Tim Maas Supporter Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

I think that the Bible is clear that no humans deserve eternal life on their own merits. God in His holiness would be perfectly justified in consigning everyone (regardless of age) to eternal separation from Him. It is only by God's grace (undeserved love and mercy) and faith in the sinless life, atoning death, and resurrection of Jesus that any person has hope of eternal life. Children are certainly capable of acquiring such saving faith.

However, I also think that any parent would be able to attest that, in addition to the many ways in which children can bring unique joy to our lives, they can also display an inclination from the time of their earliest actions to be disobedient and to resist authority. That is why they must be trained and disciplined (as the Bible says in verses such as Proverbs 22:6 and Proverbs 29:17) as part of a Christian upbringing, and should be introduced to God and Christ as early in life as possible, which are both responsibilities entrusted by God to their parents or caregivers.

I would not presume to say at what age God begins holding children responsible for their actions from a standpoint of their eternal state. Perhaps God would hold their caregivers accountable for children's behavior up to a certain point, as Jesus seemed to imply in Mark 9:42. There is also the concept of prevenient grace, by which God could save children under the same principle through which (as Jesus said) He makes the sun to rise on both the evil and the good, and provides rain to both the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45), with no reference to anything that they have done or not done. He could thus apply Christ's salvation to them before they are capable of making a decision of their own (whenever that might be, as God would be fully and rightly able to judge).

What I can be sure of, however, is that God's actions with regard to the eternal state of children who die at an early age will ultimately be something that the redeemed will not question in eternity; that those actions will also be found by the redeemed to have been characterized by the same attributes that God displayed in saving them through Christ (that is, both grace and the satisfaction of His justice); and that people should not allow questions or concerns about this issue to prevent or deter them from accepting the salvation that God offers to them in Christ.

February 05 2018 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Aurel Gheorghe Supporter

Can children go to hell? Under certain situations they probably could. In 2 Kings 2:23, 24 we read how some boys were cursed and killed for mocking God’s prophet. We are not told the age of these boys, but apparently they were old enough to know better. 

The Bible appear to indicate that a child who dies before he/she is old enough to know right from wrong is saved (Isaiah 49:25; 1 Cor 7:14). What is that age? It depends of individual - some mature earlier than others. 

Moreover, James 4:17 says “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” That would suggest that immature persons unable to discern between right and wrong, God doesn’t hold them responsible – also in Acts 17:30 we read that God excuses ignorance. 

And then there is the popular doctrine of the original sin. It started with the valid biblical position of man's inherent carnal nature – predisposed to sin - and evolved into the doctrine that Adam's guilt was also imputed to his descendants. That's why some churches baptize the infants. Augustine is mostly responsible for this view of transmitted guilt – view contradicted by the Bible (Ezekiel 18:20). 

Furthermore, the Bible teaches that Jesus was born in Adam’s fallen human nature and in the same time He was sinless (Heb 2:16; 4:15; 2 Cor 5:21; 1 John 3:5) - “was made of the seed of David according to the flesh" (Rom 1:3). All David’s descendants, except for Christ, bore their hereditary inclinations and committed personal sins. Jesus, also inherited David’s nature after the flesh, but He did not yield to the inherent weaknesses of that nature: “but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin (Heb 4:15).

In Matthew 18:3, Christ said: “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” and in Matthew 19:14, “the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children." We can safely derive from these two statements that babies and little children are going to inherit the Kingdom of God, not hell. 

Hell and death are frightening and often misunderstood subjects. Fortunately, the Bible talks a lot about these two issues and no one should be confused by mystical teachings. 

The Bible often refers to death as ‘sleep’ - the dead will be awakened (resurrected) at the end of time – some to everlasting life, others to everlasting contempt (John 11:11-14; John 6:39; Daniel 12:2; 1 Cor 15:51; Acts 7:60).

So, the good news is that right now no one is burning in hell and the God of love and mercy is not going to torment for eternity children in hellfire.

February 05 2018 • 2 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

David Beaty Supporter

Hello Ara and thank you for posing this difficult question. There is a very strong case, primarily found in the book of Romans that God judges people not on the information that they do not have, but on the information that they do have. I would say that this applies to children because, in a sense, they do not have enough information or understanding or mental capacity at very young ages to really have the information they need to respond to God. If you would like to see the how the passages in Romans support this conclusion please see "Enslaved to Salvation" chapter 7. You can access it with no green just using my name David Aaron Beaty and "Enslaved to Salvation".

July 14 2025 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Daniel Veler Supporter

Your question: “Can children go to hell?”

One day, during a Bible study, a preacher shared a particular scripture with us, Revelation 20:15: “Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Then he went on to refer to this book as the Lamb’s Book of Life.

After he showed us these scriptures, he stated we know that a person who receives Christ has their name entered into this book. He asked the following question: What about the stillborn or children who die shortly after birth, or not having reached the age of reasoning yet, or those mentally incapable of reasoning? What happens to them? How would they get their names entered into the Lamb’s Book of Life? No one in the room could answer his questions. I left devastated.

I began to pray, seeking the answers. This is what God showed me. He first brought within my remembrance the story of David and his son who died being only four days old. The account is in 2 Samuel 12. I encourage you to read it. 

While the child lived, David prayed and pleaded with God for his son. His servants tried to get him to eat, and he refused. But once the child died, David rose up, cleaned himself, and went to the temple, then returned to his house to eat. This confused his servants, and they asked him this question:

2 Samuel 12:21: “Then said his servants unto him, 'What thing is this that thou hast done? Thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.' And he said, 'While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, "Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?" But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.'”

Now the question is this: Was David’s child sent to a place of torment, and is he meaning David would one day join him? I think not.

This is just one example that God has mercy on children.

21 hours ago • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report