Do All Children Go to Heaven?

Do all children go to heaven? I guess depending on who you talk to and how many children they know may determine different answers--negative and positive. I wonder how many stay at home mom's and dad's would answer this in the affirmative in the midst of breaking up another whining fight or flare up in temper tantrum's? It is a valid question. I have been asked this many times before and I do believe that I have an answer from my theological perspective.

The Bible teaches the doctrine of election (Ephesians 1:4, Romans 8:30, chptrs 9-11 etc). And it also teaches covenant theology (Genesis 3, 12, 15, 17, 22, Jer. 31, Ezekiel 37, I Cor 11 etc). I believe these two doctrines hold the answer--especially for believers.

I want to answer the general question first--do ALL children go to heaven. The answer is that all "elect" children go to heaven. Who is included in that elect bunch only God knows. My heart wants to say that all children are elect and I think I can make a strong argument for that based on Jesuss own words in Matthew 19.

Matthew wrote, Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there. Luke 18 adds that babies were also brought to Jesus. I think it is clear from these passages that at least some children, yes even babies go to heaven when they die.

But I believe that the proof of the children of the "elect" is even stronger. I am under such conviction concerning this doctrine that I would be confident in telling a Christian parent who has lost a young child that their child is with Jesus and like Jesus in heaven. In I Corinthians 7:14 the children of believers are called "hagios" which means "saints". They are called the same word as those who are true believers. This means that children of believers are considered heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Of course there are objections to this interpretation. But most of these objections are non-sensical questions such as, "What if the child of the believer matures and does not profess faith in Christ--would they still go to heaven if they died young?" This is non-sensical in that it is an impossibility for it can never happen. If we stop with the first part of the question than we find our answer as the Apostle John answers this question clearly in his first epistle--they were never true believers. The second part of the question assumes that a person can grow old, not profess faith, and become young again and die--doesn't make much sense does it?

The question we must stick with is concerning the death of CHILDREN who belong to believers. Paul answers this question clearly--they are in the covenant and considered holy. Peter says in Acts 2 that the promises of the Gospel are for us and our children. In Acts 16, Paul tells the jailor to believe and that he and his whole household would be saved. I can say confidently that young children of believers are in the grip of our Lord for eternity.

What about the others whose parents aren't Christians? I can only stop at the words of Jesus. Jesus does not say that ALL children inherit heaven. He indicates that many children such as the ones that were brought to him will inherit heaven. I believe we worship a merciful God. I must believe the words of God himself when he says that he will have mercy on whom he will have mercy.