But if “I was conceived in iniquity, and in
sin my mother nourished me in her womb,” where,
I pray thee, O my God, where, O Lord, or when was I, thy servant, ever
innocent? But see now, I pass over that period, for what have I to do
with a time from which I can recall no memories?
It reminds me of a particular subject we protestants like to call "The age of understanding" It's probably one of the most debated topics in modern Christianity, next to homosexuality. (which the Bible is very clear on, ironically) How can a human infant, which is an inherently sinful creature, go to hell? Well, it's simple, it does. There really is no other conclusion that I can draw from that, given the information. However, I would love to debate it with someone in the comment section.
~~Cody Martin~~
PS. I commented on Josh Goldman's post: "Video Games Do Not Promote Violence, Lag Does."
What I would say to that is that a child doesn’t have the mental capacity to decide to sin in itself, let alone repent for said sins. That’s where God’s grace comes in. With that said, I have an example of God’s grace in the life of a “sin-filled child”. In 2 Samuel 12 (to summarize best I can) David & Bathsheba’s son is born to them and because that child was born out of David’s sin against Uriah/ from Uriah’s wife God punishes David by causing said child to become ill and quickly after, die. While the child is sick David mourns, pleads, and fasts on behalf of the child but he doesn’t do this for the child’s soul rather he does this in hopes that God will grant him grace and allow his child to live. When the child actually dies is where the basis of my belief comes in, David says: “But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.” (v.23) David says “I will go to him, but he will not return to me” and here he’s talking about meeting with his child again in heaven. This child was born because of his father’s sin of both murder and adultery; what better an example of what Augustine says when he writes, “I was conceived in iniquity, and in sin my mother nourished me in her womb…”
ReplyDeleteGod’s grace is sufficient.
This is a sensitive subject. It's hard to navigate through all the confusion and emotional turmoil it causes, especially in Christian mothers who've lost infants themselves. I know some of them; the trauma still endures to this day. One must be careful in how one deals with the subject, neither going beyond Scripture nor scoffing at others' emotional hang-ups.
ReplyDeleteI believe what my church's Confession says: "Elect infants, dying in infancy, are regenerated, and saved by Christ, through the Spirit, who works when, and where, and how He pleases: so also are all other elect persons who are incapable of being outwardly called by the ministry of the Word."
Who those are, I don't know, and beyond that I can't say anything except this: our God is in the heaven, and he has free will to do what he wants. He will do right, and whatever he does is more right than we can imagine.
And here is a perfect opportunity to discuss what Boethius says about the situation! For the sake of the argument, I shall remain neutral in my opinion so as to not distract you from my point. Boethius' claim (as discussed in class today) is that one should remain "removed" from the worries of this world. The Bible discusses this issue, along with countless other religions. The idea is that worrying too much about our current state in this world hinders us from the true essence of life! David did mourn at the passing of the child. He had every right to! It was his fault that the child was born (if you really want to be honest about it.) This mourning is a natural state of mourning, and even though Jesus warned his disciples about his death, they still mourned at his passing. Of course they would! We view death as "The End." The pivotal point is in David's realization from verse 23. He is able to set aside the time for morning and continue with life. He doesn't stay depressed (even though the death of the child had to have been emotionally taxing. Due to his decision to "move on," David conquered his mind (just as Boethius suggests) by refusing to become imprisoned in a state of depression. I am sure the child's death was still upsetting to him, but he was no longer consumed by his emotions.
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