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Spiritual condition of infants : a biblical-historical survey and systematic proposal / Adam Harwood.

By: Material type: TextPublication details: Eugene, Or. : Wipf & Stock Publishers, c2011.Description: xiii, 181 p. ; 23 cmISBN:
  • 1608998444
  • 9781608998449
Subject(s): LOC classification:
  • BT758 .H37 2011
Contents:
What do infants receive from Adam? (Rom 5:12-21) -- Does God judge our sinful nature or our sinful actions? (Psalm 51:5 and Eph 2:3) -- Are infant deaths due to the guilt of other people? (Gen 6:5-6 and 2 Sam 12:23) -- What is the knowledge of good and evil? (Gen 2-3 and Deut 1:39) -- John the Baptist : salvation or anointing? (Luke 1:15) -- The children with Jesus : baptism or blessing? ( Mark 10:13-16) -- Holy children : covenant or blessing? (1 Cor 7:14) -- The Eastern church fathers (Irenaeus, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Gregory of Nyssa) --The Western church fathers (Tertullian and Cyprian) -- Augustine -- The magisterial Reformers (Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin) -- The Anabaptist Reformers (Hubmaier and Marpeck) -- Nineteenth-century Baptists (Boyce, Strong, and Mullins) -- Twentieth-century Baptists (Hendricks and Erickson)
Summary: According to the Augustinian-Calvinist view, all people inherit from the first Adam both a sinful nature and his guilt. The result is that all infants are subject to the judgment of God against their nature before they knowingly commit any sinful actions. But is this the clear teaching of Scripture? Adam Harwood examines ten relevant biblical texts and the writings of sixteen theologians in order to clarify the spiritual condition of infants. Although no passage explicitly states the piritual condition of infants, each text makes contributions by addressing the doctrines of man, sin, the church, salvation. If this biblical-historical analysis exposes the traditional Augustinian-Calvinist view to be inadequate, then is it possible to construct an alternate view? Such a view should remain faithful to the biblical emphasis on humankind's connection to Adam and his sin but also recognize the guilt and condemnation of an individual only in the manner and time that God does in Scripture. This author makes a case that infants inherit from Adam a sinful nature but not his guilt and that each person is judged for his own sin. The sinful nature that infants inherit will eventually result in their becoming guilty by knowingly committing acts of sin. It is at that point that people immediately fall under God's judgment and condemnation. The Bible makes clear two requirements for guilt and condemnation: (1) people are condemned after they become responsible moral agents, and (2) know the difference between good and evil, they act out of their inherited sinful nature and commit sinful deeds. The author's conclusion is that those who die as infants, whether of believing parents or not, could not satisfy either of these conditions, and are therefore not held guilty by God.
Item type: Books
Holdings
Cover image Item type Current library Home library Collection Shelving location Call number Materials specified Vol info URL Copy number Status Notes Date due Barcode Item holds Item hold queue priority Course reserves
Judith Thomas Library General Stacks Books BT 758 .H37 2011 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) AUA018882 Available AUA018882

Includes bibliographical references (p. 165-176) and indexes.

What do infants receive from Adam? (Rom 5:12-21) -- Does God judge our sinful nature or our sinful actions? (Psalm 51:5 and Eph 2:3) -- Are infant deaths due to the guilt of other people? (Gen 6:5-6 and 2 Sam 12:23) -- What is the knowledge of good and evil? (Gen 2-3 and Deut 1:39) -- John the Baptist : salvation or anointing? (Luke 1:15) -- The children with Jesus : baptism or blessing? ( Mark 10:13-16) -- Holy children : covenant or blessing? (1 Cor 7:14) -- The Eastern church fathers (Irenaeus, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Gregory of Nyssa) --The Western church fathers (Tertullian and Cyprian) -- Augustine -- The magisterial Reformers (Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin) -- The Anabaptist Reformers (Hubmaier and Marpeck) -- Nineteenth-century Baptists (Boyce, Strong, and Mullins) -- Twentieth-century Baptists (Hendricks and Erickson)

According to the Augustinian-Calvinist view, all people inherit from the first Adam both a sinful nature and his guilt. The result is that all infants are subject to the judgment of God against their nature before they knowingly commit any sinful actions. But is this the clear teaching of Scripture? Adam Harwood examines ten relevant biblical texts and the writings of sixteen theologians in order to clarify the spiritual condition of infants. Although no passage explicitly states the piritual condition of infants, each text makes contributions by addressing the doctrines of man, sin, the church, salvation. If this biblical-historical analysis exposes the traditional Augustinian-Calvinist view to be inadequate, then is it possible to construct an alternate view? Such a view should remain faithful to the biblical emphasis on humankind's connection to Adam and his sin but also recognize the guilt and condemnation of an individual only in the manner and time that God does in Scripture. This author makes a case that infants inherit from Adam a sinful nature but not his guilt and that each person is judged for his own sin. The sinful nature that infants inherit will eventually result in their becoming guilty by knowingly committing acts of sin. It is at that point that people immediately fall under God's judgment and condemnation. The Bible makes clear two requirements for guilt and condemnation: (1) people are condemned after they become responsible moral agents, and (2) know the difference between good and evil, they act out of their inherited sinful nature and commit sinful deeds. The author's conclusion is that those who die as infants, whether of believing parents or not, could not satisfy either of these conditions, and are therefore not held guilty by God.