Mentally Challenged: What about salvation?
 

Haven't we heard about an age of accountability? Maybe some haven't reached this age nor may ever reach this age.

This is one of those things where God is the Judge. Physically, you can have a 21 year old who only operates, mentally, as a 2 year old.

Does this mentally challenged person believe that Jesus is the Son of God?

I hate to fall back on the terms "One Steppers" and "Three Steppers" but maybe such broad categories are helpful in untangling this, though I don't profess to have the definitive answers.

If faith saves us, as the "One Steppers" would say, then the only real issue is one of accountability. Given the condition of the individual then we are most probably dealing with someone who is "under grace." That is, the have the same judgment as an innocent child.

If baptism in water in Jesus' name itself effects some act of grace by remitting sins as a "Three Stepper" would say, then the baptism of this person would bring her into the same grace.

Of course most would probably want to add that her faith and obedience in the act of baptism and not just the water is what remits sin. Then we are back to the question of the individual's capacity to reason and to have faith. And so, she is in the condition that is often referred to as "under grace." She has the innocence of a small child.

Now, carrying through with the baptism in spite of the imponderables may also be beneficial in other ways. Showing her the same respect that is given to other members of the congegation may open doors among unsaved family members and others in the community. Seeing "grace" being conferred by a local church and pastor to an innocent person may open them to the idea that the same grace is available to them.

If God can save Amway salesmen, God can save this mentally challenged person.

Where you been hiding bro?

I don't believe a severly mentally handicapped person is lost for disobedience, if they don't understand how can they disobey? But I also believe God could open her mind for her family's obedience, and fill her with the Holy Ghost.

Jesus made the dumb (mute) to speak . . .

an automotive forum

It is the age of accountability in mental years not physical years.

God won't let a little child go to hell, so I don't believe He would let a little child mentally go to hell either.

We are all saved "by grace and that not of ourselves", there are many that are not mentally "deficient" that are incapable to understand their need of obedience.

Even now I have a 30 year old person in the hospital and not doing well. He has the capacity of a 6 month old child. I couldn't pray a 6 month old through and they wouldn't understand baptism.

I will have to go with age of accountability on this one. His family serves the Lord and good chance that he would have also had he been born normal.

I can't recall if there is a scripture or if this is a misquote often heard. "God takes care of the children and fools".

I think God is aware and has His hand on them and will take care of them.

JMO

Along these same lines, when I was growing up we had a deaf and mute lady that attended our church. She was OK mentally, was baptized in Jesus name, but never was able to talk, much less speak in tongues.

I remember praying for God to fill her with the Holy Ghost many times in the alter. Tears would flow down her face, but she was only able to grunt.

I wonderd as a young man if God would show mercy on this precious lady!

To consider that God will allow babies and the incompetent to go to hell in light of the Acts 2:38 message is to consider God unrighteous.

Neither the infant or the incompetent is accountable. They are SINLESS. They are in the state of one who has repented of sin.

Ok I havent read any of the other posts on this thread... making that clear before I post in case I say something already said...

In the church I grew up in there were 2 young girls.. both mentally retarded. Such sweet girls yet they both had very deminished mental states.. one had the mentality of a 6 yr old and drs said that would never change and the other that of a 4 yr old... These girls were brought to church every service from the time i have known them until now... They faithfully sat on the 3rd row from the front... Never disruptive too much just excited to be there..

Their mother asked our pastor once if he would baptize them and he said he would.. she really felt this needed done.. same situation as that spoken of in post 1 here.. so he said yes but lets wait a little while and let me talk with the girls so that I can see if I can get thru to them and get them to understand what we are going to do. They admired him and thought of him as a grandpa.. so he spoke with them and told the parents.. lets just wait a while longer I feel it in my spirit that they will get this on their own and I want to see just a short while? So they waited.. Well on his talk with them he walked them around the church... showed them the altar.. told them this is where they pray and ask God to forgive their sins.. then he also showed them the baptismal..

One service about 3 months later.. We hear the youngest girl screaming in church... I was sitting not far so I glanced to see what she was doing... she had no speech capabilities so all her sounds came out as just noise as is sometimes the case.. but this time it was screaching squeels.. I looked and she was jumping up and down pointing at the baptistry to her mother... just screaming and smiling... Her mom asked her what she wanted.. she pointed up there and then took her mother by the hand.. walked her to the altar.. the young girl raised her hands and began to immediately speak in tongues.. She then looked at her mother in the clearest voice and said... I need to get baptized!!! Needless to say she did!

The almost exact same thing happened to her older sister about 3 months later.. I am not saying make one wait.. I am just saying follow God as I know you would but also.. Know that yes they still have the capability to know and understand this no matter how mentally incapable they may seem

I didn't have a full understanding of all of the aspects of Baptism & Salvation when I was baptised.
I only knew that the Bible required it-so I obeyed & it worked!

God later revealed the wonderful revelation of Baptism.

Obedience is a good thing.

I have too. It depends on the level of incompetence.

I have also seen the deaf and dumb receive the Holy Ghost, speaking in a beautiful heavenly languange, clearly, articulately which sometimes have been interpreted.

Yes indeed I do...Wow... this brings so many things out that are so dear to my heart... when we were in OKC and running the halfway house ministry there.. Some of the people there were so out of their minds... some since birth.. some due to drugs and some just due to life. One thing that always did my heart so good was when one of them would get a revelation of who God was and they wanted it.. and they wanted it so bad.. I can remember one man one night.. oh there was no waiting till Sunday to get him baptized.. It was gonna be NOW and he didnt care how cold the water was or how long it took to fill the tank.. God showed him it had to be done so do it now!!!! LOL That man went down in that tank in Jesus name.. when he stepped in there he didnt have much mind to speak of. Hadnt lived on his own or with his parents since he was 7 when he lost his mind.. 32 yrs! He came up a brand new man! A full and complete mind.. A heart to serve God and he is living in his own home he is paying for with earned income.. no longer on SSI driving a car which he was never able to do until 2 yrs ago... and reaching the entire community where he lives... There are others who are still there.. the improvement is so extreme it would blow your mind.. One other man same story as above.. however he has chosen to stay there... He feels God wants him there to help with the others. When we were forced to leave due to the unfortunate circumstances he was in the process of moving out. He has since decided to stay so that they have bible studies and someone to pray with them and he works there now and lives there as staff instead of as a patient... And people say God cant deal with them?? WRONG!

Then there is the one who was there who was not only mentally insane but also deaf... Who spoke in tongues so beautifully for over an hour one night and heard himself and everyone around him and actually kept his hearing for about a month.. was able to reach so many with his testimony.. however he unfortunately lost his hearing again they believe as a trama result of a car accident he had in Dec of last year.

If I had a mentally challenged child, I would want him or her baptized in Jesus Name. I would do my best to try to explain to my child the importance of baptism, etc. Who knows -- the child may understand more than I would think he would.

We have baptized some mentally handicapped people over the years. I think they understood that they needed to do it out of obedience, but they of course did not understand why we baptized in Jesus' name. I don't think they have to understand, but they were obedient. I can't remember if any of them ever got the Holy Ghost or not.

What a timely thread!

This past sunday I prayed for a very long time with an elderly man with Alzheimer’s. He was precious. you could see the fog in his eyes but there was also clearly something there that was responding to the strong presence of God in the place.

He didnt recieve the Holy Ghost, and I am not sure that there would be a way to explain to him baptism in a meaningful way, but clearly the Lord touched him.

I dont have any answers beyond these people are in the hands of a merciful God who's judgement is a good bit better than mine.

Yes. We don't know what they hear vs what they understand vs what physical responses they may or may not have. We can present the gospel to them, we MUST do this for them.

Just like you can play a CD for kids to learn (for a play or a program). While it is playing in the background, they are playing, reading, fighting, putting gum in each others' hair, dumping cream of wheat in someone's ear and...a week later they are singing the songs. We can't tell what is going on inside of someone if we are stuck in the box of traditional response.

Ohhhh it's so good to be a "one stepper" No longer having to tell those whom the Lord clearly touches, you didn't get "it", come back next week and try again.

I wonder why Philip in Acts 8 or Paul in Acts 19 didn't rest along with you in your knowledge of receiving the Spirit.

Sad. even in a thread like this it comes down to us and them.

There is a male who attends our church several times throughout the yr. He is older than I, nearly 30. He has the mental capacity of a young child. I really doubt he has a real understanding.
Lately I have been praying "Lord, if he doesn't have the mental capacity to comprehend 'salvation', heal him enough to understand and be receptive..."

I have a friend that her son was able to do that. He was not healed but his mind was clear long enough to understand about salvation.