People with disabilities

[tonychanyt]

In this world, many people suffer from physical, intellectual, developmental, or mental disabilities, such as OCD, PTSD, bipolar, ADHD, Autism, Down Syndrome, split personality disorder, etc. How should we see them in God's family?

God loves them, John 3:

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

The Paraclete dwells in them when they are born of the Spirit. This connects them to the body of Christ, 1 Corinthians 12:

14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. ...
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

That's the spiritual reality in the body of Christ.

We look forward to the day of recreation, Philippians 3:

20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it, we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21s who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body,

No more disabilities.

Jesus will reward every one of us, Matthew 20:

15 "Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?" 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.

When we look at the big picture, in the end, God is just.

 

[Mark Quayle]

In this world, many people suffer from physical, intellectual, developmental, or mental disabilities, such as OCD, PTSD, bipolar, ADHD, Autism, Down Syndrome, split personality disorder, etc. How should we see them in God's family?

God loves them, John 3:


The Paraclete dwells in them when they are born of the Spirit. This connects them to the body of Christ, 1 Corinthians 12:


That's the spiritual reality in the body of Christ.

We look forward to the day of recreation, Philippians 3:


No more disabilities.

Jesus will reward every one of us, Matthew 20:


When we look at the big picture, in the end, God is just.

Some people discuss what age we will be, or what we will look like, in Heaven.

But if, for example, what we consider two different personalities in the same person comes about by disorders, or better, by brain injury, does God see two different people?

"To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.” (Rev 2:17) There will be no cloned cells ('members') in the body of Christ. Each of his own particular place in the Body of Christ.

I think God sees something different in each individual —who that person is— that we can't quite see. But I also think that what we see now is incomplete persons. Not whole, yet. Unlike the angels, unlike animals, made in the image of God, of the DNA of the Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ is bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh.

 

[tonychanyt]

But if, for example, what we consider two different personalities in the same person comes about by disorders, or better, by brain injury, does God see two different people?

I think each person is uniquely identified by his volition faculty. Even a person with a split personality disorder has exactly one volitional organ.

 

[Mark Quayle]

I think each person is uniquely identified by his volition faculty. Even a person with a split personality disorder has exactly one volitional organ.

Hadn't thought about it that way. You may be right, but that would imply that his volition faculty is WHO he is. If that is the case, it would be incumbent on us to thoroughly define 'Volition Faculty', or, at least, as much as humanly comprehensible.

But is my will, who I am?

 

[Diamond7]

In this world, many people suffer from physical, intellectual, developmental, or mental disabilities, such as OCD, PTSD, bipolar, ADHD, Autism, Down Syndrome, split personality disorder, etc. How should we see them in God's family?

It is amazing how many people can identify with the movie: "The Greatest Showman". People tells us how wonderful we are, yet we are, yet we still feel like an underdog.

 

[Tom8907]

Amen, to help with this, it is crucial to understand we are all made in God's image!

 

[tonychanyt]

Hadn't thought about it that way. You may be right, but that would imply that his volition faculty is WHO he is.

Not exactly. Let me clarify.

A person's volition faculty uniquely identifies him. That's the minimal identification of him. No one can possess his volition organ. Ultimately, his volition makes his decisions. Who he is is a different question.

Closely associated with his volition are his conscience, emotion, intellect, memory, and spirit. These faculties grow and develop. They supply inputs to the volition for him to make decisions.

Check out What happens to your soul when you die?

 

[Daniel Marsh]

My Brother Larry has disablities. I treat him with kindness and respect.