Good Morning! - Mat. 18:2-4 - Little Children

And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said,Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Mat 18:2-4)See also (Mat 19:13-15) (Mark 10:15) (Luke 18:15-17)

Jesus Receives Little Children

This passage is a sufficient basis for the salvation of children who die in infancy. When King David’s baby by Bathsheba died, David arose from prayer and fasting and said: …he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me (2Sa 12:23).

Until children come to the age of accountability, if they die they go to Heaven to be with the Lord. No one knows when children reach the age of accountability but they do reach that age.

The second statement built into this passage is that adults are going to Hell as rebels against God unless they humble their hearts as little children before God and receive Christ as Savior and Lord as little children. Forget about being a celebrity in God’s presence. A proud and arrogant heart will get you into big trouble with God and that’s the truth. In the Luke reference above, just before Jesus picked up little children, we find this scene:

And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted (Luk 18:13-14).

This passage is so very important! I hope no one will miss it. Have you received the crucified and risen Christ as a little child? It is so clear: if we would be saved for eternity we MUST be converted and receive Christ as a little child. All who have gone to Heaven have gone this route.This fits hand-in-glove with the memory verse for this week.

Memory Verse This Week:

Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels (Mar 8:38).

Write the verse on a 3x5 card and say the verse five times a day, reference before and after the verse. Write the verse several times a day on a card or paper carried in your pocket for that purpose. Say the verse to a friend or family member once a day. After this week, repeat the verse daily for several weeks until it pours out without effort. It takes about 60 days to thoroughly memorize a verse. It takes a lifetime to obey and practice a verse.

Dan Carr