Session 24: What About Salavation and Special Needs?
Notes
Transcript
(Intro Music starts with first slide - read intro and move forward)
Welcome to Apologetics and the Gospel. My name is Pastor Jonathan White, and I am the Lead Pastor at CrossPointe Family Church in Winfield, WV as well as a practicing Emergency Medicine Physician.
Question for Today: What About Salvation and Special Needs?
Question for Today: What About Salvation and Special Needs?
Today’s topic hits near and dear to my heart. I actually have two special needs children who are such a blessing. We have been blessed that they have understood the Gospel as much as they are able to and have made professions of faith. After some time of watching for signs of the fruit of repentance, I was blessed to baptize them as well.
Because of my unique situation as a father of two special needs children and a pastor, I have been asked by many people to discuss salvation and special needs. I hope that today’s podcast is informative and helpful for those struggling with this difficult issue.
What is Salvation?
What is Salvation?
Before discussing the actual topic, we must understand what salvation is in the first place. I will give a couple of quick bullet points to help us understand it. I have included a few verses with the points - however there are many other verses we could go through for a more thorough understanding of salvation.
1. Salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone (Acts 4:12, John 14:6).
2. Salvation involves belief and faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.
That He is both truly God and truly man (born of the virgin Mary and fashioned by the Holy Spirit in her womb as seen in Luke 1:26-38).
That He is eternal and is God-made-flesh (Revelation 1:8, John 8:58).
That He took on human flesh, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for the sins of the world, and rose from the dead thereby defeating death and the grave (John 3:16, 1 Peter 2:24, 1 Peter 1:3).
3. Salvation understands the need for repentance and acknowledges the sinfulness of self (Acts 3:19, Romans 3).
Salvation is extremely simple and yet complex as well. We must understand the Gospel - that Jesus Christ, God-made-flesh, came to earth and died on the cross for our sins. We must admit that we are a sinner and be humble before Him and repent - or turn away from our sins. And we must place our faith and trust in the risen and living Christ.
To understand the simplicity of the Gospel, listen to these verses that show children coming to Christ…
Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”
Here we see Christ’s open arms to children. Although they might not have understood every single doctrine of the faith, they understood that Christ was their Savior, and they came to to Him.
Moving forward we see Jesus let us know that we must actually come to Him in the faith of a child to be saved in the first place!
And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,
Salvation requires humility. The older we get, the more prideful we can become. Children understand their weaknesses better than adults. Children get the fact that they aren’t God while adults can begin to see themselves as little gods.
With this understanding in mind, what about children with special needs?
Special Needs is a Broad Category
Special Needs is a Broad Category
Anyone who has worked with children with special needs understands that this is a catch-all term for anyone who is considered neurodivergent (which is a newer term used to describe those without normal development).
We Must Avoid Two Ditches Beside the Road
We Must Avoid Two Ditches Beside the Road
Parents and workers with those with special needs may fall into two extremes that can be dangerous.
Unreasonably low expectations
Unreasonably high expectations
For parents and caregivers - you know your child well - better than anyone else. However, you may have blind spots. Be sure that you seek godly counsel with others who know your child well to see what they are capable of. Some children are capable of far more than their parents expect.
In other situations, parents might have unreasonably high expectations. They may push for inclusion of their children in any and all situations - even in situations that might result in injury or trauma of their child. Some parents seem to be in denial of their child’s special need.
The solution is finding a middle ground. We must have reasonably high expectations for our children with special needs. But they must be grounded in reality and truth.
With that understanding, let’s dive a little more deeply…
All Have Sinned
All Have Sinned
The first understanding that we must understand is that all have sinned (Romans 5:12).
There is no one who is good (Romans 3) - other than Christ of course!
Because of this truth, all of our children need to hear the good news of the Gospel. They need to have the Gospel preached to them regularly. Whether they are neurodevelopmentally normal or neurodivergent, they need to hear that they are a sinner and that they are in need of a Savior.
This is true no matter how severe the disability may be. We are all sinners and in need of a Savior. Preach the Gospel regularly. When your child misbehaves, remind him of the cross and the Gospel. Discipline him but remind him of the grace of God who offers forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ. This is important in parenting any child and is no less so with special needs children.
Being around children with special needs has revealed that special needs children are still sinners! They want their own way just like any other child! They are selfish like any other child. They need to hear the Gospel regularly.
What if my child has a severe disability?
What if my child has a severe disability?
Some parents listening may have a child with a severe special need. Maybe they are nonverbal. Maybe they have behavior disturbances. Maybe they have severe cognitive impairment.
My advice would still be the same. The Gospel is powerful. Continue to preach and teach the Gospel to your child. Read the Bible to them. Even if it seems like a waste of time, God can still work through His Word in their heart. Listen to God’s promise in Isaiah 55:11:
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
What if they don’t get it?
What if they don’t get it?
Some children have such a severe disability that they cannot fully understand and articulate the Gospel. Although, we must continue preaching and teaching the Gospel and the Word of God to children such as these, we must rest in the Lord in these situations as well.
This brings us to a couple of important points.
Who Can Repent?
Who Can Repent?
The responsibility of repentance comes from those who understand good and evil. Adam and Eve had no need to repent until they understood good and evil. Although they willingly sinned by eating of the fruit as seen in Genesis 2:17, this understanding left them the need to and ability to repent.
but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
In order to repent, one must understand good and evil. One must have the knowledge of good and evil. It is clear that if one cannot understand good and evil, then one cannot truly repent.
Do not take this as a free pass for your child not to be disciplined. They certainly can understand more than you might assume. However, if they cannot understand the entire Gospel, rest in knowing the God is gracious in these situations.
God’s View of Little Ones
God’s View of Little Ones
Note God’s view of the children in Israel. After the adults of Israel sinned, they all died in the wilderness over a 40 year period. But listen to God’s statement about the little ones present at the time of the rebellion of their parent’s and grandparent’s generations.
And as for your little ones, who you said would become a prey, and your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there. And to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.
It is interesting that in the case of Israel, that it was those 20 years and above that were judged (Numbers 14:27-30). I don’t think we can make a hard and fast cutoff at age 20 when it comes to one understanding good and evil only in light of this narrative, but it lends to understanding God’s grace toward those who are not able to fully understand or unable to make decisions for themselves.
And finally, the most clear passage regarding this…
The Age of Accountability
The Age of Accountability
This idea comes from Isaiah 7:15:
He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.
This is a very interesting verse because it actually comes in the midst of a Messianic passage - meaning a passage foretelling the coming Messiah - namely Jesus Christ.
We are told that there is a time in a child’s life where he comes to the knowledge of good and evil.
With regard to special needs children, some of them never come to an adequate understanding of how to refuse evil and choose good. In these cases, they are not held responsible for what they cannot do or understand.
Therefore, it appears clear in the Scripture that those who have special needs preventing them from fully understanding the Gospel, repentance, faith, good, and evil are saved by the grace and mercy of God.
Again, my word of warning would be continue preaching the Gospel to your children. Continue reading the Word to them. Have them in church. Find a church that embraces your special family unit. But rest in the grace and mercy of God.
Before finishing, there is still one more…
An Important Common Question
An Important Common Question
There is one other related common question that comes to me as a pastor and as a physician.
What about aborted children, miscarriages, and infants and young children who die early?
What about aborted children, miscarriages, and infants and young children who die early?
The Biblical verses given above would also apply to these situations. For those too young to repent and understand the Gospel, the grace of God covers them.
The most clear verse for this would be in the case of David’s infant who died in 2 Samuel 12. See 2 Samuel 12:23:
But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”
David is assured that he will get to see his son that died.
We can rest assured that we will see little ones in heaven who died young.
I pray that this was helpful for you in understanding this difficult subject more deeply.
(Slide Closing 1)
This presentation has been put together to strengthen the faith of believers and to challenge the unbelief of others. I pray that you have found this presentation helpful.
Also, please note that this 10-15 minute presentation cannot exhaustively address most issues. My prayer is that it stimulates you to personally research further, and I am assured that you will find the Word of God proven time and time again.
(Slide Closing 2 with outro music)
Feel free to email any ideas you would like to see addressed by emailing me at crosspointewv@gmail.com. There are slides prepared for each of these presentations which can be accessed at our church website at crosspointefamily.church and select ATG. God bless and have a blessed week.