Question for Baptists or former Baptists

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I have a very good friend who is Baptist, but when I had questions about the Baptist faith she said she preferred not to discuss them because she felt it might cause problems with our friendship. Some of those questions have been answered over the years by listening to convert stories - but there is still one that is unanswered.

As I understand it, Baptists believe that you must accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour to be saved. My question is, WHEN? If a baby dies, where does it go? Where does, say, a 7 yr old child (who has not yet made that overt decision of accepting Jesus…) of Baptist parents go should he die?

I know the physical baptism is only symbolical - but isn’t it usually in conjunction - timewise - with the decision to accept Jesus as one’s personal Lord and Saviour? We attended the Baptism of at least one of my friends children, and the child was close to teenage. Do Baptists believe she would have gone to hell if she had died before making the decision to accept Jesus?

Am looking forward to finally getting an answer after wondering about this for a good 10 years or more!

Nita
 
I am Methodist but was raised as a Baptist.
The way it was explained to me is that everyone who dies before the age of reason (most Baptists I have heard give an age say 12 years) is going to Heaven.
WP
 
Well I’m not Baptist but…

They believe that when Babies die they go to Heaven because they are not responsible for their actions until the age of accountability. There is not an exact age (Like say all 8 year olds) that is the age of acountability, it is when the child is old enough to understand all that accepting Jesus as Lord and Savoir entails that they are accountable. This would also cover people with mental problems… they are not accountable until they can understand. As for the 7 year old in your example, some children fully understand at 7 and some do not. So, we wouldn’t know if the child would go to heaven or not, it’s up to God to decide not us. A newborn child is not capable of understanding and is therefore not yet accountable.

Once someone has accepted Christ they should be planning to be Baptized as soon as possible. It is both symbolic and it is required by God.
 
Syele said:
Well I’m not Baptist but…

They believe that when Babies die they go to Heaven because they are not responsible for their actions until the age of accountability. There is not an exact age (Like say all 8 year olds) that is the age of acountability, it is when the child is old enough to understand all that accepting Jesus as Lord and Savoir entails that they are accountable. This would also cover people with mental problems… they are not accountable until they can understand. As for the 7 year old in your example, some children fully understand at 7 and some do not. So, we wouldn’t know if the child would go to heaven or not, it’s up to God to decide not us. A newborn child is not capable of understanding and is therefore not yet accountable.

Once someone has accepted Christ they should be planning to be Baptized as soon as possible. It is both symbolic and it is required by God.
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So then, say an 11 year old who has been taught the faith, wants to do what is right, but just isn’t totally sure or doesn’t quite feel comfortable making the profession of faith yet - if he were to die before doing so, would the Baptist faith say he would probably go to hell?

I’m not asking to be argumentative, but am just trying to get it clear. Thanks.

Nita
 
Nita said:
So then, say an 11 year old who has been taught the faith, wants to do what is right, but just isn’t totally sure or doesn’t quite feel comfortable making the profession of faith yet - if he were to die before doing so, would the Baptist faith say he would probably go to hell?

I’m not asking to be argumentative, but am just trying to get it clear. Thanks.

Nita
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They would probably say that they were unsure if the 11 year old was of the age of accountablility (or age of reason) yet and would likely say that they hope the child went to heaven. I personally believe that most 11 year olds are old enough to understand, but there are some who are not. Only God can know the capabilities of the child as well as the state of the childs heart.
 
Nita said:
So then, say an 11 year old who has been taught the faith, wants to do what is right, but just isn’t totally sure or doesn’t quite feel comfortable making the profession of faith yet - if he were to die before doing so, would the Baptist faith say he would probably go to hell?

I’m not asking to be argumentative, but am just trying to get it clear. Thanks.

Nita
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I used to be Reformed Baptist, and I don’t know that there’s a hard and fast teaching on a situation like that. Baptists vary even among themselves about many teachings. In my years as an evangelical Christian, I found there were different reactions to such situations. Most would assume God would be merciful in such a situation, but with others there would be a tentativeness about saying one way or the other.
 
Thanks to all of you. I can put the question to rest now.

Nita
 
fms said:
Symbolic to who?

I think that this one sacrament is one that is still valid among our separated Christian Brethren.
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Wow. How did you happen on this thread; it’s over 5 years old!

It’s only symbolic in most Protestant denominations – those that have no belief that at Baptism the supernatural life of grace is infused into the soul (that this infusion of grace is bound to the sacrament of Baptism).

The Church does recognize those baptisms in most cases — I think as long as they perform it for the intention of doing it to fulfil what Jesus wanted and if they do it using the proper words and actions. (I baptize you in the name of the Father, and…; and if they use water).
 
Nita said:
I have a very good friend who is Baptist, but when I had questions about the Baptist faith she said she preferred not to discuss them because she felt it might cause problems with our friendship. Some of those questions have been answered over the years by listening to convert stories - but there is still one that is unanswered.

As I understand it, Baptists believe that you must accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour to be saved. My question is, WHEN? If a baby dies, where does it go? Where does, say, a 7 yr old child (who has not yet made that overt decision of accepting Jesus…) of Baptist parents go should he die?

I know the physical baptism is only symbolical - but isn’t it usually in conjunction - timewise - with the decision to accept Jesus as one’s personal Lord and Saviour? We attended the Baptism of at least one of my friends children, and the child was close to teenage. Do Baptists believe she would have gone to hell if she had died before making the decision to accept Jesus?

Am looking forward to finally getting an answer after wondering about this for a good 10 years or more!

Nita
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Where did you learn that baptism is “symbolic”???
 
Nita said:
I have a very good friend who is Baptist, but when I had questions about the Baptist faith she said she preferred not to discuss them because she felt it might cause problems with our friendship. Some of those questions have been answered over the years by listening to convert stories - but there is still one that is unanswered.

As I understand it, Baptists believe that you must accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour to be saved. My question is, WHEN? If a baby dies, where does it go? Where does, say, a 7 yr old child (who has not yet made that overt decision of accepting Jesus…) of Baptist parents go should he die?

I know the physical baptism is only symbolical - but isn’t it usually in conjunction - timewise - with the decision to accept Jesus as one’s personal Lord and Saviour? We attended the Baptism of at least one of my friends children, and the child was close to teenage. Do Baptists believe she would have gone to hell if she had died before making the decision to accept Jesus?

Am looking forward to finally getting an answer after wondering about this for a good 10 years or more!

Nita
Click to expand...
I am a former Baptist now Catholic. One of the reasons I decided to investigate what our Church believes is because what most non Catholic denoms believe is difficult to pin down. I have never seen a non Catholic Catechism…nothing that even approaches ours in exhaustive explanation of our faith. Many non Catholics…Baptists included, simply wing it when it comes to aspects of their own faith so forget what they believe about ours. This is not an assault…it is simply my observation and nothing more. I say this knowing full well that we have many poorly Catechized Catholics but we at least have somewhere to go to get a definitive answer…most times we can read it. There is an ocean of confusion and disagreement among the denoms about most of the major and even more minor points of Christianity and I am so glad that I found a shelter from that storm…that theological blowing in the wind.
Luther said…" I did not want a pope…now I have a hundred…" He might be surprised at how that hundred has grown to 10’s of thousands.🤷
 
pismopal said:
I am a former Baptist now Catholic. One of the reasons I decided to investigate what our Church believes is because what most non Catholic denoms believe is difficult to pin down. I have never seen a non Catholic Catechism…nothing that even approaches ours in exhaustive explanation of our faith. Many non Catholics…Baptists included, simply wing it when it comes to aspects of their own faith so forget what they believe about ours. This is not an assault…it is simply my observation and nothing more. I say this knowing full well that we have many poorly Catechized Catholics but we at least have somewhere to go to get a definitive answer…most times we can read it. There is an ocean of confusion and disagreement among the denoms about most of the major and even more minor points of Christianity and I am so glad that I found a shelter from that storm…that theological blowing in the wind.
Luther said…" I did not want a pope…now I have a hundred…" He might be surprised at how that hundred has grown to 10’s of thousands.🤷
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Great post! We thank God who led you home and pray that you persevere. I have always thought that is so (self) evident which is the true Church yet again as regards the things of God there is always mystery: why others do not see as clearly as you saw (they have eyes and ears but…), And then also Faith is a gift from God…
 
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