Can a young child become a Christian?

Michie · Saturday at 10:58 AM

Can a young child truly be saved and on their way to Heaven? Can he or she be in the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth, one of those who is a genuine believer?

A Christian educator once said that the faith of a child — up to age 12 — could be called a “borrowed faith”; this faith could be borrowed from his parents or a Sunday school teacher. Then, in his early teens, the child would develop their “chosen faith,” ultimately moving on to their “owned faith.”

Now, when we think of a borrowed faith, do we also think of it as a saving faith? Not exactly, and not something you’d want to count on when you’re not totally confident.

Let’s see what Jesus had to say about children’s salvation. “At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven’” (Matthew 18:1-4).

Okay, so the disciples have a different question than I originally posed; they want to know who’s the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus calls a little child. In case you question whether this really is a young child, the Greek word is paidión, which means “little” or “young.” So, he didn’t just call a child, he called a little child. Now remember, in that culture, a 13-year-old boy enters manhood. Young people were married at 16. So, if they are calling a child little, they mean little.

Continued below.

Can a young child become a Christian?

Can a young child truly be saved and on their way to Heaven

www.christianpost.com

timothyu · Saturday at 12:25 PM

Little children are trusting of their caregivers as we should be trusting of ours... God. Should little children become Christians? Yes, if that means followers of Jesus and the will of the Father, for they are for the most part already there, or at least willing to learn how to love others as self. No, if it means institutionalized Christianity, which like the rest of the world, draws them away from the Father and back into the wisdom of the world of man and man's will. Why exacerbate the process already being started by adults in a child's life?

RandyPNW · Saturday at 9:34 PM

Michie said:
Can a young child truly be saved and on their way to Heaven? Can he or she be in the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth, one of those who is a genuine believer?

A Christian educator once said that the faith of a child — up to age 12 — could be called a “borrowed faith”; this faith could be borrowed from his parents or a Sunday school teacher. Then, in his early teens, the child would develop their “chosen faith,” ultimately moving on to their “owned faith.”

Now, when we think of a borrowed faith, do we also think of it as a saving faith? Not exactly, and not something you’d want to count on when you’re not totally confident.

Let’s see what Jesus had to say about children’s salvation. “At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven’” (Matthew 18:1-4).

Okay, so the disciples have a different question than I originally posed; they want to know who’s the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus calls a little child. In case you question whether this really is a young child, the Greek word is paidión, which means “little” or “young.” So, he didn’t just call a child, he called a little child. Now remember, in that culture, a 13-year-old boy enters manhood. Young people were married at 16. So, if they are calling a child little, they mean little.

Continued below.

Can a young child become a Christian?

Can a young child truly be saved and on their way to Heaven

www.christianpost.com

People can approach Jesus just like they can approach a mirror. The experience and comprehension may be very limited when you're very young, but you can still approach the mirror and appreciate what's in it.

I was raised up in the church. I've never not known who God is, and who Jesus is. It's just that my appreciation of who He is was limited by my age.

I have talked with God throughout my life, and did not really, really appreciate who God was to me until after I backslid and found out that was a very bad path. When I returned to obedience I learned to appreciate God no matter how good or bad things may be--at least things weren't bad because I had disobeyed God.

So even if we know God from very young, or even if we know Him as a full-fledge adult, we still won't fully appreciate who God is to us if we don't obey Him. We ave to be able to hear Him in our conscience. When we do so, and obey that voice, we'll know God well.

A little child can certainly know Jesus. I know I appreciated him when I was first joining a small children's gathering in our church basement Sunday morning. I felt so "grown up" being able to attend without my parents present. They sang, "Jesus loves me." And the birthday kids were able to drop pennies into a church steeple--a penny for each year of their age.

I honestly felt a very special presence at that time. But even before that I felt my conscience when I screamed bloody murder when my parents took away my blanket--I had been eating it, and I knew I was over-acting the rage.

timothyu · Saturday at 11:12 PM

Jesus was not concerned about having the child know who He was, but that the child understand they could completely trust in the Father as we are to do.

The Liturgist · 2025-12-07T14:22:43-0600

Michie said:
Can a young child truly be saved and on their way to Heaven? Can he or she be in the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth, one of those who is a genuine believer?

A Christian educator once said that the faith of a child — up to age 12 — could be called a “borrowed faith”; this faith could be borrowed from his parents or a Sunday school teacher. Then, in his early teens, the child would develop their “chosen faith,” ultimately moving on to their “owned faith.”

Now, when we think of a borrowed faith, do we also think of it as a saving faith? Not exactly, and not something you’d want to count on when you’re not totally confident.

Let’s see what Jesus had to say about children’s salvation. “At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven’” (Matthew 18:1-4).

Okay, so the disciples have a different question than I originally posed; they want to know who’s the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus calls a little child. In case you question whether this really is a young child, the Greek word is paidión, which means “little” or “young.” So, he didn’t just call a child, he called a little child. Now remember, in that culture, a 13-year-old boy enters manhood. Young people were married at 16. So, if they are calling a child little, they mean little.

Continued below.

Can a young child become a Christian?

Can a young child truly be saved and on their way to Heaven

www.christianpost.com

The answer is yes - both through Baptism as an infant (ideally followed immediately by Chrismation and the Eucharist as in the Eastern praxis; we do not refuse our children the Eucharist until the age of 7) and also of their own accord.

For example, St. Abanoub is venerated as a great martyr in the Coptic Orthodox church - he was orphaned when his parents died of natural causes, became a Christian, and was martyred at age 12 during the Diocletian persecution.

Always in His Presence · 2025-12-08T07:48:58-0600

What does Holy Scripture say?

Romans 10:8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Paul does not mention age. If a person believes in their heart and confesses with their mouth, they are saved. It is the result of a conscious decision.

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Can a young child become a Christian?

Michie

Well-Known Member