God made man good and very good (Genesis 1:31). He made man in His own image (Genesis 1:26-27). In this condition man was without sin.

God put man in the garden of Eden and gave him everything that he needed. God gave man only one negative command — He told man not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and that if man did eat of this tree he would die (Genesis 2:17).

Satan tempted the woman and told her that she would not die if she ate of the forbidden fruit. The woman believed Satan and ate; she also gave some to her husband and he ate (Genesis 3:6; I John 2:16). The woman was actually deceived by Satan, but Adam was not — he simply rebelled against God’s commandment (I Timothy 2:14).

Now Adam and Eve did not drop dead on the spot even though God had told them that on the day that they ate they would surely die (Genesis 2:17). We know that God is not a liar, so what did He mean when He said that they would surely die?

To begin with they began to die physically the very day that they ate. They became subject to infirmities, sickness, and the aging process which finally killed them. Scientists and doctors have tried for centuries to halt the aging process in mankind but have never been able to do it. Literally, “man is born to die.” (Job 14:1-5; Psalm 90:10; Psalm 103:15; I Peter 1:24; James 4:14).

This physical death is basically the separation of the soul from the body (Ecclesiastes 12:7).

But, even more important, Adam and Eve died in another way the very day in which they disobeyed God. This death was the separation of man from God. Before sinning, man had enjoyed fellowship with God; after sinning man no longer had this fellowship with God (Genesis 3:7-13).

Both physical death and the death of separation from God are a result of sin (Romans 5:12; James 1:15).

Questions

1. Did Adam’s sin make sinners out of all the other people who would be born? (Romans 5:12).

5. Is there anything in the Bible about an age of accountability at age 12 or any other age? If so, where is it found?



I want to make it plain that God can and does save infants who die in infancy. He saved David’s child (II Samuel 12:23). Whether God saves all infants who die in infancy we don’t know because the Bible doesn’t say either yes or no and we are not to argue when the Bible is silent.

One thing is sure from Scripture and that is that babies are born sinners. If they are saved it is by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The only hope of an infant dying in infancy is salvation as believed and taught from the Scriptures by the Primitive Baptist Churches. Most other people teach that a person must hear and accept the gospel in order to be saved. This is impossible in the case of an infant.

But the Scriptures teach that God can give eternal life to an infant in its mother’s womb (Luke 1:41,44) or to a very small baby on its mother’s breast (Psalm 22:9). But we must not let this blind us to the fact that babies are sinners. God hated Esau while he was still in his mother’s womb (Romans 9:10-13). We must not question God.

Memory Verse:

Let us memorize Romans 5:12