Is there Salvation for the Mentally Disabled?

T.S.Bland

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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. Believing and faith are not concepts his mind has the ability to form. He is 15 and I have taken him to church, youth group, and he's even went to summer camp. He thinks the kids act strange and says they cry too much..I know that sounds silly, but to him it's overwhelming.
I know he has a good heart and is a loving person in his own way. I don't force him to go anymore but I wonder how God sees people like my boy. He stays home and finds ease here on his computer with his dog and that's his world. Whenever I try to talk about God he gets defensive and uncomfortable.
How do the mentally disabled get saved?
I'm praying for him. I'm here for him always.
Please help .
 
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faroukfarouk

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The simplicity of a chapter such as John 14 is very evident; in the event, for true spiritual understanding of Scripture there does need to be the work of the Holy Spirit in any case Who moves in mysterious ways; this is why the warm, gentle repetition of clear passages such as this and many other chapters can be done with confidence.

God bless your son! :)
 
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T.S.Bland

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The simplicity of a chapter such as John 14 is very evident; in the event, for true spiritual understanding of Scripture there does need to be the work of the Holy Spirit in any case Who moves in mysterious ways; this is why the warm, gentle repetition of clear passages such as this and many other chapters can be done with confidence.

God bless your son! :)
I will read this. Thank you.
 
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mukk_in

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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. Believing and faith are not concepts his mind has the ability to form. He is 15 and I have taken him to church, youth group, and he's even went to summer camp. He thinks the kids act strange and says they cry too much..I know that sounds silly, but to him it's overwhelming.
I know he has a good heart and is a loving person in his own way. I don't force him to go anymore but I wonder how God sees people like my boy. He stays home and finds ease here on his computer with his dog and that's his world. Whenever I try to talk about God he gets defensive and uncomfortable.
How do the mentally disabled get saved?
I'm praying for him. I'm here for him always.
Please help .
Salvation should be no different for the mentally challenged, although, the way they'll understand the Lord could be different. The Lord wil draw people unto Himself, and loves your son just the same. So I think continuing to pray and witness to your son is the thing to do now. Peace in Christ :).
 
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T.S.Bland

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Salvation should be no different for the mentally challenged, although, the way they'll understand the Lord could be different. The Lord wil draw people unto Himself, and loves your son just the same. So I think continuing to pray and witness to your son is the thing to do now. Peace in Christ :).
Thank you. God bless.
 
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paul1149

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How do the mentally disabled get saved?
Sprinkled throughout the NT are many passages to the effect that where there is no law, sin is not imputed (Romans 5.13). Jesus said Sodom and Gomorrah would fare better than Capernaum in the judgment, because they would have repented had they the Light unrepentant Capernaum was given.

God judges by the available Light. Babies, the incapable, those who never heard, are held to a different standard than others. "to whom much was given, much will be required". Abraham implies that "the Judge of the whole earth will do what is right". That was true then, and is true now, because God hasn't changed. God knows the secrets of the heart and will judge accordingly.

There is absolutely no one better equipped to judge your son, or any of us for that matter, than the Lord. So as you go forward with this, I would suggest that you put full faith in God's goodness and kindness in this regard, and know that your son is in good and loving Hands. With that burden off your soul, receive the Lord's comfort and peace, and with Him on your side you will be more free to manifest the free and wonderful love of God to your son, in a way that he won't have to feel defensive about and will be more open to. The love of God breaks down boundaries and tears down strongholds. And in God's economy, often His solution for one person's problem has salutary benefits for all involved as well.
 
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Kenny'sID

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God is the most fair being there is...would it be fair to punish someone who truly could not understand? Would it be fair to punish a 2 year old for not knowing algebra?

Luke 12:48
But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required:

That sounds a bit rough, but makes the point.You may want to try the same verse in other than the KJV. As I see it, that is talking about the ignorant mentally healthy, but your son is in a different class even than that, so I would suspect no stripes at all would ensue.

I believe those things more than suggest there is salvation, but I cannot say for certain exactly how God will handle. It may be that simple, or maybe they will be given a chance with sound mind.

Again, God is fair, and to me, just that is often a great comfort. I think I'd handle it just as you are... don't run him over with it, but make it available always, and be an example.

Bless your heart, and his too. :)
 
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tdidymas

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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. Believing and faith are not concepts his mind has the ability to form. He is 15 and I have taken him to church, youth group, and he's even went to summer camp. He thinks the kids act strange and says they cry too much..I know that sounds silly, but to him it's overwhelming.
I know he has a good heart and is a loving person in his own way. I don't force him to go anymore but I wonder how God sees people like my boy. He stays home and finds ease here on his computer with his dog and that's his world. Whenever I try to talk about God he gets defensive and uncomfortable.
How do the mentally disabled get saved?
I'm praying for him. I'm here for him always.
Please help .

I'd say just be the love of God to him, and don't try to force anything by persuasion. I have an autistic nephew (he's about 40 now), and is highly dysfunctional. He communicates at about the level of a 4 year old, but can do some menial jobs. He loves to go to church because he loves the music. He often plays Christian music with his headphones and portable CD. He finds the music soothing, and talks about Jesus being a loving person. I think he finds that such teaching also calms the storms of his soul. But he has to spend a lot of time by himself because a lot of people around confuses him. Loud noises are extremely bothersome to him, like barking dogs.

I also have another nephew (8 years old) who is high-functional autistic. He can well-function, but needs certain drugs for it. However, he cannot well-function with other children, so he has to be home-schooled. There are many things that are overwhelming to autistic people. We just need to find out what those things are, and try to accommodate the best we can.

I think it would be much better for him to accept if you simply gave him your testimony of what wonderful things the Lord has done and is doing for you, rather than try to persuade him to make it his testimony.

Hope this helps.
TD:)
 
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drjean

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Jesus was quite clear about children and His love for them... and I believe that includes all of us, but also adults who have not aged beyond childhood mentally. From one perspective it is not those who do not accept Christ who don't go to heaven, but those who reject Christ that don't. Another view of it is that there is an "age of accountability" where you know right from wrong and consequences of it.

WE are all to "come as a child" to God! God puts a knowledge of Him and eternity into each of our hearts...so reach out to that in your own child and allow God to gather him in.


Ecclesiastes 3:11 “In the human heart” is an expression representing the mind, soul, or spirit of each person. God places eternity (Hebrew olam) into our heart and soul. Olam refers to God’s placing an eternal longing or sense of eternity in the human heart. Taking this understanding to be the correct one, Ecclesiastes 3:11 affirms the idea that humans operate in a different way than other forms of life. We have a sense of eternity in our lives; we possess an innate knowledge that there is something more to life than what we can see and experience in the here and now. What does it mean that we have eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11)?
 
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Catherineanne

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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. Believing and faith are not concepts his mind has the ability to form. He is 15 and I have taken him to church, youth group, and he's even went to summer camp. He thinks the kids act strange and says they cry too much..I know that sounds silly, but to him it's overwhelming.
I know he has a good heart and is a loving person in his own way. I don't force him to go anymore but I wonder how God sees people like my boy. He stays home and finds ease here on his computer with his dog and that's his world. Whenever I try to talk about God he gets defensive and uncomfortable.
How do the mentally disabled get saved?
I'm praying for him. I'm here for him always.
Please help .

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.
 
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Catherineanne

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Salvation should be no different for the mentally challenged, although, the way they'll understand the Lord could be different. The Lord wil draw people unto Himself, and loves your son just the same. So I think continuing to pray and witness to your son is the thing to do now. Peace in Christ :).

I am afraid you are mistaken in this. People who are severely mentally impaired simply do not have the same need for salvation as the rest of us. They have never fallen from grace.
 
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tdidymas

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I am afraid you are mistaken in this. People who are severely mentally impaired simply do not have the same need for salvation as the rest of us. They have never fallen from grace.

You are misusing the term "fallen from grace." There is only 1 place in scripture where this phrase is used: Gal. 5:4 "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace." (KJV)

In this context, Paul is using the phrase to describe a mindset, not a condition of salvation. The phrase is being used as a hyperbole to warn the Galatians that their concept of salvation by the grace of God has been replaced by a concept of salvation by works of legal obedience. This expression is for the purpose of waking up the readers to the fact that their sense of freedom in Christ was being replaced by a sense of fear of condemnation, which was a bad doctrinal position, and a deviation from the Christian faith. So then, the phrase "fallen from grace" means that they were persuaded out of their high standard of Christian values based on the grace of God.

It doesn't mean they had salvation and then lost it. Such an idea is a modern fallacy spawned by TV preachers and Hollywood.
TD:)
 
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mukk_in

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I am afraid you are mistaken in this. People who are severely mentally impaired simply do not have the same need for salvation as the rest of us. They have never fallen from grace.
Thanks for your response sis, but all of us are born in sin, until we're born again by the Holy Spirit. Physical or mental conditons don't exempt us from the need for salvation (ex: Paralyzed man's sins were forgiven in Matthew 9:1-8, before he was healed). Peace in Christ :).
 
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Catherineanne

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Thanks for your response sis, but all of us are born in sin, until we're born again by the Holy Spirit. Physical or mental conditons don't exempt us from the need for salvation (ex: Paralyzed man's sins were forgiven in Matthew 9:1-8, before he was healed). Peace in Christ :).

Sorry, bruv, but you are mistaken.

We are born in original sin, which means we all have the potential to sin and none of us can resist the temptation to go astray once we reach the age and maturity of discretion, but we are not born in actual sin. Babies and mentally disabled people have not sinned, and therefore have no need of forgiveness or salvation; they have not lost their salvation in the first place. It is totally meaningless to talk of sin in relation to very young children or those without the discretion to know the difference between good and evil.

Physically disabled people do not have the same status; they can and indeed do sin just like the rest of us.

Children and severely mentally impaired people are regarded as innocent for a reason; they are.
 
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Catherineanne

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You are misusing the term "fallen from grace." There is only 1 place in scripture where this phrase is used: Gal. 5:4 "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace." (KJV)

In this context, Paul is using the phrase to describe a mindset, not a condition of salvation. The phrase is being used as a hyperbole to warn the Galatians that their concept of salvation by the grace of God has been replaced by a concept of salvation by works of legal obedience. This expression is for the purpose of waking up the readers to the fact that their sense of freedom in Christ was being replaced by a sense of fear of condemnation, which was a bad doctrinal position, and a deviation from the Christian faith. So then, the phrase "fallen from grace" means that they were persuaded out of their high standard of Christian values based on the grace of God.

It doesn't mean they had salvation and then lost it. Such an idea is a modern fallacy spawned by TV preachers and Hollywood.
TD:)

What tosh. You offer a great long irrelevant objection to my language; are you actually trying to say that babies are sinners?

If so then you are mistaken.
 
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mukk_in

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Sorry, bruv, but you are mistaken.

We are born in original sin, which means we all have the potential to sin and none of us can resist the temptation to go astray once we reach the age and maturity of discretion, but we are not born in actual sin. Babies and mentally disabled people have not sinned, and therefore have no need of forgiveness or salvation; they have not lost their salvation in the first place. It is totally meaningless to talk of sin in relation to very young children or those without the discretion to know the difference between good and evil.

Physically disabled people do not have the same status; they can and indeed do sin just like the rest of us.

Children and severely mentally impaired people are regarded as innocent for a reason; they are.
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 :).
 
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Neostarwcc

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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. Believing and faith are not concepts his mind has the ability to form. He is 15 and I have taken him to church, youth group, and he's even went to summer camp. He thinks the kids act strange and says they cry too much..I know that sounds silly, but to him it's overwhelming.
I know he has a good heart and is a loving person in his own way. I don't force him to go anymore but I wonder how God sees people like my boy. He stays home and finds ease here on his computer with his dog and that's his world. Whenever I try to talk about God he gets defensive and uncomfortable.
How do the mentally disabled get saved?
I'm praying for him. I'm here for him always.
Please help .

Of course! God desires that all people be saved! Your son can be saved just like anyone else. But, I wouldn't force religion on him too much as that will make him less likely want to come to Christ. He needs to come to Christ on his own. After all, if he is meant to be saved he WILL come to Christ on his own. I did. I was an atheist as well and uncomfortable whenever my mother would bring up Jesus as a kid. I eventually went to Christ and it was the best decision I ever made and when I came to Christ my mother was so glad. I mean, all you can really do is pray to God that your son will eventually come to Jesus and if he's meant to come to Jesus, the Father will draw him to him. I will pray for your son and I hope he comes to Jesus. God bless you.
 
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FireDragon76

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Religion can be difficult for people with autism to understand, since it involves so much abstract thinking. Many, though not all, people with autism are irreligious, and this might help explain your sons behavior. After all, you are asking for your son to talk about something he can't touch or see. For someone who is autistic, that is not very appealing.

In my church we teach that all people who are baptized are saved. This makes it easy for the mentally incapacitated to be saved, since salvation is a free gift not dependent on our mental capacities. In addition, my church teaches that God loves everyone, and we should trust in that. If your son can't understand your Christian faith, it does not mean that he doesn't have a relationship with God that is appropriate to him.
 
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Lazarus in the "Rich man and Lazarus", also seems to be mentally handicapped (allow dogs to lick his wounds). Lazarus went to heaven. If your child never reaches mature adulthood than he does not need "saving" but is in a safe condition.
 
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