Of Such is the Kingdom

In Of Such is the Kingdom, Michael E.B. Maher explains the spiritual nature and destiny of children based on Scripture. He teaches that man is a tri-part being: spirit, soul, and body. The body is inherited from Adam and carries the sin virus, but the spirit comes directly from God. Every child is born spiritually alive, with the life and light of God, and is therefore a child of God and part of His kingdom.

Children remain spiritually alive until the age of thirteen, when the eyes of their conscience open and they gain knowledge of good and evil. At that point, the first wilful sin causes their spirit to die, separating them from God. This is why all people need to be born again.

Children who die before the age of thirteen go directly to heaven. They are not part of the church (the body of Christ) and do not participate in the first resurrection, but they will receive resurrected bodies at the second resurrection. Maher addresses the age of accountability, showing that God does not hold children accountable for sin, and that even the Lord Jesus was called a child at twelve. The book also clarifies that children born to unbelievers are “unclean” only in terms of their physical bodies, not their spirits, which still come from God. 

Print length: 64 pages