Pilgrim,

Thank you for your patient indulgence of my thick-headedness. bow. This will probably be another one of those occasions where I go away suspecting that you are right, but not understanding why.

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I am compelled to press you on this point to provide Scriptural warrant for the claim. Where in Scripture does it even imply that the unborn are automatically elect due to their dying in the womb?

The question is, Is there biblical support to warrant a view that says ALL infants dying in infancy are elect?

Well "warrant" or "support" is all that I can attempt to provide, since I do not believe one can "prove" this matter from Scripture alone either way. You obviously appear to believe that the case of Jacob and Esau "clearly and unequivocally" illustrates that some infants are elect and others reprobate, and that this has no "reference" or relation to whether or not they live past infancy. I agree with you that it illustrates the fact that "Esau was reprobate before he was born, having done neither good nor evil," and it follows from this that every reprobate adult was once a reprobate child. But I cannot move so easily to the hypothetical case you raise (about Esau dying in his mother's womb) since that was obviously not God's plan for Esau, and He certainly does not leave such things as life and death to chance. To me, this seems like raising the question, "If God has ordained that Jim gets saved through Bill proclaiming the gospel to him, and Bill doesn't proclaim the gospel to Jim, then how will Jim get saved?" Such a question presupposes or assumes that if God has decreed that Bill will do something, it is possible that Bill will not do it. It's true that if Bill doesn't proclaim the gospel Jim might not get saved (especially if God - mistakenly thinking himself omniscient and omnipotent - doesn't have or hasn't decreed a back-up plan). But let me assure you (not that you or anyone on this board needs such assurance) that if God has decreed that Bill will preach the gospel to Jim and he will get saved, then Bill will preach the gospel to Jim and he will get saved. In the same way, if God has decreed that all infants are elect (which is both possible and preferable, and in my opinion not contradicted by Scripture), and Esau is not among the elect, then God has decreed that Esau will live past infancy and he will (and did).

The only way we know what God's decrees are is if He tells us what they are or if they have already come to pass. If Esau had died in infancy, and verses 11-13 still read just as they do, I would concede this argument to you immediately and completely; in fact, I would have never offered an alternative perspective on this issue at all. It would be a very "hard saying" but what am I gonna do? Judge God? Tell Him He's unjust? God forbid! But until I see the matter as clearly as you and some of the others on this board do, I will cling to this hope.

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If I therefore use your argument in this case, those who live after birth and as their years increase, mercy is even more necessary and "deserving" since their minds, hearts and deeds are all the more sinful. Thus where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. Catch my drift here?

I would agree that in this case mercy is even more "necessary" and I might even say more extraordinary (i.e., displays the riches and depths of God's love even more), but I would not say they are more "deserving" of God's mercy. Mercy is not deserved or earned, but when we do talk about desert, we generally think that the hardened career criminal or sinner "deserves" less mercy than the first-time offender, though the hardened criminal probably "needs" it more since his penalties are justly greater. But I'm uncomfortable with such language when talking about grace or mercy - they are undeserved and tell us more about the One who bestows them than the one upon whom they are bestowed. I have never claimed that God "owes" infants anything other than the judgment their sins "deserve."

You asked for warrant or support for my "hope" (I dare not call it a belief or a view at this point). Since it does not come from any one passage but from an understanding of the nature and character of God as revealed throughout Scripture (or rather, an inference from such an understanding), let me offer a summary from someone who has thought about and studied this matter far more than me. It's by John MacArthur, and I find it very compelling (of course, I want to find it compelling), so perhaps I'll fare better if you tell me what you disagree with or where you think he goes astray. It's much clearer than anything I've written so far. I think the last two paragraphs in particular may reveal the real crux of the matter.


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People often wonder about the eternal destiny of the unborn, babies, and those unable to intellectually understand the gospel. That question is a difficult one. Unfortunately, the Bible offers us no explicit answer. However, based on several passages, as well as an understanding of God's character and His dealings with men, we can develop a good idea of how He works in such situations.
People often wonder about the eternal destiny of the unborn, babies, and those unable to intellectually understand the gospel. That question is a difficult one. Unfortunately, the Bible offers us no explicit answer. However, based on several passages, as well as an understanding of God's character and His dealings with men, we can develop a good idea of how He works in such situations.

Second Samuel 12:23 is one of the passages often quoted to imply that babies go to heaven. Though the verse doesn't explicitly say that, David clearly does expect to one day be reunited with his departed child. Since we know David is a believer whose destiny was heaven, we can infer that his hope of reunion means he expected his child to be in heaven. Thus, 2 Samuel 12:23 suggests strong evidence for a heavenly destiny of the unborn and children who die young.

If this were all we had to support our position, it would be admittedly less than stalwart. However, there are other evidences that point us to the same conclusion. First, the Bible clearly teaches that God cares deeply for children. Passages like Matthew 18:1-6 and 19:13-15 affirm the Lord's love for them. Those verses don't state that children go to heaven, but they do show God's heart toward children. He created and cares for children, and beyond that, He always accomplishes His perfect will in every circumstance.

The psalmist reminds us that God is "full of compassion and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth" (Ps. 86:15). He is the God who became flesh that He might carry our sins away by His death on the cross (2 Cor. 5:21). He is the God who will comfort Christians in heaven, for "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death; nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain" (Rev. 21:4). We can be assured that God will do what is right and loving because He is the standard of rightness and love. Those considerations alone seem to be evidence enough of God's particular, electing love shown to the unborn and those who die young.

However, another point may be helpful in answering this question. While infants and children have neither sensed their personal sin and need for salvation nor placed their faith in Christ, Scripture teaches that condemnation is based on the clear rejection of God's revelation—whether general or specific—not simple ignorance of it (Luke 10:16; John 12:48; 1 Thess. 4:8).

Can we definitely say that the unborn and young children have comprehended the truth displayed by God's general revelation that renders them "without excuse" (Rom. 1:18-20)? They will be judged according to the light they received. Scripture is clear that children and the unborn have original sin—including both the propensity to sin as well as the inherent guilt of original sin. But could it be that somehow Christ's atonement did pay for the guilt for these helpless ones throughout all time? Yes, and therefore it is a credible assumption that a child who dies at an age too young to have made a conscious, willful rejection of Jesus Christ will be taken to be with the Lord.

Last edited by Pilgrim; Fri Jul 04, 2025 7:00 PM.