The Spiritual Life of Infants

[Anthony Pritchard]

The Spiritual Life of Infants: The Meaning of Romans 7:9

Romans 7:9 is one of the clearest statements in Scripture about the spiritual condition of a person before accountability. Paul writes:

“For I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.”

Paul is not describing physical life and physical death. He is describing spiritual life and spiritual death. He says there was a time when he was spiritually alive. That time was before the law reached his understanding. When the commandment came to his knowledge, sin revived, and he died spiritually.

This single verse establishes a period of spiritual life before accountability. It establishes that spiritual death is caused by the revival of sin through the knowledge of the commandment. It establishes that infants and the preborn, who have no knowledge of the commandment, are spiritually alive.

Paul says he was alive once without the law. That cannot refer to physical life, because he was physically alive both before and after the commandment came. It must refer to spiritual life. He says he died when the commandment came. That cannot refer to physical death, because he continued living physically. It must refer to spiritual death. The entire verse is spiritual, not physical.

This means that before the knowledge of sin, there is spiritual life. Before the commandment reaches the understanding, sin does not revive. Before accountability, the person is spiritually alive. This is the condition of infants and the preborn. They have no knowledge of the commandment. They have no revival of sin. They have no spiritual death. They are spiritually alive.

Scripture confirms this truth in many places.

Psalm 22:9 says, “Thou art he that took me out of the womb. Thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts.” This is not intellectual hope. It is spiritual trust. It shows that infants have a spiritual relation to God before they have knowledge of the commandment.

Psalm 139:13 says, “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.” God forms the inward parts and knows the person before birth. This is not the description of a spiritually dead soul. It is the description of one under the care and knowledge of God.

Jonah 4:11 says, “And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand.” God distinguishes between those who cannot discern. He treats them differently. He shows mercy to those without moral understanding. This includes infants.

Romans 4:15 says, “Where no law is, there is no transgression.” Infants have no knowledge of the law. They cannot transgress in the sense Paul describes. They cannot revive sin through the commandment. They cannot die spiritually.

Romans 5:13 says, “Sin is not imputed when there is no law.” Infants have no knowledge of the law. Sin is not imputed to them in the sense of personal guilt. They bear Adam’s physical death, but they do not bear personal spiritual death.

Romans 7:8 says, “Without the law sin was dead.” Infants have no knowledge of the law. Sin is dead in them. It has not revived. They are spiritually alive.

Romans 7:9 says, “I was alive once without the law.” Infants are without the law. They are spiritually alive.

Romans 7:9 says, “When the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.” Infants have no knowledge of the commandment. Sin has not revived. They have not died spiritually.

Jesus Himself confirms this truth. In Matthew 19:14 He says, “Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Their spiritual condition is not one of death. It is one of life.

The doctrine is clear. Spiritual death requires the revival of sin through the knowledge of the commandment. Infants and the preborn have no knowledge of the commandment. Therefore they cannot experience spiritual death. They are spiritually alive. They are safe. They are under grace. They are under the covering of Christ’s atonement.

This is not sentiment. It is not emotion. It is not tradition. It is Scripture. It is the consistent witness of the Word of God. It explains the mercy of God. It explains the justice of God. It explains the spiritual condition of the smallest among us. It explains why heaven is filled with those who never reached accountability.

Romans 7:9 is the foundation. It shows the truth plainly. Before the knowledge of sin, there is spiritual life. When the commandment comes, sin revives, and spiritual death occurs. Infants and the preborn have no knowledge of the commandment. They have no revival of sin. They have no spiritual death. They are spiritually alive.

For a fuller treatment of this truth, please see The Hidden Multitude.

In Closing

As infants are spiritually alive, there is no need for baptism. Baptism cannot impart spiritual life, because spiritual life is already present. Baptism is given to those who have heard the gospel, believed the message, and confessed Christ. Infants and the unborn have no knowledge of the commandment, no revival of sin, and no spiritual death. They are alive before God. They are safe in His mercy. They do not need baptism to give what they already possess, and Scripture never presents baptism as a means of imparting spiritual life, especially to those who are already spiritually alive.

This is the doctrine. This is the truth. This is the mercy of God.

~Tony

© A.K. Pritchard 1979, 2026 - Free to use with proper attribution.

 

[Ascetic X]

Very well presented. Thank you.

People who say fetuses and babies who die go to hell, because they are evil and did not get saved, seem cruel to me.

God is just. We are rewarded according to our deeds. Babies have no evil deeds, since they do not know good from evil.

 

[Van]

The OP cites a very controversial verse, with very different interpretations. I disagree with most including the one offered in the OP.

Romans 7:9 is referring to Paul being unaware of his "dead in his trespasses" spiritual condition, so he says he was once alive. But as made sinners, each and every one of us, including Paul, was conceived in sin, a "made sinner" and was thus from conception spiritually "dead in trespasses."

But Paul did not know he was a dead duck, and needed Christ as his only way to spiritually life within Christ's spiritual body.

But when he realized he coveted all the time, he then knew he was dead in sin.

 

[Anthony Pritchard]

The OP cites a very controversial verse, with very different interpretations. I disagree with most including the one offered in the OP.

Romans 7:9 is referring to Paul being unaware of his "dead in his trespasses" spiritual condition, so he says he was once alive. But as made sinners, each and every one of us, including Paul, was conceived in sin, a "made sinner" and was thus from conception spiritually "dead in trespasses."

But Paul did not know he was a dead duck, and needed Christ as his only way to spiritually life within Christ's spiritual body.

But when he realized he coveted all the time, he then knew he was dead in sin.

Your interpretation is not in the text.

Paul does not say that he only thought he was alive. He does not say that he later discovered he had been spiritually dead all along. Instead, he describes a sequence of events:

"I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died."

Paul declared he was alive.

My question is simple. If Paul was spiritually dead from conception, why does he say he was alive first and died later?

Your view seems to read the passage this way:

"I was already spiritually dead, but I did not know it. Then the commandment came, and I realized I was dead."

But Paul does not say that he realized he was dead. He says he was alive, then sin revived, and then he died.

That is not a change in awareness, that is a change in condition.

What in the text leads you to conclude that Paul is describing the discovery of a condition that already existed, rather than the spiritual change he actually describes?

 

[Van]

Your interpretation is not in the text.

Paul does not say that he only thought he was alive. He does not say that he later discovered he had been spiritually dead all along. Instead, he describes a sequence of events:

"I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died."

Paul declared he was alive.

My question is simple. If Paul was spiritually dead from conception, why does he say he was alive first and died later?

Your view seems to read the passage this way:

"I was already spiritually dead, but I did not know it. Then the commandment came, and I realized I was dead."

But Paul does not say that he realized he was dead. He says he was alive, then sin revived, and then he died.

That is not a change in awareness, that is a change in condition.

What in the text leads you to conclude that Paul is describing the discovery of a condition that already existed, rather than the spiritual change he actually describes?

My view is much better supported by the context. You claim it is not suggested by the text is false. You can find this view in the commentaries.

Yes, Paul did not directly say he only thought he was alive, but that is indicated by the context. Until the law brought awareness of his sinful coveting, he would naturally believe he was alive. And this awareness he was actually spiritually dead, opened the door to seeking spiritual life in Christ. The OT scriptures serve as our tutor to lead us to Christ by making us aware of our need for Christ.

I answered the question of why he thought he was alive!!

Yes, Paul does not explicitly say what I and others have derived from the context, but in my opinion, it is the only solution that fits with all scripture.

 

[Ascetic X]

Your interpretation is not in the text.

Paul does not say that he only thought he was alive. He does not say that he later discovered he had been spiritually dead all along. Instead, he describes a sequence of events:

"I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died."

Paul declared he was alive.

My question is simple. If Paul was spiritually dead from conception, why does he say he was alive first and died later?

Your view seems to read the passage this way:

"I was already spiritually dead, but I did not know it. Then the commandment came, and I realized I was dead."

But Paul does not say that he realized he was dead. He says he was alive, then sin revived, and then he died.

That is not a change in awareness, that is a change in condition.

What in the text leads you to conclude that Paul is describing the discovery of a condition that already existed, rather than the spiritual change he actually describes?

I agree that we must not add words to scripture.

Paul said he was alive. He did not say he merely thought he was alive.

We cannot add a different idea and claim the context suggests it.

 

[Anthony Pritchard]

I agree that we must not add words to scripture.

Paul said he was alive. He did not say he merely thought he was alive.

We cannot add a different idea and claim the context suggests it.

Amen!

 

[Anthony Pritchard]

My view is much better supported by the context. You claim it is not suggested by the text is false. You can find this view in the commentaries.

Your first reply was:

Paul was actually spiritually dead all along.

Now your argument is:

Paul believed he was alive, but the law revealed that he was actually dead.

Here is what you must insert into Romans 7:9 to get there:

"I thought I was alive without the law once..."

But Paul does not say that. Not in the text. Not in the context. Not by statement or implication.

The text says:

"I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died."

You are reading "thought" into "alive" and "realized" into "died." Yet neither word appears in the passage.

Paul does not say he discovered he was dead. He says he was alive, then sin revived, and then he died.

That is the text. That is the sequence.

This is not a description of increased awareness. It is a description of events. Paul first speaks of life. Then he speaks of the commandment coming. Then he speaks of sin reviving. Then he speaks of death.

Your interpretation depends on replacing Paul's sequence with a different one:

Dead.
Unaware of being dead.
The commandment came.
Realized he was dead.

But that sequence is not found in Romans 7:9, anywhere. It must be supplied from outside the text.

 

[JohnDB]

The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) on X

Baby Relieved He Made It Out Of The Womb Before Democrats Won Midterms https://t.co/c9HPWExbD4

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[Van]

Your first reply was:

Paul was actually spiritually dead all along.

Now your argument is:

Paul believed he was alive, but the law revealed that he was actually dead.

Here is what you must insert into Romans 7:9 to get there:

"I thought I was alive without the law once..."

But Paul does not say that. Not in the text. Not in the context. Not by statement or implication.

The text says:

"I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died."

You are reading "thought" into "alive" and "realized" into "died." Yet neither word appears in the passage.

Paul does not say he discovered he was dead. He says he was alive, then sin revived, and then he died.

That is the text. That is the sequence.

This is not a description of increased awareness. It is a description of events. Paul first speaks of life. Then he speaks of the commandment coming. Then he speaks of sin reviving. Then he speaks of death.

Your interpretation depends on replacing Paul's sequence with a different one:

Dead.
Unaware of being dead.
The commandment came.
Realized he was dead.

But that sequence is not found in Romans 7:9, anywhere. It must be supplied from outside the text.

You are long on why you think the text does not support my view, but many others share my view.

You have not addressed why you think Paul was sinless and was not "made a sinner" or why that condition did not result in being dead in sin.

 

[Anthony Pritchard]

You are long on why you think the text does not support my view, but many others share my view.

You have not addressed why you think Paul was sinless and was not "made a sinner" or why that condition did not result in being dead in sin.

Paul was alive because the bible says he was alive. Scripture also says that death comes by sin.

You are changing the subject.

The question before us is not whether human beings are affected by Adam's fall. The question is what Paul meant when he wrote Romans 7:9.

The text says:

"I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died."

I do not need to prove Paul was sinless to affirm what the text says.

I do not need to prove Paul was unaffected by Adam's fall to affirm what the text says.

I do not need to prove anything beyond the fact that Paul says he was alive, then says sin revived, and then says he died.

That is the sequence given in Scripture.

Your objection is not with my interpretation. Your objection is with Paul's words.

You say Paul was spiritually dead all along. Paul says he was alive.

You say he merely discovered he was dead. Paul says sin revived and he died.

You say his condition never changed. Paul describes a transition from life to death.

I am not the one departing from the text.

You are asking me to abandon the plain sequence Paul gives and replace it with another sequence entirely:

Dead.

Unaware of being dead.

Realized he was dead.

That sequence is not found in Romans 7:9.

Paul was alive because Scripture says he was alive.

Scripture also says that death comes by sin. Yet your interpretation requires Paul to be spiritually dead before sin revived and before he died.

The burden is not on me to explain away Paul's words. The burden is on you to explain why "alive" should mean "dead" and why "died" should mean "realized I was dead."

There is no justification for either claim in the text.

God inspired Paul to write:

"I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died."

I did not write those words.

Paul did not accidentally write those words.

God gave us those words.

I am content to let the text stand exactly as written.

If your theology requires "alive" to mean "dead," and "died" to mean "realized I was dead," your disagreement is not with me.

Your disagreement is with the words God chose to place in Scripture.

 

[percho]

My understanding. Man, there have been two.

so also it hath been written, 'The first man Adam became a living creature,' the last Adam, for a life-giving spirit,
but that which is spiritual is not first, but that which was natural, afterwards that which is spiritual.
The first man is out of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord out of heaven;

for even as in Adam all die, From 1 Cor 15:22
that which hath been born of the flesh is flesh, From John 3:6

All little babies, all that are born. Did any have a choice of being born?

so/thus also /////what did God do?

and when the fulness of time did come, God sent forth His Son, come of a woman, come under law, that those under law he may redeem, that the adoption of sons we may receive; and because ye are sons, God did send forth the spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, 'Abba, Father!'

in the Christ all shall be made alive, From 1 Cor 15:22
that which hath been born of the Spirit is spirit. From John 3:6

So now we have to choose therefore age of accountability?


and as it is laid up to men once to die, and after this -- judgment,

Help me out.

 

[Anthony Pritchard]

Help me out.

I think the key issue is distinguishing between physical life, spiritual life, and accountability.

I agree that all human beings are born into Adam's fallen world. I agree that all eventually sin and fall short of the glory of God.

The question is whether Scripture teaches that a child is spiritually dead before reaching the point Paul describes in Romans 7:9.

Paul says:

"For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died."

I did not write that. God did through Paul.

Whatever else we do with the passage, Paul describes a time when he was alive, followed by a point when sin revived and he died.

That fits naturally with Deuteronomy 1:39, where God speaks of children who had no knowledge between good and evil.

That is why I do not place the emphasis on a particular age. Scripture never gives a universal age. Scripture points instead to knowledge, understanding, accountability, and the coming of the commandment.

It is not a matter of an age. It is a matter of condition.

God knows exactly when that point is reached in every individual. We do not.

So my position is not based on assigning an age of accountability. It is based on the biblical sequence:

No knowledge of good and evil.

Alive without the law once.

The commandment came.

Sin revived.

I died.

Children who die before that point never experience the death Paul describes.

That is why I believe when infants and young children die before sin revives, they die physically, yet spiritually alive.

 

[Van]

Paul was alive because the bible says he was alive. Scripture also says that death comes by sin.

You are changing the subject.

The question before us is not whether human beings are affected by Adam's fall. The question is what Paul meant when he wrote Romans 7:9.

The text says:

"I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died."

I do not need to prove Paul was sinless to affirm what the text says.

I do not need to prove Paul was unaffected by Adam's fall to affirm what the text says.

I do not need to prove anything beyond the fact that Paul says he was alive, then says sin revived, and then says he died.

That is the sequence given in Scripture.

Your objection is not with my interpretation. Your objection is with Paul's words.

You say Paul was spiritually dead all along. Paul says he was alive.

You say he merely discovered he was dead. Paul says sin revived and he died.

You say his condition never changed. Paul describes a transition from life to death.

I am not the one departing from the text.

You are asking me to abandon the plain sequence Paul gives and replace it with another sequence entirely:

Dead.

Unaware of being dead.

Realized he was dead.

That sequence is not found in Romans 7:9.

Paul was alive because Scripture says he was alive.

Scripture also says that death comes by sin. Yet your interpretation requires Paul to be spiritually dead before sin revived and before he died.

The burden is not on me to explain away Paul's words. The burden is on you to explain why "alive" should mean "dead" and why "died" should mean "realized I was dead."

There is no justification for either claim in the text.

God inspired Paul to write:

"I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died."

I did not write those words.

Paul did not accidentally write those words.

God gave us those words.

I am content to let the text stand exactly as written.

If your theology requires "alive" to mean "dead," and "died" to mean "realized I was dead," your disagreement is not with me.

Your disagreement is with the words God chose to place in Scripture.

Once again I say Goodbye.

I say we are conceived spiritually dead, and you just copy and paste non-relevant verbiage.

 

[Ben1445]

Romans 5:13
(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

 

[percho]

And I was alive apart from law once, and the command having come, the sin revived, and I died; Rom 7:9

Why did Paul think he was alive once? Because he did not think he was dead. He had no way of knowing he was already dead. What told him, he was dead, when he he thought all along he was alive?

A spiritual law? IMHO he was created for and or subjected to, the death, before he brought, the sin, into the world, in hope. The hope which promised the not lying God, before of times of ages, upon unto hope of eternal life. -----

Everyone born of woman are born dead in trespass and sin? Ps 51:5 Lo, in iniquity I have been brought forth, And in sin doth my mother conceive me. ------ David did not reach an age of accountability, he was born a sinner, he reached an age when he understood he had been born a sinner.

IMHO

@Ben1445 posted for till law sin was in the world: and sin is not reckoned when there is not law; Rom 5:13

Yet they died anyway

14 but the death did reign from Adam till Moses, even upon those not having sinned in the likeness of Adam's transgression, who is a type of him who is coming.

 

[Ben1445]

And I was alive apart from law once, and the command having come, the sin revived, and I died; Rom 7:9

Why did Paul think he was alive once? Because he did not think he was dead. He had no way of knowing he was already dead. What told him, he was dead, when he he thought all along he was alive?

A spiritual law? IMHO he was created for and or subjected to, the death, before he brought, the sin, into the world, in hope. The hope which promised the not lying God, before of times of ages, upon unto hope of eternal life. -----

Everyone born of woman are born dead in trespass and sin? Ps 51:5 Lo, in iniquity I have been brought forth, And in sin doth my mother conceive me. ------ David did not reach an age of accountability, he was born a sinner, he reached an age when he understood he had been born a sinner.

IMHO

@Ben1445 posted for till law sin was in the world: and sin is not reckoned when there is not law; Rom 5:13

Yet they died anyway

14 but the death did reign from Adam till Moses, even upon those not having sinned in the likeness of Adam's transgression, who is a type of him who is coming.

Death reigning from Adam till Moses is assumed as applicable in the context of the book of Romans.

Romans 1:21
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

At what point does an infant know God or the law?

Silly babies, don’t they look at rhe sun and the miin and know there is a God. Don’t they understand that the God who created the laws of physics deserves glory? Or could it be that death reigned over those to whom sin was imputed because of their innate understanding of good? That understanding could only come from God and from knowing about the world God created. It’s something babies know nothing about. Even Jesus grew in wisdom.