My son's question

Bearzy just turned nine.

Last night before he turned in, or, using his favorite saying, hit the sack, he said to me, "Mom, could I ask you a question?"

"Sure, go ahead but make it short." I tried to rush him to bed so he could get a little more sleep, or I could have more me-time.

"Well, what would happen to the babies who died early before they get to know Jesus?", he asked me thoughtfully.

Hearing this, I brightened up. "Hey, son, do you know that you are asking a question that theologians are trying to answer for many many years in history?"

"What is a theologian?" He quickly followed.

"In a way, all Christian believers are theologians. But some think that a theologian is an expert who is trained to study God's Word."

"I see.  But what would happen to the babies? You see, they are not old enough to know Jesus but they were already born." Bearzy continued.

"What do you think?" I kicked the ball back to his court.

"Well, if they did not believe in Jesus, they could not go to heaven. But I don't think they should go to hell, either." He answered without much certainty.

"There are three views on this question you just asked and all three views have some Bible verses to back them up." I said to him.

"But which one is the correct one?" He asked.

"I do not know, though I have my preference." I answered honestly.

"What are the three views then?"

"The first group believe that God will judge those who have not heard about Jesus according to the limited revelations they receive. Then God will decide where they should go after death.

The second group believe that those who died before knowing Jesus would be saved and could go to heaven. Because they believe that Jesus died on the Cross for all and His death served as ransom for all.

But the third group believe that those who died without knowing Jesus would not go to heaven at all." I summed up the three views in a nutshell, hoping he would have a little understanding now that he has already gained some biblical knowledge of his own.

"The third view sounds very harsh." He observed.

"Yeah. But again that is why it is very urgent to share the Gospel with those who have never heard about God or Jesus." I tried to grasp the teachable moment and inspired him a little.
 
"I hope that I do not die before I get baptized." His practical mind began working.

"We do not know. It is all in God's hands. But let Mama know when you are ready."

"You know what," I continued, "since you have got such a great question, why don't we call  'Pastor's Perspective' one of those days and you could put your question to the pastors on radio and see what their understanding would be. Or, you could chat with your group leader in the church as well." I tried to offer some concrete solution.

"I guess I could do that." As he finished this, he said a quick prayer and finally turned in.

I sat there a long time thinking about my conversation with him. I had to admit that I was surprised at his question. Then it dawned upon me suddenly that my kids are growing up, growing up fast with meaningful questions and puzzles going on in their minds.

Being a parent is truly a challenge. I just pray I could gain more wisdom to guide them along the way.

_________

Note: 'Pastor's Perspective' is a live Christian call-in radio program that runs between 3:00-4:00pm Pacific time on weekdays.