Children and Salvation: What Saith the Scriptures?
How And Why To Save Children
Children and Salvation: What Saith the Scriptures?
Rom 7:9-11 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came,
sin revived, and I died.
And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.
For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.
Children are not accountable for sin from birth until the "age of accountability", which was that point in time when "
sin revived" in the child's life, when he/she realizes
that he sinned and broke a commandment.
"Rom 7:8...For without the law sin was dead."
Even though the baby is born with sin, sin lies dormant and God declares the child innocent until sin revives, as the baby is born with a live spirit.
Without revived sin, infants, babies and even morons do not have sin charged to them, so God takes them right up home to Him in Heaven when they die.
However, once sin is revived, the child's spirit is now dead (as from Adam) and needs a new birth, and the child now has his sin charged to him, and since the penalty for sin is death, the child then needs a redeemer for his sins, as the child is now sold
under bondage to the Devil under fear of death (Heb 2:14-15), so the child needs to be bought back again by God and be redeemed
with the payment made for sin
by God's son the Lord Jesus Christ.
So this is why children need to hear the Gospel and then have the liberty to ask Jesus to take their sins away and save them from sin's penalty of Hell - just like anyone else at any older age needs to do it.
Heb 2:14-15 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
To
save the children,
we can witness to them by showing them God's plan with the simple Gospel, as with teenagers and adults, and keep it very simple. The
Soul Winner Guide
is an excellent book on winning Souls.
However, for younger children some saints like to use the
Wordless Gospel
, but whatever the technique, one should strive to simply convict the child of sin and show the cure,
Here is one simple technique for younger children:
1) Explain to them
what Heaven is like - that there is no night and darkness there, there
is no sickness there, there are no mean bad people there, etc.., because that's what it's like in Hell where people go to pay for their sins.
2) Next
ask them if they would like to go to Heaven. After they say yes, then
tell them that they can't go, because they have sinned and have a dark
heart. They will then think "What have I done wrong to sin?"
3) Next asked
them if they have ever taken something that wasn't theirs. Such as
"Ever play with another kids toy and not give it back?" (convict them
of stealing).
4) Next ask them if they ever told something that just
wasn't the truth. A question like "Do you know what happened to your
brothers cookie that I had for him on the table?" and you
said "I
don't know" - but you did know? (Convict them of the sin of
lying)
5) Let them know that their lie (sin) can be forgiven and that they can get to Heaven
because
Jesus loves them and has paid the price for their sins. Explain to them
that if you were knocking on their front door and they knew it was your
voice and it was you, would they open the door and let you in? They
will say "Yes". Jesus needs to be asked in too. Explain to
them
that they can open the door to let Jesus in by saying (repeating after
you) : "Lord
Jesus, I know that you are God's son. You died on the cross for my
sins and rose again from the dead. I'm sorry for my sins, and I ask you
to forgive me of my sins, and come into my heart and save me from hell. Thank you Jesus."
Rev 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and
open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he
with me.
Luke 18:16 But Jesus
called them unto him, and said, Suffer little
children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the
kingdom of God.
Mark 16:15"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world,
and preach the gospel to every creature".
What about the heathen - those people who never heard the Gospel?
