Limbo

Definition and Meaning

The word limbo comes from the Latin limbus, meaning "edge" or "border." It refers to the "border of hell," a state that is neither heaven nor hell, and it is commonly explained in two forms.

• Limbo of the Fathers (limbus patrum): the place where the righteous of the Old Testament who died before Christ are said to have waited for Christ's redemption. In the Korean Catholic Church it is also called goseongso (古聖所, "the place of the ancient saints").
• Limbo of Infants (limbus infantium): the place where infants who died without baptism, bearing only original sin (the sin inherited from Adam), are said to dwell. It was described as a state in which they suffer no torment but do not enjoy the blessing of seeing God directly.

Biblical and Historical Background

The word limbo does not appear in the Bible. The Limbo of the Fathers has been explained on the basis of several passages: "Abraham's bosom" in the account of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:22); 1 Peter 3:19, which says that Christ "preached unto the spirits in prison"; and Ephesians 4:8–10.

The Limbo of Infants arose from an understanding of baptism as necessary for salvation. Augustine held that unbaptized infants are also punished, though with the mildest punishment. Medieval scholastic theologians are known to have softened this view, formulating the concept of limbo as a state without punishment.

The Roman Catholic Church has never proclaimed limbo as official dogma. The 1992 Catechism of the Catholic Church states that infants who die without baptism are entrusted to the mercy of God. In 2007 the International Theological Commission of the Holy See issued a document stating that there are grounds for hope for the salvation of such infants.

Practice in the Korean Church

Since the Reformation, Protestants have rejected limbo, along with purgatory, as lacking biblical foundation. Accordingly, in Korean Protestantism limbo is mentioned mainly when introducing Catholic doctrine or when addressing the question of the salvation of children who die young. The way infant salvation is explained varies according to denominational tradition.

• Presbyterian: Chapter 10, section 3 of the Westminster Confession of Faith confesses that elect infants dying in infancy are regenerated and saved by Christ through the Spirit. Chapter 32, section 1 recognizes only two places for souls separated from their bodies: heaven and hell.
• Methodist and Holiness: These traditions often teach that the prevenient grace of Wesleyan theology (the grace God extends before a person believes) and the atonement of Christ extend to infants as well.
• Baptist: Baptists do not practice infant baptism, and many hold that children who die before they are old enough to profess faith for themselves are saved by the grace of God.