After naming the distortions that have shaped how disabled and neurodivergent people are seen in the church in Part 1 of this study, we can turn to what Scripture actually says about the Image of God — and the picture is far more expansive, embodied, and hopeful than many of us were taught.
Movement Two — What Scripture Says About the Image of God
We've named distortions. Those distortions tell us who we are not, Scripture now tells us who we are — and it starts with God’s creative intention.
The Image of God is the foundational identity of every human being. Scripture begins with that truth through creation, formation, calling, and purpose. It begins with a God who creates freely and intentionally. Church Doctrine discusses creation from nothing. God doesn't work with pre-existing flawed material. God is good and His goodness is in all life. If God is good. Nothing created is bad. Disabled bodies, bearing God's image, must therefore be good.
This means the Image of God isn’t an achievement or a reward. It’s not something you earn by fitting a cultural ideal. It’s a gift rooted in God’s own character. If God’s goodness is the foundation of creation, then disabled embodiment isn’t outside that goodness — it participates in it. Scripture starts the story here, with identity before ability, dignity before function.
Genesis 1:26–27 opens with a shocking declaration for its original audience: “Let us make humankind in our image.” Not kings or elite people. All Humankind. Every person, body, and life.
Genesis breaks Ancient Near Eastern culture expectations and places dignity in ordinary people and bodies. No human being is outside God’s likeness.
This means the image of God is a status you receive. You cannot lose it or damage it. Disabled and Neurodivergent people bear God’s image. The image is tied to God’s intention and creativity, not ability.
Genesis begins the story by saying: this is who you are. Not what you can do, but because of who God is.
Psalm 139:13–16 brings this truth into the body. “You knit me together in my mother’s womb.” The language is intimate, tactile, embodied.
God’s not distant from human formation, but present in it. Every body is crafted with care and intention.
This passage often celebrates typical development. It’s truth is wider. If God forms every person, then disabled bodies are not deviations. They are diverse expressions of God’s creative work. They’re not mistakes or problems to be solved. They express God’s creativity.
For neurodivergent people and those, like me, with genetic conditions, this passage says your life, being, and world is not outside God’s knowledge or care. You are formed, known, and held.
Psalm 139 refuses to separate God’s presence from the body. It tells us that embodiment — in all its forms — is the place where God chooses to be involved. That means disabled and neurodivergent bodies aren’t obstacles to God’s image. They’re locations of God’s creative attention and are ready to be met and revealed.
Isaiah 44:2; 49:1,5 adds another dimension: “Thus says the Lord who made and formed you in the womb.” “The Lord called me before I was born.” These passages root identity not only in creation but in vocation. God forms, calls, knows and sends.
Disabled people are not passive recipients of care. They are called, commissioned, and part of God’s mission. Their presence is purposeful. Their gifts are essential. Their lives testify to God’s creative intent.
Isaiah refuses to separate embodiment from calling. Calling isn’t something that happens apart from the body — it happens through the body. Isaiah shows us that vocation is embodied. God doesn’t call a theoretical version of you or those around you, including those with disabilities. God calls you as you are, in the life you have, with the body and mind you inhabit.
Ephesians 2:10 gives us one of the New Testament's strongest statements: “We are God’s workmanship.” The Greek word poiēma means poem, artistry, crafted work. Every person is God’s creative expression.
This dismantles the idea that worth is tied to productivity. Disabled people don’t need to “prove or overcome” to serve God. They’re already God’s workmanship.
Calling is not ability-based. It’s God-based.
When disabled or neurodivergent people are told they are lesser or treated as objects of ministry rather than ministers, Scripture contradicts both, insisting on their full dignity, calling, and participation in the life of God’s people.
The Image of God isn’t an ideal divine body but a diverse gift given to every person; and if every person bears that image fully, then every person must be honoured fully — reshaping how we see each other, the church, and ourselves.
Creations diversity is part of creation’s goodness. Thomas Aquinas compared creation to white light. A source that combines many colours— each distinct and necessary to creations function. Human diversity works the same way. Disabled bodies and minds are part of humanity's spectrum, reflecting God’s creative imagination and image. If creation itself reflects. Diversity isn’t a challenge to unity — it’s the way unity becomes visible. The church reflects God’s image not by sameness, but by interdependence.
The Trinity gives us a model of inclusion. Father, Son, and Spirit, all different, united, interdependence, mutually life-giving. Human life reflects God's image when it's shared, supported and connected.
Together, Scripture gives a clear theological picture:
1. The Image of God is universal and intentionally embodied.
Every person bears God’s likeness equally, and every body is formed with care.
2. Calling is embodied and shared by all.
Disabled people are called in and through their embodiment.
3. Worth and diversity are divine gifts.
Dignity rests in God’s workmanship, not human achievement. Human bodily and mental variety reflects God’s creative imagination, enriches the church, and diversity within his personhood.
This is the centre of the Image of God. It’s not fragile, conditional, or dependent on strength, independence, or conformity. It’s rooted in God’s creative act, relational nature, and vocational calling.
Discussion (5 minutes)
Let’s take a few minutes together to explore two questions:
1. What changes when we see disabled and neurodivergent people as full bearers of God’s image?
2. How does this reshape the way we understand calling and ministry in the church?
When we see disabled and neurodivergent people as full bearers of God’s image, the church’s imagination begins to shift. Calling becomes embodied rather than ability‑based. Ministry becomes shared rather than hierarchical. And diversity becomes a reflection of God’s own life rather than a problem to be solved. This is the heart of the Image of God — a gift given to every person, in every body, without condition.
You can read about the workshop I spoke at please click here. If you want to read Part 1, or Part 3, please click these links.
No comments:
Post a Comment