Often I have had these questions in my mind, and may be you have them too...
- Was the Old Testament God only for the Abrahamic Jews?
- Why are some born with disabilities?
- Does God love them any less than those seemingly with no disabilities?
In essence, does God have prejudices?
I want to answer these questions by posting God's word from the Old Testament book of Isaiah that helped me form my conclusions. In chapter 56, prophet Isaiah writes under the power of the Holy Spirit,
Blessings for All Nations
56 This is what the Lord says:
Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God... (1 Corinthians 1:27-29)
Christ came in to this world so that each and every one of us may have salvation through his death and resurrection. He was the ultimate sacrifice for all mankind. In the New Testament of the Bible, Apostle John quotes Jesus in John 3:16, speaking to Nicodemus, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."
Romans, chapter 8 teaches us that nothing can separate us from God's love. Apostle Paul writes in verses 31-39,
John 9:1-3 says "As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him."
I would conclude that this God has always been for all humanity and will continue to be so until the end of time. I encourage you to build a relationship with this God and you will not be disappointed. He will meet you where you are. Will you welcome him in to your life?
God bless you!
PS: You may also want to read Romans 10.
I want to answer these questions by posting God's word from the Old Testament book of Isaiah that helped me form my conclusions. In chapter 56, prophet Isaiah writes under the power of the Holy Spirit,
Blessings for All Nations
56 This is what the Lord says:
“Be just and fair to all. Do what is right and good, for I am coming soon to rescue you and to display my righteousness among you.
2 Blessed are all those who are careful to do this. Blessed are those who honor my Sabbath days of rest and keep themselves from doing wrong.
3 “Don’t let foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord say, ‘The Lord will never let me be part of his people.’ And don’t let the eunuchs say, ‘I’m a dried-up tree with no children and no future.’
4 For this is what the Lord says: I will bless those eunuchs who keep my Sabbath days holy and who choose to do what pleases me and commit their lives to me.
5 I will give them—within the walls of my house— a memorial and a name far greater than sons and daughters could give. For the name I give them is an everlasting one. It will never disappear!
6 “I will also bless the foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord, who serve him and love his name, who worship him and do not desecrate the Sabbath day of rest, and who hold fast to my covenant.
7 I will bring them to my holy mountain of Jerusalem and will fill them with joy in my house of prayer. I will accept their burnt offerings and sacrifices, because my Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations.
8 For the Sovereign Lord, who brings back the outcasts of Israel, says: I will bring others, too, besides my people Israel.”
Sinful Leaders Condemned
9 Come, wild animals of the field! Come, wild animals of the forest! Come and devour my people!
10 For the leaders of my people— the Lord’s watchmen, his shepherds— are blind and ignorant. They are like silent watchdogs that give no warning when danger comes. They love to lie around, sleeping and dreaming.
11 Like greedy dogs, they are never satisfied. They are ignorant shepherds, all following their own path and intent on personal gain.
12 “Come,” they say, “let’s get some wine and have a party. Let’s all get drunk. Then tomorrow we’ll do it again and have an even bigger party!”In these old testament texts it is clear that Jehovah is the God of all. He does not spare the Israelites for their sins (vs.9 to 12) and He welcomes the foreigners and the eunuchs who will commit themselves to God and be obedient to his commands just as much as the Israelites. Who is a eunuch? Though by definition it is someone who has been castrated, someone who will not be able to fulfill God's command in Genesis 1:28, I want you to look past this literal definition and see any person who is not able to perform to his or her full potential as would a normal person. [Our interpretation of what is normal is very subjective.] God wants the outcasts of society, the ones who don't measure up in the eyes of their peers, as noted in 1 Corinthians chapter one.
Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God... (1 Corinthians 1:27-29)
Christ came in to this world so that each and every one of us may have salvation through his death and resurrection. He was the ultimate sacrifice for all mankind. In the New Testament of the Bible, Apostle John quotes Jesus in John 3:16, speaking to Nicodemus, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."
Romans, chapter 8 teaches us that nothing can separate us from God's love. Apostle Paul writes in verses 31-39,
31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?
33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself.
34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.
35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?
36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”
37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.
39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord."I came across the video posted below on You Tube. Nick Vujicic, a man who lives with disabilities unimaginable, yet whose witness to God's glory and love, puts me, a man with no seeming disabilities, to shame!
Nick Vujicic Fully Living for Christ
John 9:1-3 says "As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him."
I would conclude that this God has always been for all humanity and will continue to be so until the end of time. I encourage you to build a relationship with this God and you will not be disappointed. He will meet you where you are. Will you welcome him in to your life?
God bless you!
PS: You may also want to read Romans 10.
