Common Sense Commentary: To believe that God would send little children to hell is to expose one's self as totally ignorant of who the God of the Bible is and confesses their own vulnerability to every sort of false doctrine. The remedy is prayer and consistent Bible study which will either correct their ignorance or lead to the salvation of their souls.
There is a false doctrine which says that every human born must personally profess Jesus Christ as their Savior, no matter their age, before they die, because we are all "born in sin" (Jn.9:34), and therefore, even babies must confess Christ and be spiritually born again, or go to hell. If that were true, every fetus (baby) miscarried or aborted, and every child born who dies before they are old enough to comprehend sin, guilt or salvation, would be cast into hell. That ridiculous idea, itself, was born in hell. and is akin to the Old Testament sacrificing of young children to false gods by casting them into the fire.
David was used of God to write the Psalms, which Jesus and the Apostles quoted many times. David, though fallible, was obviously a believer in the Lord, and is now in heaven. So if he is in heaven, his infant son, born of another man's wife, is also in heaven. One reason I know that is revealed in his own words about his baby. who died shortly after his birth.... "But now he is dead ... can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me." 2 Sam.12:23. David, many times professed his faith in God and the coming Messiah, Jesus, but his son never had the opportunity to profess his own faith in God or the Messiah. But David, inspired by God, said "I shall go to him"... David was saying, "We will both go to God's heaven". All miscarried, aborted or born little children go to heaven. After they reach the age of accountability it is a different matter. Since Jesus was 12 when he first chose to sit in the Temple to listen and ask questions of the doctors of theology and other Bible scholars, it may be that is approximately the age of accountability. "And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers." Luke 2:47. That understanding and wisdom did not just suddenly fall upon him. He had seemingly already given thought to many of those things. Of course Jesus was surely more advanced in spiritual understanding than the average 12 year old, so we can't assume with any certainty when each child reaches accountability. Only God knows when a child has developed sufficiently to comprehend salvation. The age, no doubt, varies with each child's mental and spiritual development, and "understanding of God's word". As it is written, "And all the people gathered themselves together ...and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded .... And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding .... And he read therein ....from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law." Nehemiah 8:1-3." Only "Those that could understand" were accountable to the demands of God's Law. Little children and the mentally retarded who had the minds of little children, who were too immature, and could not understand, were unaccountable ... whatever their age.
Then, there is the case where all the infant males, in and around Bethlehem, were murdered, by King Herod's henchmen, in an effort to kill the baby Jesus. This, of course, sent up an agonizing wail of mourning from the mothers of all those babies, as was previously prophesied by Jeremiah, and fulfilled here in Matt.2:17-18..."Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not." Here is the prophecy given 606 years before its fulfillment:"Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for ... they shall come again .... And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own border." Jer.31:15-17. I believe the "coming again" of those children will be at the coming again of Christ to set up His Millennial Kingdom in Jerusalem, "their own border". Those innocent children shall live again in the Kingdom of God and of Christ... all of them.
There is another false doctrine which says that if a person, not yet born, but who is predestined to hell, "by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God", dies before or after birth, they still go to hell even as a fetus, baby or infant. That would be true IF the "foreknowledge" of God meant His personal, pre-choice, predetermined rejection of that baby for no other reason than that He did not want that particular, eternal soul. That is the unavoidable conclusion which a true Calvinist must accept as the end result of this abominable doctrine. Christening/ Infant Baptism, by some religions, resonates of these false doctrines. Neither ceremonial baptism nor any other religious rite can make a Christian of a baby or anyone else, but then, babies don't need to be "saved"... they are eternally safe until they reach personal "understanding" and accountability. Not just because Mom or Dad said so.
The final reason I disallow such non-sense as babies and little children going to hell is this: All Christians who have thoroughly and diligently studied the whole counsel of God, all of the Bible, know that such false doctrines as the above are not true, and also know that these things are not consistent with God our Father or with Jesus Christ. Jesus loved all little children and scolded his disciples when they turned away the little children who came to see Jesus ...."But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God." Mark 10:14. Why would He do that if He rejected any little child or would send any of them, as little children, to hell? He wouldn't.
Scroll down the list below to my message of 11/17/14 entitled "God's Prognosis ..." for further information on this subject. RB
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