What happens to babies that die?

The visualization of human life within the womb, often described as possessing a “wow factor,” highlights the profound beauty and majesty of how life is formed. This inherent dignity inevitably prompts challenging theological inquiries regarding the eternal destiny of these human beings when their lives are cut short. The question, “What happens to children who die?” or “What happens to babies who die?” has long been a perplexing issue for the church across the ages.

Today, this question is particularly urgent due to the millions of human beings lost through various processes, including In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), abortion, miscarriage, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), or early death resulting from disease or serious malformations shortly after birth. From an eternal perspective, are these millions of human beings with God in heaven, separated from the Lord (hell or damnation), or in some intermediate state, such as limbo? The reality of human suffering and the eternal destination for every human being—either life with God or separated from God—make this an ongoing struggle for many believers.

The Scope of Loss and the Weight of the Eternal Question

The sources of infant death that necessitate an answer to this theological dilemma are varied and pervasive.

Life’s Early Stages and Ethical Concerns: Human beings are considered such from conception. For example, pictures exist of twin grandchildren who were human beings just three days old after conception, later adopted as embryos. Life in the womb is scientifically documented across various stages, such as eight weeks (showing eyes and limbs), nine weeks (represented by scientifically accurate fetal models used globally), eleven weeks, and thirteen weeks (where the unborn child is documented sucking its thumb). These wondrous pictures underscore the reality of the unborn child.

The process of IVF, while providing children for couples struggling with infertility, tragically creates and destroys many human beings. Even the embryos that survive and are frozen need to be rescued because they are truly human beings who deserve the dignity and respect afforded to all human life; being stuck in a freezer is not what they deserve.

Loss Through Abortion and Miscarriage: When people begin to deal with the issue of human life, particularly abortion, the experience often leads to tears, regret, and remorse. A frequent and urgent question following such understanding is: “What happened to my babies that were aborted?”. This concern reveals that those struggling with guilt and grief perceive the lost fetuses as human beings possessing an eternal destiny.

Miscarriage is also exceedingly common, estimated to be around 20% of all conceived babies who do not develop to the point of birth. In all these cases—involving millions and millions of human beings—the question remains: where are they eternally?

Evolving Theological Views: Catholic and Evangelical Responses

The Bible, in its infinite wisdom, does not address the question of infant eternal destiny directly, meaning one cannot simply find a declarative answer in books like Isaiah or Matthew. However, the Bible implies the answer in multiple places. Given this lack of direct biblical revelation, both Catholic and Evangelical traditions have wrestled with and evolved in their understanding of this question, particularly over the last 40 to 50 years.

The Catholic Position and the Question of Baptism

The Catholic position, as formalized somewhat by the Catechism of 1992, has become more developed and nuanced. Drawing on research by the International Theological Commission (a group of Catholic biblical scholars appointed by the Pope), the Catholic view traditionally centers on baptism.

Infants who are baptized prior to death are understood to be enjoying the “beatific vision,” which, for non-Catholics, signifies dying and immediately seeing the Lord Jesus Christ face-to-face and enjoying His presence—meaning they are in heaven. This is because, in the Catholic view, baptism is considered a saving act that conveys saving grace through the sacrament.

Therefore, the critical question for Catholic theology is more narrow: What happens to babies who die without being baptized?.

Traditionally, teaching on this topic focused heavily on the theory of limbo. Limbo was understood as a philosophical invention, not a biblical revelation, describing a state for the souls of infants who died subject to original sin and without baptism. In this state, they neither merited the beatific vision (the right to be in heaven) nor were they subjected to punishment, as they were not guilty of any personal sin.

However, the traditional teaching regarding limbo is now giving way to newer interpretations. The conclusion of recent theological studies indicates that “there are theological and lurggical reasons to hope that infants who die without baptism may be saved and brought into eternal happiness, even if there is not an explicit teaching on this question found in revelation”. The Catechism of 1992 does not even mention limbo, as scholars increasingly recognize its philosophical rather than biblical origin.

The Evangelical Perspective

Evangelical traditions have recently solidified around a common answer, moving away from a previous diversification of views. The evangelical perspective is broader than the Catholic one because Evangelicals do not view baptism as an act that confers saving grace. Instead, baptism is seen as bearing witness to the saving grace of God that has occurred or is forthcoming.

While some might simply assume that “God is loving and of course they go to heaven,” this must be reconciled with the reality that an eternal destiny exists for every human being—either life with God or separation from Him. Since there is no biblical revelation supporting an in-between state like limbo, the question regarding the pre-born or young children remains acute.

The position held by many Evangelicals is one of hope: The Bible does not state clearly, but everywhere implies, that children who die are with God in heaven.

The Implications of Scripture: A Position of Rest and Redemption

The biblical implication is that children lost at very young ages of development are not separated from the Lord but are with the Father. This is founded on two broad categories of scriptural implication.

The Mystery of Saving Grace

The exact process of how the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross—His dying for sinners—applies to embryos or infants who die from abortion, miscarriage, or IVF is not explicitly explained in scripture; it is hidden behind the inscrutable mercy of God. Nevertheless, the belief is that Christ’s saving work does apply to them, and they are with the Lord, enjoying Him forever.

Furthermore, concerning the condition of the loved one in heaven, the idea that an infant who dies is “stuck” being an infant in heaven is unlikely. Just as one who dies blind is not stuck being blind, or one who dies in old age is not stuck being frail, the promise of heaven is the reception of a new body. This new body is redeemed and fitted for eternal existence and the enjoyment of an eternally great and glorious God, irrespective of the physical condition at the time of death.

Categories of Scriptural Support

The over 20 biblical references supporting this implied answer fall into two main categories.

1. Children as Examples of Faith: The Bible frequently treats children as examples of faith and faithfulness. Jesus Himself challenged followers to have the faith of a child. It would be a “strange thing,” therefore, for these little ones, who are used as an example of trust in God, to be eternally separated from Him.

2. Lack of Moral Accountability: The Bible implies that while humans possess a sinful nature, judgment is fundamentally based on the things we do, both good and evil, in our own bodies. Since young children have not developed the necessary consciousness or capacity to choose good or evil, they are not judged based on actions they did not commit. Divine judgment is administered on the basis of sins that are consciously done in the body.

Specific Biblical Examples

Multiple scriptural passages strongly suggest a destination of rest and peace for those who die as infants:

• Ezekiel (Child Sacrifice): In addressing God’s anger and wrath at the practice of child sacrifice, Ezekiel records God saying, “you took your sons and your daughters whom you had borne to me, and you slaughtered my children…”. God views the victims as “my children,” implying a very special, personal connection.
• Jeremiah (Innocence): Jeremiah 19:4 refers to children as “innocents”. While no one is innocent in an absolute sense, this implies that children are not yet accountable or moral agents because they lack the developmental capacity or will to choose good or evil.
• Job (Rest in the Womb): In his immense suffering, Job expressed a wish that he had died in the womb or as a stillborn child, never having reached the point of birth. Job suggests that if he had died as an unborn child, he would be in a place “where the wicked cease to make trouble for you and There the weary find rest”. This conception of “rest” profoundly implies heaven, as damnation is certainly not restful.
• Solomon (Better Off): Solomon reinforced this idea, stating that a stillborn child is “better off than he” who suffers.
• David (Future Reunion): When David’s son was sick, David mourned, fasted, and prayed. After the child died, David ceased mourning, declaring, “I’ll go to him, but he will never return to me”. David’s statement demonstrates his belief that he would join his child in heaven, rather than waiting for the child to be resurrected and returned to him on earth.

Conclusion

While acknowledging the inherent mystery surrounding God’s ways in life, these scriptural implications offer a profound measure of peace. The overwhelming implication in the Bible is that children lost at very young ages, whether through miscarriage, abortion, IVF processes, or early disease, are not eternally separated from the Lord but are instead with the Father. This assurance provides comfort to those who grieve the loss of a little one and encourages them to pursue their own eternal life by putting faith in Jesus Christ.

This article is adapted from the episode transcript.