Bible Question:
Greetings everyone, I have just done a word search and only found 11 posts containing this word. It seems that no one is bothered by it, it's a doctrine that is as old as time and is as relevant as tomorrow. In times past it was of great importance but now in the "civilised" age do we "Protestants" have an answer or are we content/complacent? What is he on about? I was asked a simple enough question, " when a child dies, in the age of innocence, where does the soul go and how can the soul return to Heaven if sin is not allowed into the presence of Holy God? The word I was researching was," Limbo" the Catholic doctrine that is their answer, what is ours? Please do not waste time in telling me the rights and wrongs of this doctrine, or resurrect the old argument between scriptural and traditional, just give me an answer, or your understanding of this question. Thank you all and may the Holy Spirit inspire us. SHALOM RJJ. |
Bible Answer: From Westminster Confession, Chapter 10: III. Elect infants, dying in infance, are regenerated and saved by Christ through the Spirit, who worketh when, and where, and how he pleaseth. So also are all other elect persons who are incapable of being outwardly called by the ministry of the Word. Also, there is NO age of innocence. CHAPTER VI. Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment thereof. I. Our first parents, begin seduced by the subtilty and temptations of Satan, sinned in eating the forbidden fruit. This their sin God was pleased, according to his wise and holy counsel, to permit, having purposed to order it to his own glory. II. By this sin they fell from their original righteousness and communion with God, and so became dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body. III. They being the root of mankind, the guilt of this sin was imputed, and the same death in sin and corrupted nature conveyed to all their posterity, descending from them by original generation. IV. From this original corruption, whereby we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil, do proceed all actual transgressions. V. This corruption of nature, during this life, doth remain in those that are regenerated; and although it be through Christ pardoned and mortified, yet both itself, and all the motions thereof, are truly and properly sin. VI. Every sin, both original and actual, being a transgression of the righteous law of God, and contrary thereunto, doth, in its own nature, bring guilt upon the sinner, whereby he is bound over to the wrath of God, and curse of the law, and so made subject to death, with all miseries spiritual, temporal, and eternal. Some Scripture Proofs: ROM 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. 15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. 1CO 15:21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. This is my understanding. I am speaking from a position where I have lost three babies in birth. (I am telling you this so that you can see that I am not letting my personal thoughts of fairness get in the way of what the Bible tells me.) I hope this helps... |