Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned…”

It is an undeniable fact that because of the sins of the first humans, Adam and Eve, sin was first committed on planet earth. Since that time, man has sinned on multiple occasions. It’s just a fact of life that as a person grows and understands what is right and wrong, we will sin. We will cross God’s boundaries and not live up to God’s standard. 

Yes… children will sin when they know right from wrong.

No… children do not sin when they don’t know right from wrong.

To help us understand this, let’s look at the narrative found in Mark 10:13-16. 

Here’s what happens. 

  1. Some parents bring their children to Jesus – Verse 13.
  2. Jesus’ disciples rebuked the parents, perhaps because they thought Jesus didn’t have time or energy to spend with the kids. –  Verse 13
  3. Jesus saw what the disciples were doing, and it hurt Him. Verse 14
  4. Jesus asks for the kids to be brought to Him with no hindrance saying the “Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. “ – Verse 14
  5. Jesus further explains, “whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” – Verse 15
  6. Jesus holds the kids in His arms and blesses them. – Verse 16

What does all this mean? What can we understand about salvation and when one needs it from this pericope?

We need to understand that Jesus used this moment to teach about the qualities that are necessary to be in the Kingdom of God. Qualities like: trust, innocence, and humility. Just in the same way that children are meek, we need to be meek if we are going to enter the Kingdom. This helps us understand that children who are learning what is right and wrong are willing to do so because of their humble, trusting spirit. As people mature and learn about sin, they become arrogant, thinking we have it all figured out. It’s the same sin of Adam and Eve when they ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Our knowledge leads to arrogance which leads to sin. Jesus says we need to be like the children who don’t know and rely entirely upon their parents for everything. When we know right from wrong, we need to humbly rely upon our Heavenly Father. Children live in ignorance, and ignorance is bliss. Therefore, children who don’t know what is right and wrong are not to be saved; they are already safe. 

As our children mature and begin to understand what is right and wrong, we need to make sure they learn to rely upon God and trust in Him to save them from their sin. There will come a day as a child matures that they are included in the “all” as found in Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”Until that time, the children are safe and have no need to be saved. When we know what is right and wrong and choose the wrong, we fall short of the glory of God. 

This should motivate us to teach our kids what to do for their salvation when they reach the maturity level to understand what is right and wrong. When they are able to see and understand the consequences of their sin, they need salvation. Until that time, let’s keep them safe. 

I love you, 

Alex