[:en]”One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.” Mark 10:13-16 (NLT)
Jesus was not teaching that salvation is available only to children, but that true salvation is to be embraced with a childlike faith that simply takes God at His word.
This truth is very personal to me.
My dad was a World War II Battle of the Bulge veteran. He came home from Europe in 1945 with a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts. He loved my mother and wanted far more for his children than he had experienced in his own life. He worked a full time job and farmed at night and on the weekends. He was, by no means, anti-God, but he had no time for Him. He was a good man. At the age of 50, my dad had the first of three strokes that would eventually leave him bed-ridden. About seven years into his illness, his intellect and communication abilities had been reduced to that of a 5 or 6-year-old child. A sweet little lady named Virginia, who had been praying for him for years, came to visit us and to share the Gospel with him one more time. I heard my father, with barely intelligible speech, confess he was a sinner and acknowledge Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.
Now, could my dad have come to this same faith without the loss of his health? Perhaps. But, for me, it solved the question as to why God, for years, had not answered my prayers to make him healthy again. His 11 years of suffering leading to his death when I was 19 was made bearable in knowing that he would spend eternity in heaven—with me.
It is possible to overthink the Gospel and to study it and rationalize it until the miracle has been sucked out of God’s amazing grace! The goal of salvation is not that it be understood, but that it be embraced with the humility and faith of a childlike heart.[:]