A walk through the garden

Will my baby go to heaven if it dies? This was asked by a lady on the Alpha course. It is hard for people to understand that by accepting Christ we are saved, but what about the young? They haven’t had the opportunity. What does the Bible say on this subject?

I once heard a preacher say that because of I Peter 3:20 all the babies in Noah’s flood went to Hell:

I Peter 3:20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

His reasoning was, because it said that just eight souls were saved, all those babies went to Hell. Of course the phrase is referring to the eight in the ark being saved by floating on top of the water, NOT soul salvation. Also a Hyper-Calvinist believes that only the elected, including just the elected babies go to Heaven, the non-elected babies burn forever in Hell.

All the “nuts” aren’t in the “nut house”. (more…)

READ: 1 Timothy 1:1-7

The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith (1 Timothy 1:5).

Just as an error can be detected by what it produces, so too can truth be detected by what it produces. You can tell the gospel is having its effect upon you when you are becoming a more compassionate, loving, patient, tenderhearted person and you are reflecting these qualities to people around you.

That is what Jesus said would happen, and that is why His great commandment to us is that we should love one another.

In the above verse Paul traces the course of love back to its source. We will begin to understand more clearly what he is saying if we begin at the end and work back. Paul says, “love which comes from a pure heart,” and behind that “a good conscience,” and behind that “sincere faith.” (more…)

READ: Genesis 4:9-16

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know, “he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9).

Cain’s insolent and arrogant response to God’s question is a sign of his inward, unacknowledged guilt. This is always the way of guilt—to disclaim responsibility. Cain replies, “My brother? What have I to do with my brother? Am I my brother’s keeper? Is it my responsibility to know where my brother is?” The hypocrisy of that is most evident. Though Cain could disclaim responsibility for knowing where his brother was, he did not hesitate to assume the greater responsibility of taking his brother’s life. (more…)

READ: Genesis 4:1-8

The LORD looked with favour on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favour. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast (Genesis 4:4b-5).

The account says that Cain was angry at God’s rejection of his offering, and his face was downcast. Obviously he came expecting God to accept his offering. Perhaps he was very pleased with himself. Perhaps he felt that his offering of fruit and grain was much more beautiful, much more aesthetically pleasing, than this bloody, dirty thing that Abel put on the altar. But when the smoke rose from Abel’s offering and his own remained untouched, Cain’s smile changed to a frown. He was angry and resentful.

How well we know this feeling! And for the same reason: jealousy. He was jealous because his brother was accepted and he was rejected. As the New Testament tells us, he was angry “because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous” (1 John 3:12), and so he was filled with jealousy. (more…)