The September 2025 issue of Christianity Today
included an article by John Swinton titled, “It Was ‘Good’ Not Perfect,” on how
the church views disability. He makes the statement:
Some of our errors in theology
around disability stem from a reading of the Genesis creation narrative that
idealizes Adam and Eve as perfect examples of human beings. The implication is
that there was not disability in the Garden of Eden and therefore disability
must have arisen after the Fall… While Eden was originally untainted by sin,
the Bible does not suggest that creation was perfect in the sense of
flawlessness or static idealism.
Instead, the divine pronouncement
is that the creation is good (tov in Hebrew). This word, in its biblical
and theological context, does not imply perfection or uniformity but denotes
relational integrity, aesthetic richness, diversity, and the capacity for
fruitful, dynamic life and connection.
While I agree with many of his points in the article, in
particular the definition of the imago Dei as a relational concept and
not mental or physical abilities, I struggle with some of his ideas. By his
interpretation, even if Adam and Eve had not sinned by eating from the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil, there would still be people who live with
cerebral palsy (the example he used to start the article) and other mental and
physical illnesses, disabilities, and diseases. Toward the end, Swinton does
note:
Many forms of disability are not
experienced as benign differences and should not be idealized… Suffering is
real. And for some, it is relentless. Yet we are not without hope: In the new
heavens and new earth, Christ will wipe away every tear, and mourning, crying,
and pain will cease (Rev. 21:4). But this does not mean that disabled bodies
fall outside the scope of creation’s goodness. All human lives bear the imprint
of fragility; every body carries its own marks of limitation and vulnerability.
It is certainly true that God created a wide variety of
people with differing gifts and abilities, and some of those may be things that
some people would consider disabilities. (Consider books like Neurodivergent
Genius by Ralph Rickenbach.) And in the new creation there may be variations
among people that we don’t expect to see, which is indicative of our limited
understanding of Creation and of science in general.
But the Fall did have profound impacts on all areas of
life—physical, mental, relational, and of course spiritual. When it comes to
disability and suffering, we must rely on God’s sovereignty. We can turn to
Romans 8:28-29, “And we know that for those who love God all things work
together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those
whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son,
in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.” And in 1 Corinthians
1:27-29, “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God
chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and
despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things
that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”
God can and will use all sorts of people and circumstances
for His purposes; therefore, we can take heart when life seems harder than we
think it ought to. Our limitations do not erase God’s image from us or prevent
God from working in and through us. Accepting our limitations does not preclude
a desire for something different or better. We can be content with who we are
in this life and yet still long for the Day when all will be made truly
perfect.
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time
are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us… For we
know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of
childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the
firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as
sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Rom. 8: 18, 22-23).
***
Here are a couple related articles to ponder:
https://www.andrewcorbett.net/articles/theology/was-the-original-creation-perfect/
https://crossexamined.org/was-gods-original-creation-perfect/
© 2025 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.
