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NASB | Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 3:23 since all have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God, |
Subject: Can a toddler go to heaven? |
Bible Note: John Reformed, Grace and peace to you and your sister's family for the loss of the little child. When I read questions about “do children go to heaven when they die?” it reminds me of the Syrophoenician woman and the woman caught in adultery. Of the many lessons in these two events, the ones that come to mind are that when we “talk theology,” it's good to run any doctrine through two final tests: 1) Does it exemplify God’s sovereignty, mercy, and justice? (your post talked about this principle), and 2) Does it allow us to wrap parents in the hope of Jesus who was resurrected from the dead? With those two truth-tests standing ahead of all doctrines we hear in the debate about children going to heaven, it seems that the answer to the question becomes clear. Children go to heaven. And that truth takes its place along side the other great mysteries of God. In my own journey on this issue, the question of children and heaven is not a question about how well I could articulate a logical and factual account of the capacities and abilities of children, but how well I understood the love of God. The Rose Still Grows Beyond the Wall By A.L. FRINK Near a shady wall a rose once grew, Budded and blossomed in God's free light, Watered and fed by the morning dew, Shedding its sweetness day and night. As it grew and blossomed fair and tall, Slowly rising to loftier height, It came to a crevice in the wall Through which there shone a beam of light. Onward it crept with added strength, With never a thought of fear or pride, It followed the light through the crevice's length And unfolded itself on the other side. The light, the dew, the broadening view Were found the same as they were before; And it lost itself in beauties new, Breathing its fragrance more and more. Shall claim of death cause us to grieve, And make our courage faint and fall? Nay! Let us faith and hope receive: The rose still grows beyond the wall. Scattering fragrance far and wide, Just as it did in days of yore, Just as it did on the other side, Just as it will forevermore. |