reason.cck.org.uk

As humans we are not just complex machines. There is more to us than the sum of the molecules we are made up of. Naturalistic philosophy teaches the opposite, which has from time to time caused confusion when considering persons with a disability. As much of Europe has adopted naturalism as a philosophical position, disabilities have been thought of increasingly like faulty machinery, despite inherent feelings of repulsion at such a concept. However, if one considers humans naturalistically it is difficult to consistently conform to any other notion. Conversely, Christianity sees humans as more than just the physical. As such, physical or mental disability is not self-defining.

What does it mean to be ‘Made in the image of God’?

A common misconception about the phrase ‘being made in the image of God’ is that it means we look like God. Being made in the image of God means that we reflect aspects of God. For example we create, we use complex language and thought, we love, and we have the capacity to know right or wrong. As such every human, disabled or not, is made in the image of God equally. Because of the Fall (see below) each person’s potential to reflect God has been marred, physically and spiritually.

The Fall

Not many people would consider the world perfect; general opinion tends to think the opposite. Imperfection permeates everything; politics, technology, relationships, and even our very personalities. The Bible calls this ‘The Fall’, which describes a break in the relationship between God and man. As beings created in the image of God we were designed to relate to God and each other perfectly. This is why we enjoy each other’s company, fall in love, live in communities, and so on. Despite this, we do not love perfectly, or live in community perfectly; reading any newspaper would verify this. If we are honest with ourselves, we can relate to this all too well. We all know what it is to deliberately make choices we know are wrong, and therefore humanity does not reflect the image of God flawlessly. All of us (able-bodied persons and those with a disability alike) have all tried to live self-determining lives without reference to God from birth. The Bible teaches that all the evil and suffering in the world is a result of rejecting God, and trying to live life independently of him.

How does the Fall affect the disabled?

The fallen condition of man dictates that from birth not only his personality but also his body is affected by the fall. In Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve broke relationship with God, he said that they would die. This affects everything on earth from genes to our very attitudes of selfishness. As a result death and illness are part of the fall, and disabilities are part of the human condition.

Universal affects

A person with a disability is no less made in the image of God than a person without a disability. A human’s eternal potential is never compromised by the physical. Suffering and malfunction are universal products of a world that is not right with God. Jesus was very clear on the subject, that the amount that one suffers in this life does not relate to how ‘bad’ one is (Luke 13:1-4, John 9:1-3), rather that everyone should be warned that rejecting God leads to death, both physically and eternally. Despite this, God’s desire is that we would come to him and be restored (Ezekiel 33:11).

Single universal solution

The Bible speaks of a God that has great love for all people, and shows concern for those who suffer. Sometimes God will even heal people with disabilities, and they will be free from them in this life. On other occasions God will not remove this condition, but promises to give us the grace to live with it, and still be able to live a full and joy-filled life. This is not to be taken lightly, and does not mean it will be easy for someone who lives with the reality of a disability at all, but God does genuinely provide joy when we can’t see how that could possibly be experienced.

Supremely, Jesus Christ is the ultimate proof of God’s love and desire for our restoration. Jesus came and suffered himself, and did so out of compassion for the ‘fallen’ condition that we are in. He did this to save us from our fallen state and give us a hope for an eternal future without imperfection where disabilities would be a thing of the past. There will be no more pain, suffering or death!

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This is a question made popular by YouTube videos, which dismiss the existence of God as they claim He doesn’t heal amputees. Their logic is as follows:

1) The Bible says God heals
2) Amputees don’t get healed
3) Therefore the Bible isn’t true

In my opening I would like to make it very clear that I believe God does heal amputees. In fact, there is even a man in the Bible that Jesus heals after his ear has been chopped off. (Matt 26:51-54)

As to why God does not heal everyone in this life, including obviously some amputees is a different question. Christians believe that they are in a stage between the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus (2000 years ago) and his returning again to bring his work into completion, to make the earth and all that is in it renewed.

This means that God has given Christians the privilege to pray in Jesus’ name with the power of the Holy Spirit for healing, which God will often do, but we are still not yet in a perfect world and will not be until Jesus returns. As a natural consequence not all people are healed and this is most obviously shown in the ultimate ‘illness’ which comes to everyone: death. Death is something no one can avoid and is what the Bible refers to as ‘the last enemy’ to be overcome. However, because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, he has conquered death and enables those who trust in Him completely to live eternally.

Christians also believe that, after they die, they will receive renewed perfect bodies without any faults and which will last forever. Amputees will be a thing of the past!

Another question often linked with the one asked is that of ‘Don’t you need faith to get healed? Maybe amputees don’t have enough faith…’.

We are in no place to judge who has more faith than another. Only God can see the heart of someone and so I could never say with confidence that anyone has enough faith for healing except for those in which healing has occurred. The faith in question is mentioned in the Bible, in Matt 21:22. Many people assume that this is simply having a very strong will to be healed or the belief that God can heal them, but instead it is intrinsically linked with God’s will. I believe that the faith mentioned in the passage is the knowledge that it is God’s will to heal them; true faith, true depth of understanding about the will of God. This is something that I definitely do not claim to have.

My challenge to the questioner would be as follows: Is this really a question you personally struggle with or is it a sort of smoke screen/challenge and if God healed an amputee in front of you or if it was proven that God does heal amputees beyond reasonable doubt would you then trust in Him and follow Him, trusting Him with your life and choices or instead would you find another question to challenge him and the Christian?

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