Jesus welcomed the little ones, wanted them to come to Him, and blessed them, while the disciples had no time for them and thought Jesus was too busy to be bothered. He said, "Suffer the little children to come unto me, [in NIV: "do not hinder them"] for such is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 19:14). Jesus rebuked them and told them that to such belong the kingdom of God. He also said that he who humbles himself like a little child shall be greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Are children the enemies of God? Yes and No. James 4:4 says that he who is a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Children are born in sin, of course. "In sin did my mother conceive me," says Psalm 51:5. The Minnesota Crime Commission issued a report saying that little children are born to be criminals and if they are not civilized by the parents will grow up delinquent. The grace of God covers all children till the age of accountability (I don't want to get into an extensive proof of this doctrine here because most believers accept this) and children are to be welcomed into the church body and its fellowship, and not to be treated as outsiders. There will be no children in hell, and God loves all children and wants to bless them. If you make one of them stumble you will be better off with a millstone around your neck and cast into the sea. They have angels that always behold the face of God and take care of them.
Yes, children sin but they have not learned to discern good and evil and are innocent to a certain extent. Technically all unbelievers are children of Satan but children can be converted to Christ--the way of salvation is so simple even they can comprehend it. God can and sometimes does speak to us through the children, just like St. Augustine claimed happened to him. We were all enemies of God before salvation and the miracle is that God loved us in that while we were His enemies He sent Son to die for us. It is true that infants are completely self-centered and their world revolves around them, and it is the job of the parent to civilize them and bring them up in the training and nurture of the Lord ("Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it," says Proverbs 22:6, ESV). Responsible parents stand in loco Dei or in the place of God to teach concepts of authority, respect, and obedience.
Though children may have not accepted Christ yet, God is working on them and it is the job of the parents to teach them the truth and way of salvation. We should never treat them as if they are enemies of God--that is the logical outcome of believing they are. Only God knows and sees who His elect are and we are not to judge people prematurely or before the time. The wheat and chaff look similar when growing together and it is not the task of believers to separate them because they could be wrong. Soli Deo Gloria!
Are children the enemies of God? Yes and No. James 4:4 says that he who is a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Children are born in sin, of course. "In sin did my mother conceive me," says Psalm 51:5. The Minnesota Crime Commission issued a report saying that little children are born to be criminals and if they are not civilized by the parents will grow up delinquent. The grace of God covers all children till the age of accountability (I don't want to get into an extensive proof of this doctrine here because most believers accept this) and children are to be welcomed into the church body and its fellowship, and not to be treated as outsiders. There will be no children in hell, and God loves all children and wants to bless them. If you make one of them stumble you will be better off with a millstone around your neck and cast into the sea. They have angels that always behold the face of God and take care of them.
Yes, children sin but they have not learned to discern good and evil and are innocent to a certain extent. Technically all unbelievers are children of Satan but children can be converted to Christ--the way of salvation is so simple even they can comprehend it. God can and sometimes does speak to us through the children, just like St. Augustine claimed happened to him. We were all enemies of God before salvation and the miracle is that God loved us in that while we were His enemies He sent Son to die for us. It is true that infants are completely self-centered and their world revolves around them, and it is the job of the parent to civilize them and bring them up in the training and nurture of the Lord ("Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it," says Proverbs 22:6, ESV). Responsible parents stand in loco Dei or in the place of God to teach concepts of authority, respect, and obedience.
Though children may have not accepted Christ yet, God is working on them and it is the job of the parents to teach them the truth and way of salvation. We should never treat them as if they are enemies of God--that is the logical outcome of believing they are. Only God knows and sees who His elect are and we are not to judge people prematurely or before the time. The wheat and chaff look similar when growing together and it is not the task of believers to separate them because they could be wrong. Soli Deo Gloria!