do mentally disabled go to heaven

The Bible upholds this view with the words of King He wrote. In the Bible, infants, little children, and others who cannot believe are neither told to believe nor expected to do so. Resource Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version(ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. If you believe in Jesus he will make a special place for you in heaven forever. We remind the siblings that one day they may be called on to be a caregiver to our special needs child. condemned forever. Read them in the archive below. 19:14). God's love, justice, and mercy are all intact. Jack has written 1277 articles on What Christians Want To Know! individuals who cannot believe in Jesus? Are they going to be held responsible for their behaviors even though they are "higher functioning" than others. You can always pray to Jesus Christ, I'm sure he'd like that if you talked to him! Does God show mercy to those who are mentally retarded, challenged, disabled, or handicapped?" Answer: The Bible does not specifically say whether or not mentally ill people go to heaven. a place for them in heaven. I'm afraid to "come out" as a Christian being surrounded Bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you As a young Christian, what can I do for fun? First, our experience with even very young children is that they sin. Mathew chapters 18 & 19 talks about this. However, for those who cannot go through The Bible is silent on whether or not mentally ill people go to heaven. Does God show mercy to those who are mentally retarded, challenged, disabled, or handicapped?" Mental competence is exactly the same only there are multiple continuums. David's words are important: But what about family ties? Also, the age of the child is very important. Get Texan news delivered straight to your home and digital device. So they are without excuse. (only among the mentally ill, infants, tribes too far out of reach - I'm taking a leap on the third one). They are not classified as wicked evildoers and rejecters of Gods grace. (Matthew 18:14; Romans 5:1819). However, the command to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation presupposes intelligence and the ability to exercise ones volition. More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! In short, I am much more confident of Gods mercy than I am of my childrens innocence. Jesus disciples did not always understand this, and on one occasion they tried to prevent children from coming to Him for prayer (Matt. Can I bring him back again? God doesn't discriminate. But we cannot deny God's sovereignty, even in this choice. I would have been PC and said metally ill, but as we know, mentally ill can portray a large array of diseases, some of which do not affect your beliefs. I agree with Rench, it would be horrible if they did. Probably because it is a very controversial topic that holds a range of opinions, other words for I haven't ever looked at the Concept of a God topic. Do all disabled people go to heaven? In the bible John 10:27-29 says; My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. Teach it Icebeam instead. You are loved and will always be loved. However, that was never official Church teaching, and very few Catholics still believe that. In my opinion, there are two fundamental problems with that view. So, we do our best not to worry about the future. They need to know their little babies are safe in the arms of Jesus. So, from your second quote, I suppose you're saying, if they. What does the Bible say about brain trauma/damage/traumatic brain injury (TBI)? 12:22-23). No person enters heaven by personal merit or righteous reputation. For those of us who are parents of children with profound mental disabilities, one nagging question often lingers in our consciousness: What will happen to our child when we die? If you havent, there is a horrible future for you (Rev 20:11-15) for if you die without Christ then you will awaketo shame and everlasting contempt but if you trusted in Christ, then you shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever (Dan 12:3). Once we are gone, however, our child will be dependent on those whose care, while well-intentioned, could never match that of a parents love. 2:8). Please note, our website requires JavaScript to be supported. Christian Answers, illumination regarding the ugliness of sin and the contrasting beauty of Press J to jump to the feed. We remind the siblings of our special needs child that one day they may be called upon to be a caregiver, and we pray. They die safely in the arms of Jesus.[1]. conceived me" (Psalm 51:5 NIV). are mentally disabledmay be saved by grace without such understanding. 2023 Southern Baptist Convention. Well then I guess I will give a more elaborate answer. While the child was alive, you fasted and wept; but when the child died, you arose and ate food (2 Sam 12:21). King David had a son who became sick to the point of death(2 Sam. As a Christian and a pastor, another question lingers: What will happen to my profoundly mentally disabled child when she dies? Any person who is mentally challenged to the extent that he could not be aware of his sinful state and believe in Christ for salvation is in the same category as a child, and it is not unreasonable to assume that person is saved by the grace and mercy of the same God who saves babies and small children. The Some Baptists have appealed to the natural innocence of children and the mentally disabled as grounds for their entrance into heaven. He did his graduate work at Moody Theological Seminary. Without God's gracious There are definitely people who are severely mentally disabled. No one knows the precise age of when a person is held responsible for knowing and willfully rejecting or believing in Jesus Christ as Savior. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Prior to conversion to Christ, most people go through a process of He died to pay the price for all manners of sickness, sin and problems and salvation. David was rightly related to the Lord, and he did not question that he would spend eternity with Him. Does God show mercy to those who are mentally retarded, challenged, disabled, or handicapped? This is similar to how it is commonly believed that when children die, they are automatically taken to heaven until they reach the age where they can make a decision for or against Christ. Keith Sanders is pastor of First Baptist Church in Keller, Texas. Can I bring him back again? There is some biblical evidence, however, that anyone who is unable to make a decision for salvation is covered by Christ's death. Answer (1 of 9): This is a question that ought to be posed to certain Fundamentalist and Evangelical Christians who firmly claim that only someone who has implicitly "accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior" can be saved. "And I give to them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall pluck them out of My hand," Jesus said of these (John 10:28). The death of a child can be a difficult experience. There are various Scriptures that give us strong evidence that those who don't have the ability to understand the gospel due to severe mental handicaps or impairments cannot be held responsible for rejecting it since they are unable to understand it. So, if children and the mentally disabled are not naturally innocent but go to heaven when they die and every Baptist I know believes that they do what is the basis for such salvation? We do know that Jesus accepts all that the Father has given to Him as His own, and He will not lose any of them along the way (John 6:39). I'm afraid I can only speculate that since God tells us in the book of Jeremiah 1:5 that He knows us before He even forms us in the womb, that your sister, Becky, must have really done something . It touched me, so I would recommend it to anyone. The old aged man will say: Oh Allah, Islam came while I can understand nothing. Can the Mentally Handicapped Understand the Gospel? Each person is different in their intellect and abilities to understand the Bible and what might come naturally to some may not come as easily to others. Here are some Scriptures from Paul that give us an idea. I didn't even get into split brain, chimarism, and conjoined twins which also prove that a soul is impossible as the brain isn't a single thing. Your browser does not support JavaScript. The Prophet() said: Four types of people will be tested on the day of judgement: a deaf man who cannot hear anything, a mad man, an old aged man and a man who died during fatrah (a period of time when no messenger was sent to people). Knowing God's love, grace, and mercy, this would appear to be consistent with His character. And to them I will give it, and they shall possess it, awaketo shame and everlasting contempt but if you trusted in Christ, then you shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. I would say if the person is unable to understand the word of God due to their mental capacity, then the same thing would apply to that person as what applies to small children. In fact, some of the oldest Baptist confessions included overt affirmations of this doctrine. Similarly, someone who may have the mind of a child even at an older age cannot be held responsible because they cannot understand it. We exist to provide a safe haven for all followers of Jesus Christ to discuss God, Jesus, the Bible, and information relative to our beliefs, and to provide non-believers a place to ask questions about Christianity as explained in the scriptures, without fear of mockery or debasement. A portionof this article is an except from my book , Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), A Trustworthy Statement 2 Timothy 2:11-13, Total Depravity, Faith in Christ, and Regeneration, God is our Refuge and Strength Psalm 46:1-11, Suffering that Builds Christian Character, Choosing a Righteous Life and Righteous Friends, The Despair of Atheism and the Hope of Christianity, Great and Least in the Kingdom of Heaven A Life of Discipleship, The Qualifications for a King in Ancient Israel. 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