Baptist theologian Millard Erickson on infants dying in infancy--'difficult to maintain them as sinful, condemned, and lost'

"While the status of infants and those who never reach moral competence is a difficult question, it appears that our Lord did not regard them as under condemnation. Indeed, he held them up as an example of the type of person who will inherit the kingdom of God (Matt. 18:3; 19:14). David had confidence that he would again see his child who had died (2 Sam. 12:23). On the basis of such considerations, it is difficult to maintain that children are to be thought of as sinful, condemned, and lost."¹

--Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology., 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1998), 654.

 

¹My purpose in compiling so many quotes concerning infants dying in infancy from various sources is not to demonstrate a monolithic theological front so far as theories of infant salvation are concerned. The truth is, among Baptists, several theo-biblical models exist in understanding infant salvation. Rather my purpose is to show that however varied Baptists have been in constructing theo-biblical models of infant salvation, unlike some other Reformed Christian bodies, Baptists--particularly Southern Baptists--historically appear to have come to a monolithic conclusion concerning the salvation of infants; namely, all infants dying in infancy surely remain recipients of God's redemptive grace.

Hence it does not follow I agree with all those whom I quote so far as their theo-biblical model is concerned while I fully accept and applaud the worthy conclusion to which he or she arrived; in this case, all infants dying in infancy, along with all those who never reach moral competence due to severe mental handicap(s) are full recipients of God's amazing redemptive grace. Fact is, I do not agree with Dr. Erickson's model since he unduly strains both Scripture and reason in attempting to make infant salvation "fit" into his Calvinistic system. In doing so, he ends up implying that infants do not even need redemption since they are neither sinful, condemned nor lost. I do not follow this line of argument. Nor does it square with Erickson's emboldened talk about imputed guilt, a non-negotiable tenet of classic Reformed understanding of original sin.           

Related articles

R.B.C. Howell--'all children dying in infancy are saved with an everlasting salvation'

Saint Augustine--'first to teach infant damnation'

John Broadus on infants dying in infancy--'No question those dying in infancy are saved'

E.Y. Mullins--'denominations generally--except Baptists--much perplexed over salvation of infants dying in infancy until recent years'

Baptist Confession of 1679--'all little children dying in infancy saved by the grace of God'

No Southern Baptist should be 'in limbo' over Infants dying and going to Hell! by Ron F. Hale

Comments

[Aaron O'Kelley]

Note that Erickson is speaking, not exclusively about infants, but about children in general.

As a parent of a seven-year-old and a four-year-old, I can testify that I have absolutely no difficulty imagining that children are sinful. I would imagine that most parents would agree.

[peter lumpkins]

Hi Aaron,

Actually, he's speaking about children--i.e. infants >>>--who remain below what he and others dub the so-called "age of accountability" or what he references in the opening line of the quote above as "those who never reach moral competence." While your 7 year old might be reaching the moral competency threshold, from what I gather in Erickson's view, your 4 year old would not...

[Aaron O'Kelley]

Yes, that is a fair reading of Erickson. But I wonder if Erickson has read Matthew 19 fairly. Is there anything in the context of Matthew that would indicate that the children brought to Jesus were specifically or exclusively those who had not reached moral competence?

And believe me, my four-year-old has known how to sin for quite some time now, as I'm sure most any other parent would attest!

[peter lumpkins]

Aaron,

Well according to a host of Baptist scholars and theologians there most certainly is enough in Matthew, coupled with Jesus' dealings with children in general, to substantiate Erickson's claim.

[Tim Rogers]

Peter,

Thanks for this article. I have used the same quote from Erickson in my article today. I believe that infant damnation is an issue of inerrancy. For me it is completely denying the text to say that infants burn in Hell, or they are annihilated. I just do not see where the Scriptures teach anything else but that infants that die before moral responsibility are spending eternity any other place but with Jesus.