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Sin Is not Imputed Where There Is No Law (Romans 5:13)
One of the reasons babies go to heaven is sin is not imputed to them. Romans 5:13 says, "Sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not imputed where there is no law." The law brings sin, and sin brings death. If there is no law, there should be no sin. There was no law between Adam and Moses, but people still died because of original sin: "Death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam" (Romans 5:14). Babies die in the womb because of original sin.
Table of contentsBabies Have Not Disqualified ThemselvesBabies Are Not "Without Excuse""These People Will Not Inherit the Kingdom of God"We Have Committed the Listed SinsBabies Have Not Committed the Listed SinsBabies Would Not Know Why They Were in HellWhat About Original Sin?Sin Nature Is Different than SinningSin Is Not Imputed to BabiesSin Is Imputed When People Have Knowledge of SinSin is NOT Imputed When People Lack Knowledge of SinSin Is Not Imputed Where There Is No LawSin Is Not Imputed Where There Is No LawDid God Really Not Impute People's Sin Where There Is no Law?There Should Have Been No DeathBabies Die Because of Original SinThree Ways Adam Is a Type of JesusFootnotes
https://youtu.be/d41QGwfEtXQ
One of the reasons babies go to heaven is sin is not imputed to them. Romans 5:13 says, "Sin is not counted where there is no law."
Babies Have Not Disqualified Themselves
By disqualifying, I mean disqualifying from heaven. Babies haven’t committed sins that disqualify them from heaven, such as those in Romans 1:20-21. We will start at Romans 1:18 for context.
Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron’s Way of the Master's strategy involves helping people recognize their sinfulness, so they see their need for the Gospel. Paul takes this approach in Romans. He explains the Gospel in Romans 3 and 4, but before that he shows us our need for the gospel by convincing us of our sinfulness:
Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
This helps us understand what the gospel does: it delivers us from the wrath of God. The end of the verse says people "suppress the truth." People can only suppress truth that is known to them. If they were ignorant of the truth, they would not be able to suppress it. The truth they suppress is that that there is a Creator. They deny that God exists.
Romans 1:19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
The truth that God exists "is plain" or obvious. It is not difficult or complicated to believe that God exists. Instead, it is difficult or complicated to believe that God does NOT exist. God plainly revealed his existence through creation:
Romans 1:20a For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.
"Have been clearly perceived" is similar to "is plain to them" (verse 19). Creation makes the evidence for God overwhelming:
The painting is evidence there is a painter.
The building is evidence there is a builder.
The invention is evidence there is an inventor.
Similarly, creation is evidence there is a Creator. Because of the greatness and majesty of creation, it is evidence that the Creator is great and majestic. The verse identifies two things we can learn about God from his creation: he has "eternal power and [a] divine nature," because only a being with these qualities could create a universe like ours.
Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
The universe gives God’s glory. Creation is the display case for his beauty and attributes. When Isaiah received his famous vision of the throne room of God immediately before his commissioning, he described what the angels were saying:
Isaiah 6:3 One [Angel] called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; THE WHOLE EARTH IS FULL OF HIS GLORY!”
The angels recognize that creation itself reveals God’s glory and they worship him for it.
Babies Are Not "Without Excuse"
Because the evidence for God is so strong, when people deny it, they [have no] excuse:
Romans 1:20b So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
The verse says "they knew God" because creation revealed it to them. There are no atheists. The problem is not that man does NOT know God. The problem is that man does know God, but as verse 18 says, he "[suppresses] that truth." He pushes it down and tries to deny it.
Man does this because he does not want to give God two things in verse 21 that he deserves.
First, he because of God’s greatness he deserves to be honored, or worshiped.
Second, because of what God has done for us, he deserves to be [given] thanks. It is unbelievable that people are not thankful to God. He has given us life, families, children, a beautiful world to live in, and most importantly, a Son who will take the punishment we deserve. Ingratitude is one of our worst sins.
When man rejects God, he becomes futile in [his] thinking. He believes absurd things like we came from fish and apes and/or the universe created itself through an explosion. This is futile, or [foolish], thinking:
Romans 1:22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
I recently watched Evolution Versus God. One of the common themes with many individuals who were interviewed who claim to be atheists is they also "[claim] to be wise." But in the process, they revealed their [foolishness].
In Romans 1:20-21 man is condemned if he doesn’t recognize creation has a Creator, honor or worship God, and give him thanks. But it’s hard to argue that babies could do these things, especially while they’re still in the womb! Babies don’t move around in the amniotic fluid thinking, “Wow this is amazing. Somehow I was created and that Creator must be amazing!”
"These People Will Not Inherit the Kingdom of God"
Numerous places in Scripture reveal people don’t inherit the Kingdom of God because of sins they commit. For example, this verse describes people in hell:127
Revelation 21:8 The cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.
Similarly:
1 Corinthians 6:9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
We Have Committed the Listed Sins
Just like the people in 1 Corinthians do not inherit the Kingdom of God because of the sins they committed, these people find themselves in the lake of fire because of the sins they committed. This is pretty concerning considering all of us, if we are honest, recognize we have committed many of these sins. We are the people described in these verses. That means if we don’t repent and stop being these people then we also will not inherit the kingdom of God. We also will find ourselves in the lake of fire. That’s why 1 Corinthians 6:11 goes on to say:
1 Corinthians 6:11 And SUCH WERE SOME OF YOU. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Through repentance and faith in Christ, we stopped being these people. We were born again. As the verse says, we were washed, sanctified, and justified. We have become new creations:
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Babies Have Not Committed the Listed Sins
The verses in 1 Corinthians 6 and Revelation 21 are not just saying these people DID these things. They are saying these people ARE these things. God sends people to hell not just for committing these sins, but for being these sinners. But I can’t imagine anyone arguing that a baby IS one of these sinners.
When babies scream and keep us up all night, we might be tempted to look at them and say they are lots of things, such as difficult, trying, exhausting, wearying, draining, and fatiguing. But nobody ever looks at babies and says they are fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, drunkards, sorcerers, extortioners, or revilers. In other words, babies haven’t committed sins disqualifying them from inheriting the kingdom of God.
And these verses complement Jesus’s words well. These verses are about people who will NOT inherit the kingdom of God. But Jesus said babies WILL inherit the kingdom of God:
Luke 18:16 “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.”
The kingdom of God belongs to babies and those like them.
Babies Would Not Know Why They Were in Hell
If an infant went to hell for no other reason than original sin…it would know suffering but it would have no understanding of the reason for its suffering…the whole meaning and significance of its suffering would be to [the baby] a conscious mystery…Such an infant would know it was in hell, but it would not be able to explain why it was there.
R.A. Webb, The Theology of Infant Salvation, p. 42.
R.A. Webb’s point is because an infant hasn’t consciously engaged in sin, there would be no understanding of having disobeyed God; therefore, there would be no understanding of God’s judgment and why it’s in hell.
What About Original Sin?
R.A. Webb mentioned original sin,
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One of the reasons babies go to heaven is sin is not imputed to them. Romans 5:13 says, "Sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not imputed where there is no law." The law brings sin, and sin brings death. If there is no law, there should be no sin. There was no law between Adam and Moses, but people still died because of original sin: "Death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam" (Romans 5:14). Babies die in the womb because of original sin.
Table of contentsBabies Have Not Disqualified ThemselvesBabies Are Not "Without Excuse""These People Will Not Inherit the Kingdom of God"We Have Committed the Listed SinsBabies Have Not Committed the Listed SinsBabies Would Not Know Why They Were in HellWhat About Original Sin?Sin Nature Is Different than SinningSin Is Not Imputed to BabiesSin Is Imputed When People Have Knowledge of SinSin is NOT Imputed When People Lack Knowledge of SinSin Is Not Imputed Where There Is No LawSin Is Not Imputed Where There Is No LawDid God Really Not Impute People's Sin Where There Is no Law?There Should Have Been No DeathBabies Die Because of Original SinThree Ways Adam Is a Type of JesusFootnotes
https://youtu.be/d41QGwfEtXQ
One of the reasons babies go to heaven is sin is not imputed to them. Romans 5:13 says, "Sin is not counted where there is no law."
Babies Have Not Disqualified Themselves
By disqualifying, I mean disqualifying from heaven. Babies haven’t committed sins that disqualify them from heaven, such as those in Romans 1:20-21. We will start at Romans 1:18 for context.
Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron’s Way of the Master's strategy involves helping people recognize their sinfulness, so they see their need for the Gospel. Paul takes this approach in Romans. He explains the Gospel in Romans 3 and 4, but before that he shows us our need for the gospel by convincing us of our sinfulness:
Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
This helps us understand what the gospel does: it delivers us from the wrath of God. The end of the verse says people "suppress the truth." People can only suppress truth that is known to them. If they were ignorant of the truth, they would not be able to suppress it. The truth they suppress is that that there is a Creator. They deny that God exists.
Romans 1:19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
The truth that God exists "is plain" or obvious. It is not difficult or complicated to believe that God exists. Instead, it is difficult or complicated to believe that God does NOT exist. God plainly revealed his existence through creation:
Romans 1:20a For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.
"Have been clearly perceived" is similar to "is plain to them" (verse 19). Creation makes the evidence for God overwhelming:
The painting is evidence there is a painter.
The building is evidence there is a builder.
The invention is evidence there is an inventor.
Similarly, creation is evidence there is a Creator. Because of the greatness and majesty of creation, it is evidence that the Creator is great and majestic. The verse identifies two things we can learn about God from his creation: he has "eternal power and [a] divine nature," because only a being with these qualities could create a universe like ours.
Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
The universe gives God’s glory. Creation is the display case for his beauty and attributes. When Isaiah received his famous vision of the throne room of God immediately before his commissioning, he described what the angels were saying:
Isaiah 6:3 One [Angel] called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; THE WHOLE EARTH IS FULL OF HIS GLORY!”
The angels recognize that creation itself reveals God’s glory and they worship him for it.
Babies Are Not "Without Excuse"
Because the evidence for God is so strong, when people deny it, they [have no] excuse:
Romans 1:20b So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
The verse says "they knew God" because creation revealed it to them. There are no atheists. The problem is not that man does NOT know God. The problem is that man does know God, but as verse 18 says, he "[suppresses] that truth." He pushes it down and tries to deny it.
Man does this because he does not want to give God two things in verse 21 that he deserves.
First, he because of God’s greatness he deserves to be honored, or worshiped.
Second, because of what God has done for us, he deserves to be [given] thanks. It is unbelievable that people are not thankful to God. He has given us life, families, children, a beautiful world to live in, and most importantly, a Son who will take the punishment we deserve. Ingratitude is one of our worst sins.
When man rejects God, he becomes futile in [his] thinking. He believes absurd things like we came from fish and apes and/or the universe created itself through an explosion. This is futile, or [foolish], thinking:
Romans 1:22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
I recently watched Evolution Versus God. One of the common themes with many individuals who were interviewed who claim to be atheists is they also "[claim] to be wise." But in the process, they revealed their [foolishness].
In Romans 1:20-21 man is condemned if he doesn’t recognize creation has a Creator, honor or worship God, and give him thanks. But it’s hard to argue that babies could do these things, especially while they’re still in the womb! Babies don’t move around in the amniotic fluid thinking, “Wow this is amazing. Somehow I was created and that Creator must be amazing!”
"These People Will Not Inherit the Kingdom of God"
Numerous places in Scripture reveal people don’t inherit the Kingdom of God because of sins they commit. For example, this verse describes people in hell:127
Revelation 21:8 The cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.
Similarly:
1 Corinthians 6:9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
We Have Committed the Listed Sins
Just like the people in 1 Corinthians do not inherit the Kingdom of God because of the sins they committed, these people find themselves in the lake of fire because of the sins they committed. This is pretty concerning considering all of us, if we are honest, recognize we have committed many of these sins. We are the people described in these verses. That means if we don’t repent and stop being these people then we also will not inherit the kingdom of God. We also will find ourselves in the lake of fire. That’s why 1 Corinthians 6:11 goes on to say:
1 Corinthians 6:11 And SUCH WERE SOME OF YOU. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Through repentance and faith in Christ, we stopped being these people. We were born again. As the verse says, we were washed, sanctified, and justified. We have become new creations:
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Babies Have Not Committed the Listed Sins
The verses in 1 Corinthians 6 and Revelation 21 are not just saying these people DID these things. They are saying these people ARE these things. God sends people to hell not just for committing these sins, but for being these sinners. But I can’t imagine anyone arguing that a baby IS one of these sinners.
When babies scream and keep us up all night, we might be tempted to look at them and say they are lots of things, such as difficult, trying, exhausting, wearying, draining, and fatiguing. But nobody ever looks at babies and says they are fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, drunkards, sorcerers, extortioners, or revilers. In other words, babies haven’t committed sins disqualifying them from inheriting the kingdom of God.
And these verses complement Jesus’s words well. These verses are about people who will NOT inherit the kingdom of God. But Jesus said babies WILL inherit the kingdom of God:
Luke 18:16 “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.”
The kingdom of God belongs to babies and those like them.
Babies Would Not Know Why They Were in Hell
If an infant went to hell for no other reason than original sin…it would know suffering but it would have no understanding of the reason for its suffering…the whole meaning and significance of its suffering would be to [the baby] a conscious mystery…Such an infant would know it was in hell, but it would not be able to explain why it was there.
R.A. Webb, The Theology of Infant Salvation, p. 42.
R.A. Webb’s point is because an infant hasn’t consciously engaged in sin, there would be no understanding of having disobeyed God; therefore, there would be no understanding of God’s judgment and why it’s in hell.
What About Original Sin?
R.A. Webb mentioned original sin,