9/29/26 GET AN EARLY START

9/29/26 GET AN EARLY START

Even infants and toddlers respond to NEWNESS OF LIFE (such as seeing or hearing for the first time because of audio and visual aids).

Though this is a physical event, we should learn from it. There will be a shock, an excitement, a joy when the spiritually blind and deaf person has their spiritual senses awakened. The believer responds to spiritual stimuli, such as God's word, a lost world, praise, fellowship, conviction of sin, a corrupt culture. If a person claims salvation but is not enlivened spiritually, with joy, love, righteousness, then that person is not saved.

It is also true that children as young as 2 years old (maybe younger) respond when God speaks to them about Jesus coming into their lives and giving them newness of life. My parents were not saved and I was not receiving strong Biblical training as an infant or toddler, but Jesus spoke to me. And when He did, I told Him I was sorry I had been ugly, and I told Him I did not want to be "ugly" (be a bad boy), and I asked Jesus to come into my heart (my life). He did, and I knew that I knew Jesus personally. My life did change and my awareness and relationship grew from that point. God called me to be a preacher when I was three years old, and I have never doubted it. Remember, I did not have a church or Christian homelife at that stage of my life. If I had been given a strong Christian and Biblical home life, I could have avoided my backsliding from time to time.

It is not God's will that any should perish, or that anyone should live as servants of sin, which is the reason Jesus died for the sins of the whole world. Jesus is the Savior of all men.

All humans are conceived with an inherent tendency to sin because we have inherited Adam's sinful nature. This is why you do not have to teach a child to lie, steal, throw an anger fit. But don't follow the liars who say, "babies are vipers in diapers." That is demonic.

The spiritual corruption of the sinful nature disqualifies a person from eternal life. However, God's word says, "where sin did abound, grace did much more abound." Pre-born children, newborn children, infants and toddlers have an inherited sinful nature, but God has provided for them to be spared judgment for that inherited and undeserved corruption through the sacrificial atonement of Christ. This is why the Bible says "Jesus is the Savior of ALL MEN." We are not GUILTY of sin until we willfully disobey the known will of God, and as a result, "all have sinned." We do not need to be a theologian to know that lying, stealing, throwing anger fits is wrong. We do not need to be 12 years old to realize when we are doing wrong. But until we have a personal realization that we are responding in rebellion to basic morality, we are covered by the grace of God. This is why the Bible says little children are in the kingdom of God.

Little children are not born with an innate understanding of God. The awareness of God's nature and will comes to them because God comes to them first, and enlightens them. The more gospel light the child has, the greater will be the awareness. But God loves all children and He wants them to enter into newness of life early, BEFORE THEY HAVE become entangled and twisted by sinful behavior. This is why God comes to little children.

Even when a child or young person has been taught the word of God, they may not be aware of God relationally. Remember, Samuel who was being raised with instruction from Eli the Priest, may have been 12 years old when God spoke to him. Samuel thought Eli was calling him and went to Eli. After God spoke to Samuel three times, Eli told Samuel to answer God by saying, "Speak LORD, for your servant hears."

God speaks to children of all ages, regardless of their Biblical understanding. The more Biblical knowledge a child has, the more meaningful will be the encounter and the more spiritual victory they will have in their relationship.

Don't discount God's ability to speak to anyone, regardless of age or education. This does not relieve us of the need to evangelize and teach all nations. Regardless of God's salvific intervention for very young children, every child will come to a point of personal responsibility and accountability. Every maturing child will sin and therefore they will need to personally repent (turn from sin to God). It is true that there is a light that enlightens every man who comes into the world, but saving grace for the willful sinner comes through the proclamation of the word.

We should be evangelizing children and then teaching them to observe all things God expects us to do. Expect children to respond to the gospel. It is the will of God. Then train the child in Scriptural living. God will save them from enslavement and reprobation.

If you encountered Jesus early, your present response should be hearing and heeding His word. If your enlightenment does not lead you into godliness, then your light has become darkness to you.