Should A Pastor Mislead Small Children Concerning Salvation?

I've just returned from a ten day trip to Massachusetts. One of the greatest difficulties in evangelizing in Massachusetts is that this region is heavily Catholic.

For example, I spent time evangelizing at the Three County Fair in Northampton. People, were very friendly and open to receiving gospel tracts, but not open to talking about the gospel. A common response was, "I'm okay. I'm Catholic."

When I have been able to talk with New England Catholics I've found this means they feel they are saved because they are Catholic, not because of their faith in Jesus Christ.

They have been inoculated against the gospel.

In other words they a belief that because they go to confession, attend mass, participate in the sacraments, etc., they will be saved. Since they feel they are saved, they have no interest in hearing about salvation... they just want to get on with living enjoying their lives. Their trust in a false gospel prevents them from hearing the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Catholic Church isn't the only church that does this.

I had the opportunity to attend services at a "progressive" (a word that means liberal) United Methodist Church for two Sundays. What broke my heart was the way the pastor spoke to the small children during the children's part of the service on the first Sunday. Her lesson for the children was that they are "children of God."

To be a child of God means you have been adopted by God. What does the Bible say about children of God?

"Now if we are [God's] children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ..."- Romans 8:17

A child of God is heir to the kingdom God. The pastor was telling the children they were saved! None of them knew Jesus. None of them knew what sin was. None believed that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for their sin. But they were being told they were saved, and thus they were being inoculated against hearing the gospel that will truly save them.

Before we look at who the Bible says are children of God, I should make something clear. I do not believe children are condemned to hell. The Bible makes it clear that infants and children, those who do not have the capability to understand their fallen condition and the good news of the gospel, are not held accountable by God. Also, I do not believe we should be telling little children they are sinners headed for hell, until they can also understand they are saved through Jesus Christ. However, we are without love for children if we teach them things that are not Biblically true and which will be a stumbling block to their receiving the gospel when they are older.

So who are the children of God?

Galatians 3:26 -- "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus."

Romans 8:13-14 -- "For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are lead by the Spirit of God are sons of God."

Romans 9:8 -- "In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring."

Believers are the children of God.

What condition are natural children in? Psalm 51:5 makes it very clear: "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me."

We are sinners even before we are born. We are sinners from conception! Before we are believers we are children of wrath.

"All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath." -- Ephesians 2:3

As cute as they are, little children are still living in sin and are children of wrath. It is only when they accept Jesus Christ as saving them from the consequences of sin that they become children of God. To lie to them, telling them they are children of God, while it may make them feel good, it moves them further away from heaven. How can anyone who claims to love children do that?