When it comes to following Jesus, we don’t have an accessibility issue

By Dean Collins

The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) explains that a disability is “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more the major life activities.” I am not an expert on ADA, but generally we consider these limitations or disabilities to include vision, hearing, mobility, cognition, memory or other neurological functions, psychological well-being and medical impairments. Both the ADA and hopefully our Christian compassion causes us to seek to remove barriers for those who have impaired functioning so that they can participate in and enjoy life more fully. 

When you read scripture from the Old Testament through the New Testament, we see that God wants all people to know him, and he made knowing him easily accessible. Sadly, in our brokenness we often have forgotten a large population who, because of certain impairments, experience accessibility issues every day.

In Romans 10:8, the apostle Paul tells us that God placed his word so close to us that it can and does reside in our mouths and our hearts! Paul quoted from Deuteronomy 30:14 as he made his point. The reference in Deuteronomy comes from Moses’ final message or instructions to the Israelites before he died and they entered the promised land.

 Here is what he told the Israelites:

“For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.”

Paul quotes Deuteronomy to show that all the way back to the wilderness God has made himself and his word easily accessible. The Ten Commandments are not hard to understand. They are practical ways to live out what God had told them in Leviticus: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” And Jesus reminds us of the same. We are to love God and love others. That’s not hard to understand, though in our apathy and sinfulness we continue to miss the mark of loving all people. We also struggle to show his love to many who struggle with their limitations and disabilities.

Preachers and bible teachers often quote Romans 10:15 to motivate or teach us to tell others the good news of Jesus: “And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’” The emphasis is usually on our “preaching” the good news. But I suspect there are many who can never hear our “good news” messages because the lives they see us live demonstrate bad news. When the world sees Christians ignoring people who have various limitations and disabilities, what does that reveal about our acceptance of the good news in our own lives?

To be fair, the world doesn’t really do that much better, if at all, in serving this population whom God loves as much as he loves you and me. The church in recent decades has improved marginally in serving these populations, but how great would our testimony be if we truly embraced showing every population the gospel with equal passion as telling or preaching the gospel?

Paul made it easy for us to understand. God’s word is near. Many believers have memorized portions of scripture, truly making it “in our mouth and in your heart,” as Paul wrote. Our daily opportunity is to allow every person from every background, including every disability, to see and hear the love of Jesus expressed in word and deed. 

Father, thank you for making yourself and word so easily accessible. Thank you for sending Jesus, that through our faith in him we can have you living in our hearts. Thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. Now, Lord, continue to transform our hearts and minds, that with our words and actions everyone might see and know that you love them and came to forgive, transform, renew, and restore all that is broken by our sin. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Your Time with God’s Word
Romans 10:8-17; Deuteronomy 30:11-14; Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 28:19-20; Galatians 3:28 ESV

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash
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