What Happens to Babies when they Die?
Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a Bible verse that said, “when the infant dies, he will go straight into the presence of God”? I wish a text like this existed. As a Christian, and especially as a pastor, a verse like this would help bring much comfort to the grieving. Unfortunately, though, no such text exists.
This doesn’t mean, however, that the Bible is entirely silent on the issue. While we don’t have any explicit texts on an infant’s eternal destination, we can apply certain biblical principles to this crucial question.
WE’RE ALL BORN IN SIN
Because of Adam’s sin, we’ve all inherited a sin nature (Eph. 2:3) and stand guilty before God from the time of our birth (Ps. 51:5; Rom. 5:12-21). Because of human rebellion, no amount of human effort will ever be enough to earn divine favor. We must, therefore, depend completely on the mercy of God.
SALVATION IS BY GRACE ALONE
Scripture uniformly teaches that one’s only hope for salvation is by trusting in the finished work of Jesus (Jn 3:16). This means that salvation is not through any human effort, but is, instead, received by faith alone (Eph. 2:8-9). At first glance, this teaching appears to preclude infants from ever receiving salvation since they don’t have the mental capacity to express faith in Jesus.
A COUPLE (POSSIBLE) EXCEPTIONS
We find a couple biblical examples, though, where infants possibly received salvation. One instance is with John the Baptist. In Luke 1, and angel of the Lord appears to Zechariah and Elizabeth and tells them that John “will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born” (Lk 1:15).
David says something similar in Psalm 22:9-10. He states, “Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.”
While we must be clear that these cases are rare exceptions to the norm, it seems possible from these texts, that God is able to save infants long before their mental capacities allow for saving faith.
GOD HOLDS PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE REVELATION THEY RECEIVED
In Matthew 11:22-24, Jesus tells a few towns that they will receive harsher judgment based on how much revelation they received. Jesus states:
But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of Judgment than for you… For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained until that day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.
Jesus emphatically says that because Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum had been in his presence and witnessed his miracles, God will hold them more accountable than other towns who didn’t have the same benefit. In other words, the more divine revelation one receives, the more God holds them accountable.
Knowing this, Romans 1:18-20 sheds important light on our discussion about infants. It reads:
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
Paul says that God has revealed himself to all people in creation. Therefore, nobody should look at the created order and wonder if he exists. God’s nature is so abundantly clear that Paul says “people are without excuse.”
This text doesn’t imply that people can be saved by discerning God’s existence through creation. Rather, it indicates that people know just enough about God to ultimately be accountable.
Babies, however, don’t have the mental capacity to discern God’s nature through the created order. Since God holds people accountable based on the revelation they have received — and babies haven’t received this revelation — God will not condemn babies for their lack of belief.
GOD’S CHARACTER
The Bible also teaches that God is good (Ps 119:68) and just (Debt 32:4). We must ask then, would God be good and just to assign an infant or even an unborn baby to eternal damnation, even though they never had the mental faculties to accept or reject him? This is hard to believe based on God’s character.
Abraham knew God was good and just when he appealed to him to not destroy all of Sodom because there might be some righteous people living there. He asks, “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?… Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Gen 18:23-25).
Abraham appealed to God’s righteous character and knew that God wouldn’t condemn people unfairly. I think we can apply this same principle to infants or those lacking the mental capacity to make faith decisions for themselves.
THE CASE WITH DAVID
The only text that comes close to addressing this issue specifically is the story of David and his baby in 2 Samuel 12. After his baby died, David says, “But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me” (2 Sam 12:23).
David recognized that he couldn’t be with his baby at the moment. At the same time, though, he confidently asserted he would be with him again someday. Presumably, David is referring to the time they would be in heaven together, which would indicate that David sincerely believed his baby went to heaven when he died.
BABIES GO TO HEAVEN WHEN THEY DIE
Based on God’s good and just nature, and based on the fact that babies cannot be held accountable for rejecting God’s revelation in nature, it seems reasonable to suggest that all babies go to heaven when they die. David also corroborates this notion in 2 Samuel 12:23 when he implies that his baby went to heaven after he died.
If you’ve ever lost a baby to miscarriage or a child at an early age, I hope you’ll find comfort in the fact that God is both good and just. Abraham asked, “Will not the Judge of the earth do right?” The appropriate response is, “of course he will.”
