While it’s good to teach the details of the plan of salvation, we tend to think that understanding those details is how you get saved. The result isn’t faith in Jesus; it’s faith in the cross, or faith in a plan, or even faith in faith. Yikes again! Saving faith is faith in Jesus as Lord.

Luke 18:15–17

Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to Him, and said, “Let the children come to me, and do not forbid them, for of such belongs the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”

I used the New King James translation here because it correctly renders the Greek emphatic negative (ου μη — “ou may”) in verse 17 as, “by no means.” This feels strange, but it must be important.

The people think that Jesus’ touch will benefit their children, even though the babies don’t seem to be sick. This partly explains the disciples’ concern, but they also seem to be jealous of Jesus’ time. The disciples aren’t trusting Him to make His own choices. Yikes!

Jesus replies by making a point that doesn’t quite seem to fit. He doesn’t talk about whether it’s important for people to bring babies to Him to be touched. He speaks of children instead of infants (παιδία — “paidia,” instead of βρεφη — “brephay”) and He’s referring to what they do of their own free will, not of what parents do to them.

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