Will any aspect of what we know as "disability" exist in heaven? I wrote three posts about that topic last week, but one comment deserved a post and not just a comment in response. Before I blog about that, though, here are the posts from last week:
In response to the last post, I had several comments, one specific that I wanted to respond to here:
I would have to disagree with this author's conclusion. In the Bible we are told in Phil 3:20-21 "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself." This is one of a few passages I believe there are that say we will have a new and glorified body in heaven. To me, this means that we will have bodies unaffected by sin. Bodies on this earth have disabilities BECAUSE of sin (the fall of man with Adam and Eve). Some of the people this blog quoted as saying "God didn't make a mistake with my daughter having [insert disability here]- they are right, God did not make the mistake. It was the genetic code or neural connections when the body was being formed that make the mistake. And why? Again, because of sin entering the world. Are these people telling me that if there had been no original sin, physical and mental disabilities STILL would have eventually existed? I doubt that is so.
I'm thankful for this comment, because it has several points worth discussing. First, it was an oversight not to include those verses in my first three posts on this topic. We do know from those verses that we'll have new, glorified bodies in heaven, and while we don't know exactly what the differences will be between the "lowly body" and our transformed ones, we know God is good and perfect in all he does.
I don't think, though, that the transformation from a lowly body to a glorified one would absolutely require for every aspect of every disability to be scrubbed away. His glorification could be just as much about changing the rest of us and our culture to include people who are not of the same tribe or tongue or label as changing them to fit better with us.
When I picture heaven, for example, we're all speaking English. Why? Because I speak English now as my native and primary language. Does that mean we'll all speak English in heaven? No, it just means that my current context is affecting how I picture heaven. I think it could also be that our current context of people without disabilities can affect how we think about disability.
I do think, though, that we will all be "able" in heaven. Disabled, in the meaning "not able," won't exist because glorified bodies are all able. However, could someone with a social disability that is disabling in our current culture be more able in the society of heaven that isn't looking down on, insulting, or excluding that person? It's worth considering.
As far as using the sin/fallen world argument, I agree that original sin - which has resulted in each one of us continuing that cycle, as all of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory - is the reason for suffering today. However, I don't think it's right to say that disabilities are the direct result of sin. Suffering, yes. But not all parts of a disability induce suffering. When Christ was asked in John 9 by his disciples, "who sinned that this man is blind, him or his parents?" Christ didn't say, "Well, actually, Adam and Eve did, which set into motion a fallen state in the world and that's why this dude can't see." (Obviously, the "dude" part wouldn't have been in the King James version.) No, he said that it occurred that the works of God might be displayed in the man. Yes, it could be that Christ was pointing toward the eventual healing of the man later in that chapter, but even so, he discounted the sin reason for disability in his response.
I'm not saying that I think disability will exist in heaven. And I'm not saying it won't either. I'm just saying that this is a conversation worth having, and I'm thankful that anonymous commenter joined in the conversation.
