Zwingli on the question of what would have happened to Esau if he had died in infancy

What then of Esau if he had died as an infant? Would your judgment place him among the elect?

Yes.

Then does election remain sure?

It does. And rejection remains also. But listen. If Esau had died an infant he would doubtless have been elect. For if he had died then there would have been the seal of election, for the Lord would not have rejected him eternally. But since he lived and was of the non-elect, he so lived that we see in the fruit of his unfaith that he was rejected by the Lord.

(Quoted by Peter Lillback, The Binding of God, p. 105).

10 thoughts on “Zwingli on the question of what would have happened to Esau if he had died in infancy

  1. C. Frank Bernard

    “For if he had died then there would have been the seal of election, for the Lord would not have rejected him eternally.”

    How did he get this reason? Not all children of the elect are saved. Is the assumption that all children of elect that die in infancy are also elect?

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  2. C. Frank Bernard

    According to what passage? What prevents God from hating or not regenerating and killing an infant of a covenant parent? Is someone arguing that hagios/holy/set apart = decretal election?

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  3. C. Frank Bernard

    If an infant doesn’t affirm or deny the faith, we assume salvation/regeneration (covenantally wash and commune them) but don’t know absolutely. But if they die, then we know absolutely that the infant went to Heaven?

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  4. mark Post author

    Frank, do we know “absolutely” about a professing believer? I think when a person dies as a professing believer we know they are in heaven, having been predestined to go there; notwithstanding the temporary professing believers who later apostatize. The same should be true for infants. It is one thing to say that not all covenant infants are predestined to persevere in the faith and inherit eternal life. It is a completely different thing to say that God doesn’t keep his promises to covenant infants.

    The promises is “I will be with you and your children.” The warning is, “if you reject me in unbelief you will be cut off.” God’s decree determines this outcome. But that doesn’t give us warrant to doubt the promise. If God gives us a child not predestined to eternal life, then he will be predestined to apostasy. We shouldn’t doubt the salvation of children who do not apostatize.

    Thus, Zwingli affirms that, if Esau had not departed from God, it would have been because he was predestined to life.

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  5. C. Frank Bernard

    “It is one thing to say that not all covenant infants are predestined to persevere in the faith and inherit eternal life. It is a completely different thing to say that God doesn’t keep his promises to covenant infants.”

    True, and I affirm God does keep his promises, but the Church’s application of the two Sacraments to a covenant infant doesn’t mean God has “predestined [that infant] to persevere in the faith and inherit eternal life” because of said promise. True?

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  6. C. Frank Bernard

    Also, if Zwingli meant “if Esau had not departed from God” then I agree. But your quote states: “If Esau had died an infant he would doubtless have been elect. For if he had died then there would have been the seal of election, for the Lord would not have rejected him eternally.” And so I don’t agree.

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  7. mark Post author

    To your Noon post: True. God has not necessarily predestined a covenant infant to eternal life. But the question for such children dying in infancy is no longer open. They have died in the covenant promise without departing from it through unbelief.

    Otherwise, how can I have any confidence in the face of death that my faith is real and that I will enter into life?

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  8. C. Frank Bernard

    Infants, unless regenerated at some point (before or after birth) are conceived in sin and unbelief. God generally regens cov children and is pleased to do so during baptism and commands the cov community to treat the child as a cov member. But we can never blame Him if after death we come to know that the dead cov child was not chosen.

    “how can _I_ have any confidence” ?

    confidence = with fide = your faith given from God
    that you know (experientially) together with the guarantee of the indwelling Comforter.

    Reply

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