Do Children Go To Hell?
Q: Do kids go to hell?
A: The Bible gives us reason to believe that the children of believers do not go to hell. The idea Paul uses in 1 Corinthians is that of the presence of a believing spouse sanctifying the children in some way (see 1 Corinthians 7:14). The passage is a little unclear. We don’t know in exactly how it works, but there is some presence in that marriage which sanctifies the children. Because of that, I believe we can have confidence that the children of believers go to heaven. The children of believers do not go to hell.
What about the children of unbelievers? I would be inclined to think that they also do not go to hell, but it’s very important to understand and to clearly state why. It’s not because they are innocent. Friends, if there were people truly innocent of all sin, they would never die. But God said through the Apostle Paul that being subject to death is evidence that you’re under sin (see Romans 5:12-21; see also Hebrews 2:15). I believe that we will see a vast number of children, including those who died in infancy, in heaven. Again, the reason why is not because they’re innocent, but because God is merciful.