It is written:
“From the mouths of children and babies come songs of praise to you. They sing of your power to silence your enemies who were seeking revenge.” (Psalm 8:2 ERV)
And:
“But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant. 16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘OUT OF THE MOUTH OF BABES AND NURSING INFANTS YOU HAVE PERFECTED PRAISE’?” (Matthew 21:15-16)
In this Psalm, we see king David reflecting on how infants and children bring praise to the Lord for His wonderful works. Jesus clearly understood this, since He quotes this passage and applies it to the way that children proclaimed the praises of the Lord as He performed various healings to the glory of God.
Now, all of this is very strange indeed, if it is true that children are born totally depraved (as Calvin and his Gnostic form of heresy proclaim). How is it that children (who are allegedly totally wicked in all their parts) are able to sing praises to God and glorify Him? How can they do so, if their entire will is to be in rebellion against God (again, as Calvinists maintain)?
This is a powerful reminder that Scripture teaches infants and small children are sinless and pure. We are reminded of this also in other texts of Scripture:
Psalm 22:9-10-But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts. 10 I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb You have been My God.”
Yet didn’t the Psalmist know as he wrote these words that he was born with original sin and totally depraved, separated from God and destined for eternal Hell (per Calvinism)?
Yet obviously he knew nothing of the sort; because from the time that he was in the womb, God had been his God, faithfully and kindly and graciously providing for him.
Is this not what the Psalm pointed out later?
Psalms 139:13-16-For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.
The Psalmist pointed out that God had been faithfully guiding and providing for him, from the time that he was first conceived. In fact, God had carefully knit together David (and by implication all children) from the first moment of life. Did God craft together one that was totally wicked and depraved (as our friends who follow John Calvin affirm)? Is the One Who Scripture identifies as the “Father of
spirits” (Hebrews 12:9) guilty of creating begins with original sin?
Very simply, the Bible teaches in these passages that children are born innocent. There is no total hereditary depravity or notion of original sin in the Word of God.
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