Are infants who die before reaching an “age of accountability” essentially innocent of sin and therefore guiltless?
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Topic: For centuries the church has practiced infant baptism, and this practice
has existed in the Catholic Church as well as a large segment of Protestant churches
(this is one area where the Reformers largely remained in agreement with the
Catholic Church). One of the primary reasons why many Christians traditionally
practiced infant baptism was to ensure and secure the eternal destiny of infants if
they were to die prior to coming to an age where they might otherwise be able to
come to faith (or for some, practice the sacraments of their own volition). In any
case, for those who do not practice infant baptism, there is some debate as to
whether or not all infants (and the unborn) go to heaven when they die. Furthermore,
there is little consensus among those who believe that infants go to heaven as to
the means by which they are received into heaven. Are infants who die before
reaching an “age of accountability” essentially innocent of sin and therefore
guiltless? Is the atoning work of Christ somehow applied to infants without their
making a volitional decision to trust in Christ for salvation? In this discussion,
state and support your view regarding the salvation of infants. This issue may
require some level of research, but appendix issue 7 in the Across the Spectrum
textbook may be a good place to get started.
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