Eve were when they were created. We don’t know exactly what age that was, but we know they were old enough to work and reproduce. If I had to guess, I would say twenties or thirties. If a baby dies, the baby doesn’t spend eternity looking a few months old. Or if we back up even further, if a woman miscarried early in the pregnancy, the baby would not spend eternity in that undeveloped condition. Instead, that baby would receive a resurrected body and look like a mature, developed adult. We hate the thought of babies going to hell, but a baby would not go to hell like we imagine. 133 Instead, that baby would become an adult for eternity. So, again, the point is we can’t hold on to sentimental, philosophical thoughts about babies going to heaven simply because we don’t want to think of them going to hell…because babies don’t truly go to hell anyway. Let’s make sure we’re holding to Scripture’s teaching. The Dispensation of Innocence Adam and Eve were created during what’s commonly called the Dispensation of Innocence. We say that Adam and Eve were innocent because they hadn’t sinned yet, but it’s also true they were innocent because they couldn’t choose between good and evil yet. And God wanted to preserve Adam and Eve’s innocence: Genesis 2:16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” As long as Adam and Eve didn’t eat from this tree, they would not have the knowledge of good and evil. And think about what that means: as long as Adam and Eve didn’t eat from the tree, they wouldn’t have to choose between the two. Their innocence would be preserved.134 Adam and Eve's Lack of Shame Adam and Eve were innocent. They didn’t have knowledge of good and evil: Genesis 2:25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. They had so little knowledge of good and evil they didn’t know there was anything wrong with being naked. This is interesting to read, because many verses in Scripture reveal this is the OPPOSITE of how they should have felt. The verse says they were not ashamed, but many verses associate nakedness WITH shame:135 Micah 1:11 Pass on your way…IN NAKEDNESS AND SHAME. Nahum 3:5 Behold, I am against you, declares the Lord of hosts, and will lift up your skirts over your face; and I will make nations look at YOUR NAKEDNESS AND KINGDOMS AT YOUR SHAME. Revelation 3:18 I counsel you to buy from me…white garments so that you may clothe yourself and THE SHAME OF YOUR NAKEDNESS may not be seen. Something making this even more interesting is these are prophecies of judgment against ungodly people. Yet even ungodly people, who were not accustomed with experiencing shame, experienced shame when naked. So it is surprising that Adam and Eve did not.136 How Shame Is Created Shame is created by knowledge of doing something wrong. Imagine you enter the home of people who always take their shoes off, but you don’t know that, so you enter with your shoes on and start walking around. You don’t feel ashamed, but when the owner of the house says, “We always take off our shoes” you feel ashamed, because now you know you were doing something wrong. Or imagine you started eating, but then someone says, “Okay, let’s pray for the meal”? You weren’t ashamed, but now you are…so you try to hide the large amount of food in your mouth. I have been speeding before, not feeling any shame, but then one of my kids points out that I’m speeding and I feel ashamed. We feel shame when we realize we did something wrong, but until we have the knowledge we did something wrong we don’t feel any shame. Adam and Eve Had to "Trust and Obey" Most of what God commands us not to do, we know is evil, so we know we shouldn’t do it. For example, God tells us not to commit murder, adultery, or theft. Because we have knowledge of good and evil, we don’t wonder if these are behaviors are evil or not But because Adam and Eve didn’t have knowledge of good and evil, when God said not to eat from the tree, they had to obey God in faith that it was wrong to eat from the tree. Think of the famous hymn, Trust and Obey. They had to trust and obey because they couldn’t tell that eating was wrong. Satan came and undermined their trust in God, which is the same thing he attempts to do with us: Genesis 3:5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Satan was telling the truth, because he deceives people by mixing truth with lies. That’s why Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons will always be greater threats to Christians than Buddhists or Hindus. They have so much truth mixed into their false religions. And when Adam and Eve ate, they experienced the truth Satan said to them: Genesis 3:6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and THEY KNEW THAT THEY WERE NAKED. AND THEY SEWED FIG LEAVES TOGETHER AND MADE THEMSELVES LOINCLOTHS. Adam and Eve’s Innocence Was Lost Just like Satan said, their eyes were opened, they developed knowledge of good and evil, and they knew that it was wrong to be naked. The NLT says, "They suddenly felt SHAME at their nakedness." So, they clothed themselves: Genesis 3:11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked?