Is there Salvation for the Mentally Disabled?

[Catherineanne]

Sin nature can't enter God's holiness and will manifest itself in sin at the first opportunity. For a person to be in God's Presence, it's not enough to be innocent (but born in sin), it's required that they not even have the sin nature i.e., be holy. The Lord Jesus didn't have the sin nature to begin with because He was born of the Holy Spirit. None of us will see heaven without the nature of holiness in us. Merely never sinning is not enough (This was the rich young ruler's problem). Discerning between good and evil and always doing good alone won't get one to heaven, because no one can be as good as the Lord Jesus Himself. One has to be made holy by having faith in God, i.e. in the Holy Spirit and in Christ. Even the most noblest beings will always lack something as the rich young man did. I won't say back to you that you're mistaken, and will not argue further over a father's post about his autistic child. God bless .

That is not the Gospel.

 

[JIMINZ]

How do the mentally disabled get saved?

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These verses below should shed some light on your understanding.

Is it needful for someone who is not capable of understanding what sin is, to be Saved from the wrath of God concerning his sin?

Luke 5:32
I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Do you believe in your heart, your son is or will ever be a Sinner?

Rom 3:23-26
23) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24) Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25) Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
26) To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Scripture says ALL have sinned, but it understood the ALL spoken of, have the knowledge of Good and Evil residing withing their Sinful Nature.

Jesus is the Propitiation for sins that are past, having never committed sin, your son has no need to be Redeemed from them, he is Justified by the GRACE of God.

Believing and faith are not concepts his mind has the ability to form.

You are 100% correct, and not having that ability, he is not held accountable, God places a gentleness in the hearts and minds of those those precious children who so much has been taken, they are examples unto "US" the so called normal, on how we are to treat our fellow man.

The Love of God resides within their souls.

I know he has a good heart and is a loving person in his own way.

.
Here are some verses which I believe speak to your questions.

Rom 2:11-15
11) For there is no respect of persons with God.
12) For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
13) (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
14) For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
15) Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another.

Your son does naturally, those things contained in the Law.

To put it as simply as possible, in words you can understand without having to interpret Scripture.

Adam and Eve were in the Garden, they were told to not eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

They ate the fruit of that Tree, they fell and mankind was cursed with that Sinful Nature acquired by Adam, having had it passed on to his descendants.

NOW, concerning your son, has your son partaken of that forbidden fruit of that Tree?
Does your son have within him, the Knowledge of Good and Evil, as you and I do?
Is your son innocent in his understanding, will he ever truly comprehend Good and Evil?

Don't let you heart be troubled, your son has his place in the throne with You, Jesus, and God.

John 14:20
At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

 

[T.S.Bland]

.
These verses below should shed some light on your understanding.

Is it needful for someone who is not capable of understanding what sin is, to be Saved from the wrath of God concerning his sin?

Luke 5:32
I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Do you believe in your heart, your son is or will ever be a Sinner?

Rom 3:23-26
23) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24) Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25) Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
26) To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Scripture says ALL have sinned, but it understood the ALL spoken of, have the knowledge of Good and Evil residing withing their Sinful Nature.

Jesus is the Propitiation for sins that are past, having never committed sin, your son has no need to be Redeemed from them, he is Justified by the GRACE of God.




You are 100% correct, and not having that ability, he is not held accountable, God places a gentleness in the hearts and minds of those those precious children who so much has been taken, they are examples unto "US" the so called normal, on how we are to treat our fellow man.

The Love of God resides within their souls.




.
Here are some verses which I believe speak to your questions.

Rom 2:11-15
11) For there is no respect of persons with God.
12) For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
13) (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
14) For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
15) Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another

Your son does naturally, those things contained in the Law.

To put it as simply as possible, in words you can understand without having to interpret Scripture.

Adam and Eve were in the Garden, they were told to not eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

They ate the fruit of that Tree, they fell and mankind was cursed with that Sinful Nature acquired by Adam, having had it passed on to his descendants.

NOW, concerning your son, has your son partaken of that forbidden fruit of that Tree?
Does your son have within him, the Knowledge of Good and Evil, as you and I do?
Is your son innocent in his understanding, will he ever truly comprehend Good and Evil?

Don't let you heart be troubled, your son has his place in the throne with You, Jesus, and God.

John 14:20
At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

This brought tears to my eyes. Truly..thank you.
God bless your caring heart.

 

[thecolorsblend]

This worries me everyday. I have a child with autism. I try to talk with him about God, but he doesn't understand what he can't see.

Salvation is available for the mentally ill. We must say that it's still salvation through Christ. But even if a mentally ill person isn't really capable of placing normative faith in Our Lord, salvation remains open to them.

 

[LastSeven]

It's the knowledge of good and evil that makes us guilty. That's why Adam and Eve were warned not to eat from that tree. Prior to "eating" from that tree (understanding good and evil) God did not consider them guilty.

Genesis 2:17
but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.

This is why on the new earth, though we will still have our free will and the ability to sin, we will never again be considered guilty because we simply won't know any better.

Isaiah 65:17
“See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.

Forgetting about good and evil will make us free of guilt, once again.

Jesus confirms this in John 9:41

John 9:41
Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

Your son is blind and blessedly so. It leaves him innocent and saved.

 

[fhansen]

God is infinitely, unfathomably, fair, just, merciful-and, most importantly, loving. He judges based on our capabilities, what we could and should do with what we're given. These factors can include age, level of maturity, knowledge, background, experience, mental acuity, etc. He knows every hair on our heads. A principle found in Luke 12:48 applies here:
"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."

 

[justbyfaith]

@Catherineanne

You are mistaken doctrinally. The Bible says in Psalm 51 that we are conceived in sin; and yes: babies are sinners; they are just not big enough to do any harm. If they were born giants, they might even kill you if they don't get what they want. They cry when they are hungry or uncomfortable; and this is reminiscent of the selfishness found in all of humanity; we excuse them for crying because they are infants; but if a grown man did this we would tell him to man up and would consider it to be a lack of sanctification in his life.

To the original poster:

I would show him pictures of Jesus dying on the Cross and of the empty tomb so He will be able to believe in what he has seen.

PS the fact that he gets uncomfortable when you tell him about God says to me that he is a sinner and does not want to surrender his life to the Lord in some area. God will show him the reality of the Cross and he will not have any excuses on the day of judgment. The Holy Spirit is working; most people have an adverse reaction to the gospel when they understand it correctly and receive Christ because they know they were against Him when He was first preached to them.

 

[JIMINZ]

@Catherineanne

You are mistaken doctrinally. The Bible says in Psalm 51 that we are conceived in sin; and yes: babies are sinners; they are just not big enough to do any harm. If they were born giants, they might even kill you if they don't get what they want. They cry when they are hungry or uncomfortable; and this is reminiscent of the selfishness found in all of humanity; we excuse them for crying because they are infants; but if a grown man did this we would tell him to man up and would consider it to be a lack of sanctification in his life.

To the original poster:

I would show him pictures of Jesus dying on the Cross and of the empty tomb so He will be able to believe in what he has seen.

PS the fact that he gets uncomfortable when you tell him about God says to me that he is a sinner and does not want to surrender his life to the Lord in some area. God will show him the reality of the Cross and he will not have any excuses on the day of judgment. The Holy Spirit is working; most people have an adverse reaction to the gospel when they understand it correctly and receive Christ because they know they were against Him when He was first preached to them.

.
A little something to consider.
1Co. 13:1
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

 

[Ron Gurley]

Infants and mentally disabled have not sinned. Their spirits will be justly judged by God and return to their Creator. Eccl. 12

Who can know if and when they are called/drawn by God and whether or not their spirits accepted??

 

[Ron Gurley]

"babies are sinners"

Horsefeathers!

Psalm 51:5
I was brought forth in iniquity,(of the parents!)
And in (her) sin my mother conceived me.(sinless!)

Only Jesus REMAINED sinless. He was always in the will of the Father. Only God justly judges SPIRITS.

1 Chronicles 28:9...KING David to wise son Solomon
“As for you, my son Solomon,
know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind;
for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts.
(even tender children and mentally deficient)
If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; BUT
if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.

 

[Ron Gurley]

"Prior to "eating" from that tree (understanding good and evil) God did not consider them guilty."

Huh? Angels and A&E were created with an innate "free will""sin nature", a tendancy to turn away from God and toward self.
God disciplined A&E for disobedience.
They were not found guilty.
Their spirits returned to God after their Body/Soul combos died

 

[Ron Gurley]

Romans 10:1
Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.

 

[justbyfaith]

"There is no one righteous, no, not one" (except for babies and the mentally disabled--does it say that?)

"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (except for the babies and the mentally disabled).

Brother @JIMINZ
I am speaking the truth in love. The false doctrine being portrayed here might lead people to think that the mentally disabled do not need to be evangelized. And since they do, someone may fail to understand their responsibility to evangelize them and fail to do so thus leaving them to the fate of all those who have never received Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. They will be judged on the basis of the light they have been given. Mentally disabled people are capable of understanding the basics of the gospel. It is so simple that a child can understand it and so complex that the greatest theologian cannot plumb the depths of it.

 

[ToBeLoved]

The Bible says faith and salvation are open to all

 

[JIMINZ]

"There is no one righteous, no, not one" (except for babies and the mentally disabled--does it say that?)

"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (except for the babies and the mentally disabled).

Brother @JIMINZ
I am speaking the truth in love. The false doctrine being portrayed here might lead people to think that the mentally disabled do not need to be evangelized. And since they do, someone may fail to understand their responsibility to evangelize them and fail to do so thus leaving them to the fate of all those who have never received Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. They will be judged on the basis of the light they have been given. Mentally disabled people are capable of understanding the basics of the gospel. It is so simple that a child can understand it and so complex that the greatest theologian cannot plumb the depths of it.

.
I am answering in truth and love

I would suppose, you also follow the Doctrine of Infant Baptism?

Have you ever been around a Downs Syndrome child or an Autistic child for any length of time, if you have, could you tell me at what point you saw anything but love, acceptance towards all those around them?

I have witnessed more of the Love of God in it's purest form, coming from those adorable children, than I have heard ...............!

The Pharisee's lived according to the Law when Jesus wanted them to live by the Spirit of the Law, it was their inability to comprehend the Compassion, Mercy, and Charity of God, which caused them to fall into the ditch, they were blind to Gods' Love and Grace, forgetting that with what measure they Judged, they were Judged.

 

[ToBeLoved]

Infant baptism is way far off topic. This is about the mentally disabled.

 

[justbyfaith]

One autistic child I knew had a tendency to hog the ball when playing with other children. Is that autism or the sin of selfishness? I consider that it is the way selfishness manifests in someone with autism.

The Pharisees considered that they were not sinful because of their sticklering of the law, which is similar to the excuses we make for mentally disabled people and babies, saying that they have no sin.

Now if you were to teach them that so that they internalized that doctrine, they would be saying that they have no sin and would thus be deceiving themselves according to 1 John 1:8.

Now if I judge that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, then of course I am also judged by that statement. It is why we all need to appropriate the blood of Christ.

 

[Basil the Great]

The mentally disabled don't need to be saved; they have not fallen from Grace. It depends on the degree of disability, and of course that varies from one person to the next, but severely mentally disabled people count as 'holy innocents.' If they lack the capacity to make a choice between good and evil then they cannot be said ever to choose to sin, and sin has to be a deliberate choice.

If this applies to your son then you and he are very blessed; God sees him just as he saw Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, with the difference that your son will never fall from Grace. He is a gift from God to you and your family, and you can safely let him worship God in his own way.

Rest assured, no matter how much you love your son, God loves him far more.

This reply probably ranks among the top 10 responses that I have ever read in Christian Forums. God bless us, everyone!

 

[justbyfaith]

For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23-24.

 

[BBAS 64]

Salvation is by Grace ... so yes God can mercy whosoever he chooses to mercy.