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Hi there, everyone,

Welcome to another article from the Neurodivergent Analysis of the Bible. On this occasion, I will take into account a very delicate but necessary topic: Sexual purity. I say it is necessary because there are many things I need to consider. So, before submitting to God and asking for any petition I may have in my mind, I must have strong sexual purity; moreover, I always fail to be sexually pure. Nevertheless, I try to be sexually pure without God, and that wouldn’t be OK for a Christian, and cannot be OK as well for an invisibly disabled individual. As a theologian with autism, the major struggle that always puts me into spiritual warfare is sexual sin. I must confess all this to you, given that in the past, this sin has humiliated me, whatever the case.

Considering all this, there is a strong New Testament passage that aims to prevent us from sexual sin: 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8. However, many more Bible passages talk more explicitly about sex, leading me to the meaning that the Bible itself is in favor of purity and against lust! But how do we get purity? As autistic individuals, how we do speak to God if our testimony is weak?

As always, based upon the Exegetical Project sketch from the course on Theology and Disability I took during the spring of 2024, behold, I present another article for the Neurodivergent Analysis of the Bible: 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8!

What is the main idea of the text?

This is the pre-last chapter of the first letter from St. Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonian Church (see prior vv.1-2), but perhaps, imperatively the Apostle Paul directly addresses the sexual sin to be purely prepared (v.3); giving us the duty to control our bodies to live in holiness and honor without having to imitate the pagans, who do not know who God is and commit those evil sins through lustful passion (vv.4-5). In the same way, we must not cheat or harm any other brother in Christ to violate his wife, given that the Lord himself avenges all those sins, as St. Paul had solemnly warned before (v.6). And finally, the Lord Himself has called us to live in holy lives but not in impure lives, so anyone who refuses to live this beautiful life, perhaps is good at the human sight, but indeed, is an abomination to God, in which the Holy Ghost is interacting with our being (vv-7-8).

What is the meaning of this text?

“To abide in the faith of the gospel is not enough, we must abound in the work of faith. The rule according to which all ought to walk and act is the commandments given by the Lord Jesus Christ. Sanctification, in the renewal of their souls under the influences of the Holy Spirit, and attention to appointed duties, constituted the will of God respecting them. In aspiring after this renewal of the soul unto holiness, strict restraint must be put upon the appetites and senses of the body, and on the thoughts and inclinations of the will, which lead to wrong uses of them. The Lord calls none into his family to live unholy lives, but that they may be taught and enabled to walk before him in holiness. Some make light of the precepts of holiness because they hear them from men, but they are God’s commands, and to break them is to despise God.” (Matthew Henry’s Bible Commentary, n.d)

“Arguably one of Satan’s most effective methods for destroying lives and ruining relationships is sexual sin. This world is sex-saturated. Every day we are exposed to a myriad of alluring enticements that make up the sexual culture. It is no accident that pornography is a fifty-billion-dollar industry. Sex sells, and a lot of people are buying it. The parallels between Paul’s day and the modern era are striking. From prostitution on the streets to prostitution in the temples, if you wanted sex in Thessalonica, you could have it. And from websites to video chat rooms, if you want sex on your street, you can have it, too (…). Paul knew that sexual sin would destroy the lives and ruin the testimony of these young believers.” (Howell, 2015)

An analysis of this passage. What does it have to do with God’s character, and sex and disability matters?

The following passage we are currently studying from neurodivergence is a very explicit passage that if it were interpreted literally, neurodivergent individuals would for sure abstain from such a sinful nature: Sex.

The matter is that I had chosen this passage to consider because of the following quotation:

“If we are Christians, is imperative that we live with purity and holiness amidst our Corinthian and “pornotopian” culture. We must live beyond the horrible statistics, or the Church will become more and more out of touch and impotent, and our children will abandon it. The Church cannot have any kind of power if it’s not a pure church” (Hughes, 1991, p. 40)

Moreover, this is a strong passage about sexual purity. So, each time I watch something that God doesn’t agree with, I always ask “What Am I doing?”. Well, I do those things unconsciously. Social media nowadays is perhaps very damaging as to what the topics on sexual topics embedded. As you don’t know, my major struggle is against sex! Now I approach writing down this article to get rid of it in the sense of relieving and expressing all that I have upon my heart so the Lord Himself sees the evidence that, despite doing things He doesn’t agree with, may realize that he is for sure being magnified and glorified with the writing gift He had given to me, knowing that is a borrowed gift I need to count when on the Heavenly Court though.

In terms of the sexual conduct of autistic individuals, before going forward, I’m going to focus on the psychological aspects of sexual conduct under the autism spectrum as provided by Arroyo Estrada (2023):

• People with autism satisfy their sexual needs through masturbation more often than through sexual contact with others.

• Some people with autism show a strong interest and desire to establish intimate contact with other people.

• They manifest sexual desires or behaviors at inappropriate times or with inappropriate people (masturbating in public, showing interest in people who are not interested in responding to their sexual initiatives, showing themselves naked, etc.)

• Some people with autism need to use particular objects or visual stimuli to become sexually aroused, given their lack of ability to imagine sexually exciting situations.

• Some people with autism make use of other people’s body parts without distinguishing between sexes or the relationship they have with that person (they may be family members or strangers).

• Some people with autism begin to stimulate themselves anally with objects.

• Attacks of rage may appear that end in self-harm due to the frustration of not knowing how to release or channel accumulated energy.

This may sound a little awkward, but I need to confess that, according to the cited article, sexual sin is somehow common among us autistics! But what if we obeyed God differently than the traditional way of obedience that our local faith communities tend to teach us? What if we, as neurodivergent individuals, could make the difference our faith leaders demand from our congregations? What if we as “abnormal” people could follow the Lord’s laws? For more than a decade belonging to the Baptist Churches, I’ve tried my best to abstain from sexual sin but in some cases, it comes shamefully. So, now we’re going to explain about sexual purity.

How could we apply the principle in this passage concerning the disability challenge of sex?

There are so many contributions to this Bible passage regarding sexual purity, from Hughes to Matthew Henry, and even from a scientific article that points out a certain sort of sin: Lust. I must confess that I follow many survivors of this horrible sin on social media and even one of them who was an amateur in this industry thanks to a conversation with a Christian man (who is now her husband) on TikTok, quit. So, what happened to her? She immediately deleted her web page on such an online lust platform. In the Roman Catholic sense, there was one that consecrated to certain Catholic devotion after having quit posting and promoting lust on such a platform as well.

I also must confess that as a disabled individual, I always face lust at a higher point. I’ve been trying to overcome lust with no success. And when I supposedly accomplished an obsession as an autistic individual, such a sin duplicated four times more than expected. Here in Colombia, specifically, in the Pacific Region, there is a lot of lust published on social media. I must assert there is an even worse thing: A modeling contest that for obvious reasons I won’t give out the name, has caught too many young women to the sexual sin. Even worse, those of them attend Church as “devout Christians”. But the fact is, who am I to judge? Who am I to judge them if I consume their products unconsciously?  There is so much I have to say about the surrounding sexual sin, and I respond to questions surrounding this unique and hard Bible passage. So, we come up with the following: How could we apply the principle in this passage concerning the disability challenge on sex?

The best thing we can do on handling sex is something we can’t do but God. 1 Corinthians 10:13 states:

The temptations in your life are not different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

(NLT)

I see. But what could we do indeed to preserve our sexual purity? In my humble opinion, reading the Bible and praying is not enough as it will never be enough for us to serve our Lord in a narcissistic form of self-sufficiency (Something that King Saul had as we go through 1 Samuel). I advise every single person with a developmental and intellectual disability to face and battle their sins lonely, so God will know how to deal with them if you confess your sins to Him.

Angello Forero

Barranquilla, Colombia

Bibliography

1 Thessalonians 4 Mathew Henry Bible Commentary. (n.d.). Retrieved from Biblehub: https://biblehub.com/commentaries/mhc/1_thessalonians/4.htm

Arroyo Estrada, N. (2023). Vista de Sexualidad y Autismo. Revista Inclusiones, 81-96.

Howell, M. (2015). Christ-Centered Exposition Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Thessalonians. B&H Publishing Group.

Hughes, K. (1991). Disciplines of a Godly Man. Crossway Books.

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My dearest readers,

This is Bro. Angello Forero once again. And again, we have another article for the Autism Bible Study! On this occasion, we’ll talk about 1^st Timothy 2. This chapter caught my attention in v.1:

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf and give thanks for them.

(New Living Translation (NLT))

Moreover, the point straight for this Disability Bible Study is caught in the vv. 5-6a:

For, there is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—The Man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone.

(NLT)

But which Christ are we talking about regarding human reconciliation and the Salvation Plan for those who wish to be born-again Christians? And who are Born Again Christians? What if our testimony stumbles around the corner by walking out the door by proclaiming Christ as our only and enough Savior? All faiths and religions are saved, right, but what about the hell? The answer is: Praying…

 Well, if we pray to God, will He surely speak to us directly? If a conversation with God is like incense to heaven, will we have responses from Him in terms of fulfilling our vain wishes? As individuals with an invisible disability, how can we handle asking God specifically for our obsessions rather than for other people’s needs?

If I were a Bible scholar, I would have the response to this sort of question. Nevertheless, from not being a Bible scholar, I am out of sorts. My Christian life is like a can of worms, meaning that the Christian life for me doesn’t exist. However, the Bible takes into account seriously the Christian life, as is the sacred book of Christianity.

In relation to “All Religions are Saved”, in all times, I cannot agree with this because there are many Sacred Books in world religions. If it were for me, I would use this website to embed downloadable content that could be useful for English-speaking young people who attend public schools in their localities. Muslims have the Quran, Hinduists have the Vedah, and thus successively. Indeed, every organized religion has its own sacred text. But in Christianity, the Holy Bible has indeed divided the people of God.

Pointing out directly to 1 Timothy 2:5, there has always been ecumenism: The Catholic Church is filled with Hinduist adherents; Protestant churches are filled with Muslim adherents; and the Orthodox Church is filled with Jewish adherents. This is sad, but in reality, there are no Christians in the Church!

In terms of 1 Timothy 2:2, where St. Paul urges St. Timothy to pray for all the kings and governors of the world so, in my understanding of the original context, they could live peacefully and quietly marked by godliness and dignity, it may seem to me that, according to the explained above, we do not live a Christian life because our testimony encompasses the boundaries of what is allowed in Christianity though. In other words, our testimony stumbles and makes others fall! What could we do in terms of facing the surface of a godly testimony among worldly people? We want to evangelize the governments without understanding that supposedly “all governments are evil” and that saved parents should give away their children from the public education system. In certain circumstances, I do not agree with all these doctrines. Godliness is indeed something that all people need to have. That is right.

So, as always, we’ll talk about 1^st Timothy 2, giving it the neurodivergent analysis the delicious Word of God deserves! So, we will be talking about godliness, and why this is so important, and besides godliness, we’ll talk about the true freedom that Jesus wanted to give for us by dying at the cross. And besides this beautiful theology, we’ll talk about the preaching we may want to give to other people in and out of the Church.

What is the principal idea of the selected text?

The following is an Epistle from St. Paul the Apostle to St. Timothy (cf. 1:2). This reminds me of Acts 16:1-3

“Paul went first to Derbe and then to Lystra, where there was a young disciple named Timothy. His mother was a Jewish believer, but his father was a Greek. Timothy was well-thought by the believers in Lystra and Iconium, so Paul wanted him to join them on their journey. In deference to the Jews of the area, he arranged for Timothy to the circumcised before they left, for everyone knew that his father was a Greek”

How a tremendous blessing would be for a young Timothy to be invited to participate in the mission journey. But I must assert that the passage we’re studying in this article is an exhortation to a leader of the Early Church who was in his teenage years (I suppose). Something I must assert is that St. Timothy was the son of a Jewish believer mother but of a Greek father. I would say that this applies to my personal life as I live with my mother and my maternal grandmother (her mother), while my father lives with his wife in the same region of Colombia. For years, I’ve been greedily waiting to be a missionary, but to be a missionary, you must be pure and consecrated to the Lord and be involved in a Local Church. Amid that thing, I would assert that I agree with these terms since I never felt God’s call to minister and prepare outside Colombia or to study theology in a non-sectarian university here either. But anyway, He had mercy on me during these five (5) years of studying Theology at a non-sectarian university, in the end.

Based upon the above background of the Pauline Epistle, St. Paul the Apostle urges St. Timothy to “Pray for all People”, asking him to intercede on their behalf, helping them in whatever they need, and most of all, give thanks to them (v.1). He also urged St. Timothy for pray that same way for the kings and all in authority (on this, St. Paul the Apostle means, for politicians), to live peacefully quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity (v.3), reminding St. Timothy that it (prayer) is something good and that God pleases because of being the Savior, and wants everyone to be saved and understand the truth, granting thus to Him as the only God and Mediator who can reconcile God and Humanity, who sacrificed his life to purchase freedom for everyone (vv. 4-6a).

That message had been given by God to the world at the right time. Indeed, St. Paul was chosen as a preacher and apostle to teach this message specifically to the Gentiles about faith and truth (vv.6b-7).

The following verses serve as a concept of how ideal the Church would look like. These serve as instructions on how to be a Church.

First, St. Paul the Apostle orders men to pray with holy hands lifted to God directly, free from anger and controversy, in every place of worship. But that’s not at all, he also wants women to be modest in appearance (hence the concept of sexual purity, for further study, please read my blog on the neurodivergent analysis of 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 here), incentivizing them to wear decent and appropriate clothing and now drawing attention to themselves by the way they would fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls and anything else that corrupt them (vv.8-9), so they may be attractive by the good things they do (v. 10).

Now, something curious appears on the edge of this passage and is the fact that St. Paul the Apostle urges women to stay quiet and submissive, letting them listen quietly. So, what’s the principal idea for these verses: St. Paul the Apostle insists that God Himself created Adam first (that means, God foremost created man), so He created then to Eve (woman) (vv.11-13). Something beautiful and exciting from the Theology subject is found in the v.14:

And it was not Adam who was deceived by Satan. The woman was deceived, and sin was the result.

(NLT)

So, why do I say how beautiful is the subject of Theology? Because it also gives women hope! In the final verse of this passage (v.15), women will be saved through childbearing, assuming they continue to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty.

Good play on it, I guess. This passage is a must-read for all autistic Bible students! Now, let’s get to the significance of this passage!

What is the meaning of this passage?

“The Apostle’s first positive instruction to Timothy regarding his leadership of the Ephesian church was that believers should offer prayers for all people. He gave this directive to emphasize its importance, defend its value, and clarify its practice […]. In saying ‘first of all’ Paul underlined the importance of this Godward aspect of the church’s ministry. His use of the present tense throughout these verses indicates that he was setting before them what he hoped would be the practice of those to whom he directed his prayer exhortation. It is their varied ministries’ essential and primary phase” (Hiebert, 1992, p.16, as cited in Constable, 2014)

“For many contemporary congregations, the selection, recruitment, and equipping of lay leaders has become a challenge. ‘Time is’, as one sociologist observes, ‘the new currency’. People are less willing than they once were to serve on boards and committees. They often simply say, ‘I don’t have the time’. That’s probably true in part. But sometimes the problem is that people do not perceive the experience of serving in this way as meaningful or consequential. Moreover, the tried-and-true processes like nominating committees don’t seem to be working very well. Meanwhile, pastoral leaders wonder how well prepared and equipped the lay leaders are for the needs and challenges they have. In this segment we want to engage the questions surrounding the preparation, selection, recruitment, and equipment of all the congregation’s lay leaders. How can this challenge become an opportunity? How does 1 Timothy 3:1-13 helps us think in fresh ways about a congregation’s lay leadership?” (Robinson & Wall, 2012, pp.1470-1471)

“The disciples of Christ must be praying people; all, without distinction of nation, sect, rank, or party. Our duty as Christians, is summed up in two words; godliness, that is, the right worshipping of God; and honesty, that is, good conduct toward all men. These must go together: we are not truly honest, if we are not godly, and do not render to God his due; and we are not truly godly, if not honest. What is acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, we should abound in. There is one Mediator, and that Mediator gave himself a ransom for all. And this appointment has been made for the benefit of the Jews and the Gentiles of every nation; that all who are willing may come in this way, to the mercy-seat of a pardoning God, to seek reconciliation with him. Sin had made a quarrel between us and God; Jesus Christ is the Mediator who makes peace. He is a ransom that was to be known in due time. In the Old Testament times, his sufferings, and the glory that should follow, were spoken of as things to be revealed in the last times. Those who are saved must come to the knowledge of the truth, for that is God’s appointed way to save sinners: if we do not know the truth, we cannot be ruled by it.” (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary, n.d)

3 Key Principles of the present Bible passage when it comes to the special needs ministry in the Church

Key Principle #1: Prayer

          “Prayer is so important because it invites God into the situation we pray about, and it secures His working on behalf of those in need. Paul did not deal with the reason God has incorporated prayer into His sovereign control of the universe here. He assumed his readers understood this since God has revealed this elsewhere in Scripture. His point here was that Christians must not fail to take advantage of this supernatural resource at their disposal by neglecting prayer”. (Constable, 2014)

Perhaps prayer is what we as invisibly disabled individuals need more often. I say “perhaps” because supposedly we’d want to speak to a supernatural entity by faith alone. Well, as an autistic individual, it often makes it difficult to pray. I say that because in certain cases, I pray to God asking for irrelevant things that tend to be prejudicial for my own life, despite not wanting to have them, they are stronger than my person. This is due to the sin that makes many neurodivergent individuals struggle in life, even when they are diagnosed lately as many adults do. The more we feed our sins, the more we are condemned (that is my humble opinion about the prayer case).

I want to approach praying and journaling. I mean, I pray in a notebook, somehow digital, or physical, it doesn’t matter if you pray to God in writing, but the mere important thing for you is a prayer journal. If our Church leaders insist on reading God’s Word, what if we pray to Him in writing? I must assume that I am praying now to God by writing this article based on a very important manual for the entire and pure Christian religion.

Would wish besides to provide alternative devotions for autistic individuals in and across the internet inside the Protestant churches. Perhaps Catholicism is something beautiful, and so is Protestantism. In Southern Italy, there exists a folk religion linked directly to Catholicism. It is called “the Way of Blessings” (Benedicaria in Sicilian Italian). I was approached to this book by the own author, who on Facebook wrote me “Buy the book ‘Benedicaria Magical Catholicism”. When I did my search on the book, I realized about an alternative devotion that is commonly used in Southern Italy (particularly in the Region of Sicily). It is called “The Chain of St. Michael the Archangel”. Well, I couldn’t say exactly about this book because I haven’t read it, and I’m not a Catholic either, but I must assume that to sacrifice my life for the Protestant Church, I should buy both the book and the Saint Michael’s Chain in sacrifice to the Protestant Church. That is, indeed, a praying method!

Key Principle #2: There is one God and one mediator between the men: Jesus Christ the Lord.

As a sort of fact, I can accurately say this: There is only one God and one mediator between the men: Jesus Christ the Lord. Well, as a young Christian man who was harshly treated in a fundamentalist Christian school in Bogotá (Colombia’s capital city), I can say that many of those people who claim that Jesus is the only mediator between men are something that takes up oppression as well. Why do I say this? Because I lived it.

Moreover, most theologians inside the Roman Catholic Church say that this verse doesn’t necessarily say that Divine Mediation comes directly from the Lord, but heavenly intermediaries assist us in many circumstances. That is the Communion of Holy Ones (Saints and Angels). In some instances, I agree that there is only one God and Mediator between human beings, and that is the Lord. So, to exaggerate and footage the facts, some conservative Catholics say that the Saints and Angels are intercessors of the Lord in many factors but are not pretending to be gods or goddesses. However, in my humble manner of thinking, I suppose this source of thought is questioned, and in my culture here in Colombia, there are many Catholics who live worldly, pointing out to the Protestants to authentically attack them and say that it’s “idolatry”.

Now, analyzing neuro-divergently vv.4-6 of the studied passage, how can we connect the one Mediator and one God between men if we do not see, touch, or talk to Him? Is prayer something that we can use to connect with the Divine? I do not see that way, I guess. There are many things to do to serve the Lord and feel God’s call. That is, indeed, the Salvation Plan we often want to give to the unbelievers. Furthermore, something I want to contribute to this is that there are many differences between believers and disciples (I am indeed, a believer, rather than a disciple). In my Protestant (Most of all, Independent Fundamental Baptist) concept, those who receive God’s call tend to prepare in a country with a different culture, because of their authenticity of preparing for God and serving Him full-time. In some instances, I couldn’t agree more with that, but in the same way, those God-called servants tend to judge those who are marginalized and those who are having a bad moment. In my personal experience, I was judged by a young lady who prepared for the Lord in a Baptist seminary in Mexico for three (3) years, and as an effect, I keep thinking about her, because she judged me frequently. Later in life, my maternal grandmother (who was the first and only soul I had gained for the Lord), confessed to me that she [the young lady who prepared for the Lord in Mexico], made my grandma some bad gestures to her as she judged me in many ways.

Based upon this anecdote, the best we do to connect with God (even if we do not see or touch Him), is through a House of Worship. I can say that for those who are Catholic and are reading this article, there is a mere opportunity to work alongside the Roman Catholic leader (the Pope) in Vatican City, as not as recently, the Holy See (the Roman Catholic Church Headquarters), behold implemented a website for those professional and unskilled faithful of the Church who are interested in working there. Besides that, Saudi Arabia (the country where is located the Meca), is a very prosperous nation and even foreign nationals emigrate to that country without the need to implement their religions in other Christianized cultures. Yes, Arabia Saudi and Vatican City are two different countries, one is located in Europe and the other one is located in the Middle East. So, what is the point here? The point is that each one of them is the headquarters of their respective religions (Islam and [de facto] Christianity). In effect, would wish the Protestant Church headquarters to be located in Jerusalem (Israel) in the Holy Land. If we do not see God and do not touch Him, the best a neurodivergent individual can do is to connect with Him in the Holy Land and the Holy Bible, respectively.

Key Principle #3: The Ecclesial Ministry

In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy. And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.

Women should learn quietly and submissively. I do not let them women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly. For God made Adam first, and afterward, He made Eve. And It was not Adam who was deceived by Satan. The woman was deceived, and sin was the result. But women will be Saved through childbearing, assuming they continue to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty.

(1 Timothy 2:8-15 NLT)

The third key principle obtained for this Disability Bible Study is the instructions on what to expect about an ecclesial ministry.  Despite St. Paul the Apostle pointing out more to women than to men (vv.9-15), it has always been asserted that Autism is more frequently diagnosed in boys than girls. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that girls do not seem to be autistic though. So, to generate no debate, I must assume that v. 8 is somehow directed toward men to be Holy on the Lord so long that they serve Him with Holy Hands, you know.

Would wish autistic women could read this Disability Bible Study that seeks for them to be saved more than autistic men. I appreciate them, as there are some autistic women whom I value much and there are even two women I know virtually, and that’s the matter why I have a friendship in the U.S. who is like a grandmother to me. I assume there are young women with Autism (whatever the gravity level is) who, besides being literal, tend to serve more the Lord than an average, neurotypical autistic woman. They are committed to reading the Bible, and they are more open-minded to godly things. Well, that is my approach to vv. 9-15!

How can these three principles be related to the suffering of an individual with an invisible disability?

Before finishing with this succulent Disability Christian Life Lesson, I want to approach Eareckson Tada pointing out vv.1-2 of the studied passage, as always:

“No one is above the need of God’s help in carrying out their responsibilities. So in his instructions of worship, Paul encouraged Timothy to ‘Pray for all People’. He went on to specifically note the need to pray for government officials and those in authority because it allows Christians to ‘live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity’. Rather than simply complaining about policy changes or worrying about funding cuts in health care or benefits, let us first pray for those in authority” (Beyond Suffering Bible, 2016)

Tremendous words from Mrs. Tada! I want to approach something quickly, and is that, during Donald J. Trump’s first U.S. presidential tenure, I remember printing out several copies of the White House Bible Study (WHBS). I say this in correlation to the words of Joni respecting the studied passage of the Holy Scriptures, as the teacher who taught the Bible to the Trump Administration (2017-2021), had taught these as well! As a reminder that, if you feel alone and that nobody is autistic in your congregation, you can make a difference! However, there is a certainty that those who preach the Bible, fall off saying that government is the one the disabled must reach. This is dangerous because it is legalism (Eareckson Tada, Bundy & Verbal, 2012, pp.66-67). This reminds me of a lady here in my city who was looking for help from me and my local Baptist Church because, according to her, she was a “Single Autism Mom”. I remembered having given her 5,000 Colombian Pesos, and she immediately thanked me but followed insisting I help her. So, I took my hands off and helped her contact another autism mom who worked at her local autism foundation… Today, she’s been chatting with her instead of me. This was, indeed, charity evidence about helping out the needy, but in the same way, I felt awkward with no way to help her. So, when St. Paul the Apostle instated St. Timothy to pray for those in authority, it reminded me of these two events that marked my life.

Hope you have had a great delight by reading this wonderful piece of Disability Bible Study. My name is Angello Forero and am at your service here in Colombia.

You can reach me at religiontheo062022@gmail.com.

Angello Forero

Barranquilla, Colombia

References

1 Timothy 2 Matthew Henry’s Concise Commnetary. (n.d.). Retrieved December 19, 2024, from BibleHub: https://biblehub.com/commentaries/mhc/1_timothy/2.htm

Beyond Suffering Bible. (2016). Tyndale House Publishers.

Constable, T. (2014). Commentary on 1st and 2nd Timothy. Authenticity Book House.

Eareckson Tada, J., Bundy, S., & Verbal, P. (2012). Beyond Suffering: A Christian Perspective towards Disability Ministry. Joni and Friends.

Robinson, A., & Wall, R. (2012). Called To Lead: Paul’s Letters to Timothy for a New Day. WILLIAM B. EERDMANS PUBLISHING COMPANY.

Download the text here!

Hello there,

This is Bro. Angello Forero, and welcome to another Autism Bible Study article. On this occasion, we’ll explore autistically Psalm 37. As a mere casualty, this is a Bible passage that was gifted to me by my maternal grandmother. So, to emphasize this Psalm, we’ll do the study as we did before. We’ll study specifically the first seven verses of the Psalm.

Let’s get started.

What is the main idea of the text?

The following Psalm is a Psalm of David (Beyond Suffering Bible, 2016). He starts by saying that we do not have to be envious of the wicked and imitate those who do wrong (v.1). Then, through a metaphor, David encompasses the boundaries of the wicked and those who do wrong (v.2).

The following, as told by King David, is a piece of good advice to those who want to look for God and people, to be blessed and serve the Holy Lord and His beloved community of Holy Ones. He [David] asks the reader to trust in the Lord and do good (to emphasize the best, I would say “Do good without watching anyone”). If we trust in the Lord and serve Him, then we will live safely in the world and prosper. We should always commit ourselves to the Lord as He will make us live safely in this world, prosper, and with always His aid. Even He can make our hearts’ desires come true [unless they’re good] (vv.3-5). Next, King David assures that we often need to follow God’s directions, as He will make our innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of our causes will shine like the noonday sun (v.6).

The v.7 reiterates NOT to be anxious, but instead, to be in the Presence of God, and wait patiently for Him to act (this is indeed, something important I want to clarify later in this Bible study!). He also reiterates NOT to follow evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.

In summary, these seven verses of the 37^th Psalm are part of what would be called “Trusting in the Lord”. First, it must be worried not about the prosperity of the wicked, as the Lord has seen fate in them. Second is the trust in God because He will make living in this earthly world safe, making those who land it. The followed-up verses (vv.4-5) are some advice on trusting and taking delight in the Lord, and He will give one’s heart’s desires, committing itself to the Lord is the synonym for His spiritual aid. As a final advice, v.7 addresses directly to us to have stayed still in the Presence of God, so we could wait patiently for Him to act, giving an end by saying not to worry about wicked prosperity.

What is the meaning of the text?

“In the first six verses of the psalm, the emphasis is on persevering in the faith, especially because of the promise for righteousness (see Proverbs 24:19; 3:31; and 23:17). The section begins with the admonition ‘fret not’. It is paralleled with “Do not envy”. These warnings understand how easy it is to be affected by the prosperity and influence of the world, but that is not detailed here. All that is mentioned is “because of evil-doers” (See Proverbs 10:15) and not be a worry to the faithful; whatever they have should not be envied by the faithful. To fret or envy would be a weakness of faith, so the psalm will call on the people of God to trust in Him and live faithfully […]

Verse 3 signals the proper alternative to anxious fears and desires: trust (cf. Psalm 4:5) in the LORD and do good (Psalm 34:8). The idea is that believers submit to the will of the LORD and trust Him to sort out the inequities and conflicts of life. Their faith will be evidenced by their preoccupation with doing what is in harmony with God’s will […] The second command (v.4) is for the faithful to delight in the LORD and he will give them the petitions. As explained in Psalm 1, if the righteous delight in the LORD, their petitions will be in harmony with His will. This is not a blanket promise that God gives people anything they desire; if their desire is in the LORD their petitions will be fitting. Then they will enjoy his faithfulness.

Verses 5 and 6 expand the call to trust. The reason they can and should do this is that He will act. How He will act is the expectation of the faith: He will bring forth their righteousness and justice ‘like the light’ and ‘like the noonday’. Their righteousness and faithfulness will triumph over the world and its grim prospects. The smiles associate the display of justice with the dawning of a new age when God acts (see Proverbs 4:18; Malachi 4:2). This dramatic change in the order of things, the destruction of wickedness and the triumph of righteousness, will display the sovereign rule of God and vindicate the way of faith” (Ross, 2011, ps.805-807)

Key Principles in terms of suffering and God’s character in this passage

            Before highlighting the key principles in the first verses of the present Psalm, the principal highlight of the studied Psalm is the commentary embedded in the following article. Now, we will study the key principles of Psalm 37 from other passages cited by such a commentary’s author. It is a matter of fact that I am a theologian from a non-sectarian university. I would think those who are non-sectarian theologians tend to study the Bible from an academic perspective. But somehow, not everybody should be a theologian. Many emerging theologies have been created from the Protestant Reformation. Well, some theologies (like the Liberation Theology), have been linked to Catholic Social Teaching. This reminds me of when I wanted to create an immigration and cultural immersion program between the Archdiocese of Barranquilla and the U.S. Catholic Church, but they never were interested in the program. Well, such a program was a non-sense program for my benefit…

Now, we’re going to point out those specific key principles endowed in this Bible passage from the passages cited by the author:

Key Principle #1: Wishing not the evil-doers prosperity (vv.1-2)

Proverbs 24:19

“Don’t fret because of evildoers; don’t envy the wicked”

Proverbs 3:31

“Don’t envy violent people or copy their ways”

Proverbs 23:17

“Don’t envy sinners, but always continue to fear the LORD”

So, based on the above proverbs and the first verses of the passage in question, what are the evildoers? What are the wicked? Those are good questions to ask about. Because we would have to go to the Hebrew Bible and point out specifically the original meaning of what an evildoer is.

What’s more, there are even Christian evildoers! Just like Christian Communists, Christian Fascists, and even Christian Nazis. So, advising not to envy evildoers’ prosperity is understood, because those who pretend to be Christian, tend to judge (cf. Matthew 7:1), and harm those who have a true Christian Heart.

Hence another question, what is the true Christian heart? It’s understood that those who ask for money on the streets tend to be judged and not given any kind of money by those who claim to be Christian and try to evangelize. Whatever the case is, Christians tend to still judge those who are truly Christian, the matter is that those true Christians are bypassing a bad moment at the time the “Christians” judge them. The other comparative issue is that, because of the Christians’ acts, they do not want to receive an evangelism tract, even losing their faith. For example, there is a physically disabled man dwelling down the streets of the neighborhood where I live here in Barranquilla. One day, I and my maternal grandmother tried to give him an evangelism tract; so, do you know what he was up to? He rejected the Christian tract. At the next corner, he was asking for money. Do you understand why the hypocrisy of Christians tends to misbehave in the conduct of those who are marginalized in society?!

The matter of envying the evildoers’ prosperity is a matter of debate because there are many Christians who, according to the exposed anecdote above, tend to judge those who are bypassing a bad moment. Romans 2:24 says:

“No wonder the Scriptures say ‘The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you’”

Hence the idea of Proverb 3:31. Besides those “Christian evildoers”, there are also “violent Christians”. Those who are violent Christians are often watched out into legalism.

Eareckson Tada (2012), points out the following respecting these etiquettes:

“Sometimes people who think like that don’t mind if a person comes or not, with the fact that they meet the Lord is all enough. At the same time, some people aren’t interested in whether a person comes to Christ or not. The important thing is that they eat.  This sort of thought is also wrong and is too liberal. It eliminates Salvation from the Kingdom’s word. Christians who think like that do not see any difference between God’s work in the world and His work at the Church. ‘We are all God’s children’, they would say. ‘We’re all under the same shadow and teaching the Bible in reality is not different to teaching about reading and writing. Everything is God’s Word’. The conservative and liberal ways of truth are wrong.

The correct vision is not conservative or liberal either, but transformative. We’re here to transform the kingdoms of this world into kingdoms of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paige Benton. Christians should have to take Jesus to the media, schools, economy, medicine, as well as to the politics and technology fields. We transform these areas through the work of the kingdom and, as a result, culture is changed”

Key Principle #2: Trust and Confidence in God (vv.3-7)

Psalm 4:5

“Offer sacrifices in the right spirit, and trust the LORD”

Psalm 34:8

“Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in Him!”

Proverbs 4:8

“If you prize wisdom, she will make you great. Embrace her, and she will honor you”

Malachi 4:2

“‘But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings’”

Do you remember what I said at the beginning of this Bible study? I did not select this Bible passage from the lectionary or my regular Bible reading either. Instead, it was given to me by my maternal grandmother. And is the matter of faith found in vv. 3-7 of this psalm.

In certain circumstances of life, we tend to be impatient toward many factors. For example, as a person with an invisible disability, I certainly can’t tolerate waiting for things I must afford urgently. In some instances, those urgent things are not important! I’m currently on the eve of graduating from theologian, and this makes me anxious. It is just because I need the title to get a job at the Vatican. However, if I want to work at the Vatican and at the same time, I wish to volunteer at my local Baptist Church in her partnership with Joni and Friends (I abruptly confess this), what is my definite religion? Well, that “religion” is patience, commitment, and trust in the LORD. In reality, that’s the straight point to the studied passage in question!

In a mere instance, there is something I want to say about v.6:

“He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun”

            Hoping to make a redux edition of this Bible Study in the future. But through the allegorical school of hermeneutics, I will surely say that this Psalm encourages us to follow God’s Rules, and we’ll prosper in a very beautiful way.

How can these principles relate to my path with Jesus?

“The closer we grow in our relationship with God, the more the things of God will delight and please us. And as our desires and pleasures come to reflect God’s desires and pleasures, we will find our deepest longings and yearnings fulfilled. This is the key to contentment, peace, and happiness in life.” (Beyond Suffering Bible, 2016)

In my humble opinion, I don’t think I’m saved because of my sinful lifestyle. However, God has been merciful and has had grace for me in all my way of life. However, I must say that reading the Bible is not enough, because we lack biblical literacy in the sense of not knowing anything about the languages the Bible was originally written.

Besides, in my humble opinion again, trust in God is a step forward in obedience. When we are baptized, there is a certain way we need to talk about feeling God’s call and minister to another. However, if we become reluctant as to what God says in His Word, are we obeying God in our lifestyle?

In the same way, which God are we obeying? That’s an important issue I’d want to address in the sense of using biblical languages for the following studies found in religiontheo.blogspot.com.

In some instances, I want to trust in the Lord more confidently and commit myself to the Lord in a way that can be transparent. Nevertheless, I feel lonely when I am the only autistic church boy in my Baptist Church (and in the Independent Fundamental Baptist churches in general). However, God’s grace and mercy have been godly to me. As godliness is only God, what if we follow up the godly God we use to teach and preach?

Angello Forero

Barranquilla, Colombia.

References

Beyond Suffering Bible. (2016). Tyndale House Publishers.

Eareckson Tada, J. (2012). The Disability and Kingdom Matters. In J. Eareckson Tada, S. Bundy, & P. Verbal, Beyond Suffering: A Christian perspective to the Disability Ministry. Joni and Friends.

Ross, A. (2011). A commentary on the Psalms 1-41. Kregel Publications.

Download the Text Here

My dearest readers,

This is Bro. Angello Forero. Welcome to another blog post on this website. On this occasion, I’ll keep analyzing neuro-divergently the Sacred Book of Christianity. What that is? The Bible! In this blog entrance, I will analyze neuro-divergently Hebrews 12:1-13. Let’s go ahead with it.

Before going further to chapter 12 of the aforementioned book, let me introduce a little bit about the Book of Hebrews. This is an epistle written by an unknown author. Perhaps directed to the Hebrew people, in my reflection, this New Testament book is very well-known for the encouragement for all the Church to engage in community as the brethren of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:25).

“Because of this superiority of Christ, Christians must “give the more earnest heed” (2:1), must not have an unbelieving g heart that turns away from the living God (3:12), must enter God’s “rest” (4:10), must not “fall away” (6:6), must hold unswervingly to the hope they profess (10:23), and must fix the eyes constantly on the example of Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith” (12:2). Christians are “receiving a kingdom that cannot be moved” and in thankfulness they must worship God acceptably with reverence and awe (12:28)” (Holy Bible: King James Version, 1994, p. 1644)

This New Testament book, like the other Epistles of the Apostles, is both a handbook, a manual, and a guide for all the churches. From The Better Spokesman for God (1:1-4:13) who was nobody other than our Lord, Jesus Christ, and to The Practical Appeal (10:19-13:25) in terms of topics, this book contains so much relevance in today’s ecclesial community. We will focus on chapter 12, verses 1 to 13.

Main Ideas of the text

This passage focuses on the slipping off from every weight that makes our faith slow down, specifically the sin (v.1.), so we run out to the race in which God has already won. By doing this, we must see Jesus Christ’s example because He’s the one who initiates and perfects our faith in a single way: Through crucifixion! He is now on the right-handed side of Our Heavenly Father (cf. Revelation 3:21). We now must think about the hostility that caused Jesus to suffer so we not become weary and give up in surrendering our burdens to Him (cf. Matthew 11:28) (v.3). Nevertheless, we haven’t even given our lives in the struggle against our sins (v.4). Perhaps, in my humble opinion, the first verses of the questioned passage tend to remind us on giving up our sins and become holy on God’s name. However, despite Jesus Christ having surrendered to die for us, we even think we can sin as many times as we can because we think the Lord loves us (cf. Romans 6:15). Hence, St. James the Apostle intercedes:

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for the orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you

 (St. James 1:27 NLT).

Referencing Proverbs 3:11-12 (vv.5b-6), the author of the book of Hebrews exhorts us not to forget the words that Jesus Christ’s Father had conceived us through King Solomon, reminding that God disciplines those that He loves, and punishes those who accept to be His children!

The following verses are a kind of encouragement to accept irreproachably the discipline of the Lord in terms of correction and discipline:

As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as His children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not his children at all.

(vv. 7-8)

This approach from the author of the Epistle to the Hebrew Church can even be a warning sign when we want to push our parents or other authorities. In this sense, if one child disobeys his father, he disobeys God (vv.9-10). The discipline is not as sweet as it would be thinking about, it is painful and hurtful. Nevertheless, the harder you work, the bigger the reward! And it will be more rewardable if we obey God (v.11).

In the last piece of advice, there is hardly a need; to turn God’s Will, it needs to take a grip on our tired hands and strengthen our weak knees (v.12). As a last piece of advice, we must mark out a straight path for our feet so nobody can be weak, but strong (v.13).

What is the meaning of this passage from the Book of Hebrews?

“Faith heroes are not just life examples in our lives. They also make part of the great cloud of witnesses encouraging us to persevere. The image this Book represents is a path, maybe within a stadium where all the stands are occupied by the Saints who have already finished their path on the earth and are currently awaiting their final repose with God (…) Nobody loves to be disciplined; however, for those who wish to run for a marathon, discipline is more than necessary—It’s vital— if one pretends to finish it (…).

If we are truly children of God, we must wait for Him to discipline us, to be more capable of remaining in his path. The children who do not receive any discipline grow up insecure, disrespecting their parents, and even doubtful of their relationship. As legitimate children of God, we must understand discipline as an honor and as one of the forms that God trains us to convert into the people, we want them to wish. Throughout suffering is difficult to lose this from view. But, as we were instructed to set our eyes on Jesus, in the same way, He exercises us through discipline, which takes us to live in justice and peace in His Kingdom.” (Velloso, 2019, pp.2442-2443)

“The persevering obedience of faith in Christ, was the race set before the Hebrews, wherein they must either win the crown of glory, or have everlasting misery for their portion; and it is set before us. By the sin that does so easily beset us, understand that sin to which we are most prone, or to which we are most exposed, from habit, age, or circumstances. This is a most important exhortation; for while a man’s darling sin, be it what it will, remains unsubdued, it will hinder him from running the Christian race, as it takes from him every motive for running, and gives power to every discouragement. When weary and faint in their minds, let them recollect that the holy Jesus suffered, to save them from eternal misery. By stedfastly looking to Jesus, their thoughts would strengthen holy affections, and keep under their carnal desires. Let us then frequently consider him. What are our little trials to his agonies, or even to our deserts? What are they to the sufferings of many others? There is a proneness in believers to grow weary, and to faint under trials and afflictions; this is from the imperfection of grace and the remains of corruption. Christians should not faint under their trials. Though their enemies and persecutors may be instruments to inflict sufferings, yet they are Divine chastisements; their heavenly Father has his hand in all, and his wise end to answer by all. They must not make light of afflictions, and be without feeling under them, for they are the hand and rod of God, and are his rebukes for sin. They must not despond and sink under trials, nor fret and repine, but bear up with faith and patience. God may let others alone in their sins, but he will correct sin in his own children. In this he acts as becomes a father. Our earthly parents sometimes may chasten us, to gratify their passion, rather than to reform our manners. But the Father of our souls never willingly grieves nor afflicts his children. It is always for our profit. Our whole life here is a state of childhood, and imperfect as to spiritual things; therefore, we must submit to the discipline of such a state. When we come to a perfect state, we shall be fully reconciled to all God’s chastisement of us now. God’s correction is not condemnation; the chastening may be borne with patience, and greatly promote holiness. Let us then learn to consider the afflictions brought on us by the malice of men, as corrections sent by our wise and gracious Father, for our spiritual good.” (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary, n.d)

Neurodivergent Analysis of what this Passage means

Key Principle #1: Earthly Discipline

The selected passage of the Bible is explicitly related to the study of parenting. Topics like correction, spanking, and punishment are very related. I am a young man with Autism, right, but in certain cases, I would need to be grounded in my teenage years. It is certainly true that I myself have not my autism as a pretense or excuse to misbehave. I have that very confined in my thoughts. Due to the punishments, I faced through my infancy and adolescence, I think to beat myself. Moreover, every time I beat myself, I beat my family (this is indeed, what the woman who conceived me, tries to persuade me in terms of self-harming, something I need to be self-conscious about it).

Perhaps correction (as told by the author of the Epistle of the Hebrews) sounds pretty hurtful, but it helps. I must assert that the Bible itself is against men’s thoughts and wrath; however, the bible itself is the same one that has been used by human beings to persuade “justified” abuses that seek to fulfill God’s will in terms of obeying him.

This is what I approach to say about the earthly parenting. This passage from the Hebrews Epistle reminds me the words of St. Paul the Apostle:

Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. “Honor your father and your mother”. This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth”.

(Ephesians 6:1-4 NLT)

I remember having read from a pastor who is also a homeschool father who said “Perhaps our parents’ corrections may not be the best, but we need to obey them”. Partially, he is right. But furthermore, there have been parents that have abused verbally, psychologically, and even physically to their children. God does not abuse, but in some cases, His Word tends to be misinterpreted and take them shame.  In the Old Testament Book of Proverbs, there are many passages that have to do explicitly with the passage in question. One of them, Proverbs 29:15, states:

To discipline a child produces wisdom, but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child.

(NLT)

Having a disability, indeed, doesn’t give us a right to misbehave, but in some cases, when schools aren’t prepared to deal with a child with an invisible disability, in those stances, we’d try to get even to those good doers. The results? It costs you a millionaire! I must assert that we as brethren with disabilities in our churches, behold need to sympathize with the neurodivergent analysis of these passages I have embedded in this meditation.

Key Principle #2: Spiritual Discipline

Well, I have made up a good explanation about earthly parenting, and should assert that the explanation above is more like a social and neurodivergent approach to the passages that talk about parenting (including the current one we’re studying from Hebrews). I admit it, I always keep asking about God’s purpose for me. When I was a young person, I certainly confess that every time I prayed to God, I petitioned him for irrelevant things that weren’t so urgent for me but not important for God. That is the point.

There are many examples from the Old Testament that show how the chosen people of Israel sinned several times against God. One of them is explicitly showed in Zechariah 7:13-14:

“Since they refused to listen when I called to them, I would not listen when they called to me, I would not listen when they called to me, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. As with a whirlwind, I scattered them among the distant nations, where they lived as strangers. Their land became so desolate that no one even traveled through it. They turned their pleasant land into a dessert”.

(NLT)

This is one of many examples we can see through the Old Testament, and how the People of Israel, behold, misbehaved before the Lord. I always intend to petition God that He punishes me with the paranormal. I’ve tried to talk to many brethren-in-Christ within my denomination and doctrine as well, and they say to me that God is not a punishable Supreme Being. Spiritual Discipline is sometimes abused by those within the community of Saints that pretend to be more holy, then end up being more hypocrites than the one who is being disciplined.

 Nevertheless, the best I can do as a neurodivergent individual is the fact to be quiet and only cry in those cases I need to be disciplined, unjustly or justly could be the discipline. Still, I keep doing bad things that supposedly through discipline, I would end up in not doing them no more.

Key Principle #3: Self-Discipline

Hence the two key principles explained above, behold I come with a mere sense of belonging. Despite not being in the study of the selected passage of the Epistle to the Hebrews, it has however a very substantial thing that despite not being incrusted in the verses, behold, is self-discipline, which combines both spiritual and earthly discipline!

So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.

(Hebrews 12:12-13 NLT)

Maybe, the third and most important key principle for this Bible study is not included in these thirteen verses, but indeed, it is. We need to become self-disciplined and fulfill our goals for ourselves. Nobody is responsible for your acts, and nobody is guilty of your misfortune caused by those who pretend to oppress you. In some cases, we may fall into temptation, and is in that same stage when God pretends to apart from us but He doesn’t.

And yes, we need to go to the Church. Yes, we need to read the Bible. Yes, we need to listen to worship songs all time so the worldly people be amazed about our self-discipline, because we’ll fail several times throughout this life stage. But God, through St. Paul the Apostle, behold tell us:

The temptations in your life are not different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will now allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so you can endure.

(1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT)

This is a great consolation passage from our friend, St. Paul the Apostle when we fall in temptation and feel so lonely that nobody listens to us. But let me tell you something, in all cases, God is good and faithful. The vv.12-13 are also words of encouragement for the adult servants of God who might be facing also temptation to those we tend to correct. Amid those things, those who remain in the house of the Lord abound and their lives are changed.

In summary, we need to receive both earthly and spiritual discipline from our parents and elders to be self-disciplined. Proverbs 1:8-9 hides a big truth, as the passaged studied right now does!

How can this passage relate to my personal walk with Christ?

In words of Mrs. Joni Eareckson Tada (2016):

“God considered these unnamed people “too good for this world” but with treasures in heaven waiting to be inherited on the last day. Can you see yourself in this great company of saints? Your life may seem insignificant by all the measures of the worldly power and influence. But God does not do things the way the world expects. He humbles the proud and mighty and exalts the lowly and despised. God sees your suffering, and because he chose to be incarnated as a human being, he feels your faith.”

Perhaps she might have a big exegetical projection that my person. But I assert that my personal walk with Christ is evidenced in the latter verses of the present chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews. As a clarification, I am interning in a special needs Christian school here in Barranquilla (Colombia), and am currently terminating my degree in theology (I am a professional theologian, but nobody can be a theologian). The best I do is to glorify the Lord with my testimony, and, instead of deviating from the bad theology taught in my university (It is a Liberal Presbyterian university), I abstained from that theology and created, behold, my own theology. There is so much stuff to be improved. There are many posts on social media that say: “Early Success is a Scam; Big things take time”, and that is. What we all need to do is to be quiet and accept the discipline from our elders and parents, and obey the Lord through them.

Instead, train yourself to be godly. Physical training is good, but training for godliness is so much better, promising benefits in this life and in life to come.

(1 Timothy 4:7b-8 NLT).

Angello Forero

Barranquilla, Colombia

References

Beyond Suffering Bible. (2016). Tyndale House Publishers.

Hebrews 12 Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary. (n.d.). Retrieved November 03, 2024, from BibleHub: https://biblehub.com/commentaries/mhc/hebrews/12.htm

Holy Bible: King James Version. (1994). Zondervan.

Velloso, R. (2019). La Carta a los Hebreos. In R. C. Padilla, Comentario Bíblico Contemporáneo: Estudio de toda la Biblia desde América Latina. Ediciones Kayros.

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