[PM to WM:] Question: By your reasoning a child who dies before say 2-4 years old has no chance of salvation as they are incapable of believing in Christ’s sacrifice, is that correct?
I agree with WM that Holy Spirit knows who are His. All who were predestined were......... predestined, regardless of age at the time of calling home. Based on the totality of scripture, it would seem to grate against the God who is revealed to us if it was true that all abortion victims were automatically damned to hell because they were robbed of the opportunity to become of age and believe.
Do you contend the Holy Spirit does not indwell in these children? What about severely handicapped individuals, they often cannot truly understand and hence believe, are they not able to be baptized? Please elaborate how salvation works for children/the severely disabled as it’s quite clear there would have to be a separate set of requirements.
Here we should note that the Reformed position is that water baptism has nothing to do with salvation. The Holy Spirit will inhabit those who are predestined, not all those who have been water baptized. Surely many who have been water baptized do not wind up in Heaven. We say that under normal circumstances one is saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9). However, as you note in supposition, it is most likely true that when faith cannot happen due to impossibility, then it works differently. We must ultimately go back to the Book of Life. Does it make sense that God would only write down the names of those who lived long enough to have faith? I don't think the totality of scripture reveals that to us.