A Biblical Perspective on Living with Autism

Summary: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects many individuals and families today, presenting unique challenges and opportunities for those who live with it. While the Bible does not specifically mention autism, its principles provide guidance, encouragement, and hope for individuals and families navigating life on the spectrum.

Introduction
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological condition that can affect communication, social interaction, and behavior. The prevalence of autism has increased in recent years, with the CDC reporting in 2023 that 1 in 36 children in the United States is diagnosed with ASD.  

Although autism is not directly addressed in Scripture, the Bible offers profound truths that can help those living with autism and their families. These truths emphasize God’s love, His purpose for every individual, and His provision of grace and strength in all circumstances. 

The Value of Every Person
The Bible teaches that every person is created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), which gives inherent value to every life. This truth applies to all people, including those with autism. Psalm 139:14 declares, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” This verse reminds us that each individual is uniquely crafted by God according to His good purpose. Autism does not diminish a person’s worth in the eyes of God. Instead, it is one part of the unique design He has for that individual’s life.  

God’s Purposes in Autism
While the specific challenges of autism may be difficult to understand, believers can trust that God has a purpose. Jeremiah 29:11 assures us, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Autism is not an accident or mistake but part of God’s sovereign plan.

For families and individuals living with autism, this perspective offers hope. God’s purpose often involves using our weaknesses to demonstrate His strength. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Those living with autism can rest in the truth that God’s grace is sufficient for every need. 

Our Call to Demonstrate Love
The Bible calls believers to love one another and bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). For families living with autism, this command encourages patience, understanding, and compassion. Just as Christ showed gentleness and care for those who faced challenges, families and churches are called to support individuals with autism in practical and spiritual ways.

Churches, in particular, have an opportunity to reflect Christ’s love by creating welcoming environments for individuals with autism. This might include sensory-friendly accommodations, support for caregivers, or simply seeking to understand the unique needs of those on the spectrum.

Finding Strength in the Lord
Autism provides an opportunity for individuals and families to testify to God’s sustaining grace. Just as Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” became an opportunity to glorify God (2 Corinthians 12:7-10), the challenges of autism can point others to God’s strength and faithfulness.

Families living with autism may grow spiritually as they learn to trust God more deeply and grow in Christlike patience and love. In our response to each challenge, we may demonstrate the truth of Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Conclusion

Living with autism presents unique opportunities and challenges. Thankfully, the Bible offers guidance, encouragement, and hope for those navigating life on the spectrum. As we trust in God’s plan, show love and support to one another, and rely on His grace, we can see his glory revealed in and through the lives of those with autism.

For individuals and families living with autism, the promise of Philippians 4:13 is a source of comfort: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” By his grace, we may faithfully live out His calling, confident in His unfailing love and purpose.

Related Articles:

• Why the Trials?

• Vision Trials & Victorious Testimonies

• The Gospel of Jesus Christ Offers Certain Hope.

Vision Trials & Victorious Testimonies

(Meditations on John 8-9). God has great purposes for allowing trials (Romans 8:28). In 2019, I developed an eye problem that left me without vision in half of one eye. An emergency surgery restored my vision, albeit with some lasting effects. I’m thankful that the Lord has worked through this trial to grow my dependence upon him.

Not long after my own vision trial began, I met a man who lost his vision after suffering a stroke. Although he had strayed from God, he evidently remembered that “he that is of God heareth God's words” (John 8:47). And so he allowed me to read Scripture to him. Thankfully, the words of God have the effect that God desires (Isaiah 55:11). After a short time, the man testified that God used his trial of blindness to open his eyes again to the truth of God’s words! Like the psalmist, he recognized that God used an affliction to call him back to obedience (Psalm 119:67). God had a great purpose for his trial!

In John 9, we see Jesus’s purposes for miraculously giving vision to a man who was blind from birth (John 9:1). Christ’s disciples asked if the man’s blindness had resulted from sin (John 9:2). The Lord replied that the man’s blindness had been allowed in order to create an opportunity for him to perform a miracle that would demonstrate his power (John 9:3). (Also recall John 5:36, John 10:25). Truly, the Lord had a great purpose for allowing this trial, too!

That man’s response to his trial also demonstrates God’s purposes for trials. First, the man responded by giving a testimony of Christ’s power to his neighbors (John 9:8-12) and to Jewish leaders (John 9:13-34). Because of his trial and his testimony of healing, many were challenged to consider Christ’s identity.

Second, the man came to faith in Christ as a result of his trial! After Jesus gave the man sight, the Lord asked him if he believed “on the Son of God” (John 9:35). The man humbly answered, “Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? (John 9:36). Jesus replied, “Thou hast both seen him and it is he that talketh with thee” (John 9:37). The man answered, “Lord, I believe” (John 9:38). Amen!

Third, the man’s trial and his miraculous healing by Christ resulted in his worship of Christ (John 9:38). To worship is to bow one’s heart in reverence and adoration. As a result of his trial, the man humbled himself before his Lord and Savior. Amen!

Believers should remember that the Lord has great purposes for trials. We should allow this truth to frame our response to every trial. Father, help us to “glory in tribulations” (Romans 5:3). And help us to be quick to testify to the grace that we have received from Christ to endure trials (2 Corinthians 12:9). Trials that result in victorious testimonies for Christ are victories indeed!

Learn more about why God allows trials at http://bit.ly/WhyTrials

See these Bible-listening tips for people with low vision.

Copyright © 2020 Robert W. Hammond.

How Should Christians Respond to COVID?

Pastor Robert Hammond, Long Hill Baptist Church, Trumbull, CT (Updated January 9, 2025)

People around the world are understandably concerned about the ongoing risk of contracting COVID.  This article provides information about avoiding infection, together with information about how we can be physically and spiritually prepared for COVID-19.  

Being Physically Prepared

Avoiding infection.  See details about current recommendations at https://www.cdc.gov/covid/index.html

Being Prepared Spiritually

Be reminded that God has an answer for our anxiety.  In Philippians 4:6, the Lord commands us to not be filled with worry about anything. “Be careful for nothing,” writes Paul. “But in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”  

Instead of worrying, we are to pray about our worries. And we are called to do so with thankfulness. Be thankful that God desires to hear our worries.  And be thankful that he desires to answer our prayers. Believers who obey these commands are promised a blessing:  “The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:8). Note also that the Lord commands us to focus our minds on godly things rather than fearful things (Philippians 4:8).

Remember that God sometimes uses illness to bring people to Christ.  The blind man who received sight in John 9 came to faith in Christ as a result of his trial!  Pray that many people will come to Christ as a result of COVID-19. No doubt, this disease is causing many lost people to be more willing to hear your testimony of salvation and eternal life in Christ.  Be prepared to share the truth that the the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only true way to be prepared for the possibility of death.

Be reminded that God sometimes uses our physical illnesses to grow us. In James 1:2, we are commanded to “count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” The word “temptations” has the idea of trials. The Lord desires that we be grateful for trials because he uses them to grow us spiritually. 

Understand that God sometimes uses illnesses in order to demonstrate his power. In John 9, the disciples learned that a certain man had been born blind in order to create an opportunity for Jesus to demonstrate his power by giving the man sight (9:3). When Christ chooses to heal, he has power to heal.

But also understand that the Lord sometimes allows illnesses to continue so that he may continue demonstrating his power! That was the case with Paul's “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:6-7). Paul prayed for healing. But instead of healing Paul, Christ answered Paul’s prayer by promising grace (power) to endure the trial. And so Paul did not despair. Instead, he proclaimed, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me”  (2 Corinthians 12:9). Paul continued, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities... for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).

When the Lord chooses to allow an affliction to continue, rely upon his grace to continue -- knowing that he has good purposes for the trials (Romans 8:28). 

Understand that God sometimes uses physical illness to protect us from spiritual danger. In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul revealed that he was tempted to be prideful about his ministry. He understood that the Lord used a “thorn in the flesh” to protect him from that spiritually-dangerous pride.  Ask God to help you accept that, in his wisdom, he sometimes uses illness to humble us. 

Understand that God sometimes uses illness to encourage us to testify of him. Sometimes, the Lord uses physical trials to encourage his people to testify to others about his power in our lives. After the man in John 9 received sight, he testified to others about the power of Christ. Paul also testified to the Corinthian church about the power he found in Christ to continue despite not being healed. Whether or not God chooses to heal us, we may testify about his power in our trials (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Be reminded that illness is not always the result of our own sin. According to the Bible, illness and death are a direct consequence of Adam’s sin in the garden (Genesis 3). Prior to Adam’s sin, there was no death (Romans 5:12). When Adam sinned, God placed a curse upon all of creation.  Illness and death are two of the results of that curse. Some of the illnesses that we experience simply reflect this truth.

Understand that some illnesses are the result of spiritual attack. Job is an example of a man who suffered illness that was not related to his own sin. His friends repeatedly insisted that he suffered because of his sin.  However, the Bible records that Job was “perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil” (Job 1:1). Job’s illness was the result of spiritual battle rather than his own sin.  

Remember that God sometimes uses illness to correct us. While not all illnesses are the result of our own sin, our personal sin can indeed result in God correcting us through illness. For example, Paul told the Corinthian church that some of their members were weak or sick because they had sinned by participating in the Lord’s Supper unworthily (1 Corinthians 11:30). He also told them that some had died because of that sin!

What’s the biblical answer for illness that results from our personal sin? In James 5:13-15, we are instructed to pray and to confess our sin. The afflicted are instructed to “call for the elders (pastors) of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” Throughout the Bible, oil pictures the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit is convicting you about some specific sin, take a moment to confess your guilt. Ask the Lord to give you grace to turn from sin to obedience.

Be reminded that Christians should be prepared to demonstrate love to others. Christ commands all believers to “love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:39). He taught that people would be able to identify his disciples by love they exercised (John 13:34-25). In the event of a growing epidemic, God’s people will have many opportunities to demonstrate love to both to one another and to the lost. Bear in mind that the Lord himself makes this love possible as we yield to him (Galatians 5:22).

In conclusion, Christians would be wise to remain prepared both physically and spiritually. Bear in mind that “all things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28).  Lord, help us to be prepared to glorify our Savior, to reach others and to benefit spiritually from the trials that lay ahead. 

Further Reading:

• Why Does God Allow Trials?

• Vision Trials and Victorious Testimonies

Bible Listening Tips for People With Low Vision

People who are learning to live with low vision or blindness may encounter difficulty finding a good solution for listening to the Bible. While various apps and other solutions are available, many users have difficulty learning to navigate the content without the benefit of vision. Some potential solutions are discussed below.

1. King James Bible Radio. iPhone users may use the Apple music app to listen to the “King James Bible Radio.” This online radio station provides a continous 24-hour-a-day reading of the King James Bible. iPhone uses who are comfortable using Siri may simply say, “Hey Siri, play King James Bible Radio.” The benefit of this solution is its simplicity. There’s virtually no set-up required. The main drawback is that you may only listen to the passage that’s being read at any given time, i.e. there’s no option to navigate to a specific passage.
   
   

2. Podcast Bible. iPhone users may utilize the Apple Podcast app to listen to the King James Bible. The “Faith Comes by Hearing - King James Bible” podcast is an excellent solution that treats each chapter of the Bible as a podcast episode. To begin listening, search for the title in the Apple Podcast app. Then tap on the desired podcast and tap “subscribe.” Chapters may then be downloaded in advance or streamed.
   
   Once the podcast is subscribed, iPhone users who are comfortable using Siri may simply say, “Hey Siri, play my podcasts.”
   

   The main benefit of this solution is that it enables users to select chapters to read. A care-provider may pre-select chapters to download. Alternatively, a user may simply begin playback at the first episode (Genesis 1) and automatically proceed through the Bible. Again, each episode is a chapter of Sctipture.
   
   

3. iPhone Accessability Features. The iphone has a number of so-called accessability features that are designed to help those with low vision. These feature range from increasing the size of text to bolding text to a feature that reads that text on the screen. To explore these features, tap on the grey “settings” icon then tap on “Accessibility” in the Settings menu. Some of the features include:

   1. Magnifier - Turn on this feature to use the iPhone camera to magnify anything in your surroundings. Once enabled, just triple-click the Home button to start the magnifier. When using the magnifier, you may use two fingers to “pinch in” or pinch out” to adjust the magnification.

   2. Display & Text Size. Within this section, you may access features that bold text, increase the size of text and more.

   3. Spoken Content - Turn this iPhone feature on to enable the phone to read text appearing on most screens. Once enabled, just use two fingers to swipe down from the top of the screen that you want to hear. The phone will automatically begin reading the screen.

Related articles:

• Vision Trials & Victorious Testimonies

Readers are welcome to send feeback, together with other helpful suggstions.

keywords: accessible Bible, blind, blindness, low vision, vision loss. temporary blindness

Is it OK for Christians to Vape or Smoke?

Pastor Robert Hammond

This short article discusses biblical principles that apply to the use of nicotine, together with practical help for people who desire to stop using nicotine.

Many have concluded that it’s ok for Christians to smoke or vape because the Bible doesn’t directly address this topic. However, the Bible does teach a variety of principles that should inform our decision.

First, we are called to yield control to the Holy Spirit rather than to allow ourselves to be controlled by a chemical substance. This is precisely the point of Ephesisan 5:18, where the Lord commands, “…be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” The point of that verse is that God desires us to yield control of our lives to him alone. When we yield control to alcohol or nicotine, we necessarily cease yielding ourselves to God — especially in the case of addiction to alcohol or nicotine (or any other substance).

Second, we are called to demonstrate love to other Christians. In 1 John 4:7, the Lord commands us to “…love one another: for love is of God…” Smoking or vaping around others is unloving for several reasons: (1) It may be an annoyance to others; (2) it may encourage others to smoke or vape and (3) exposure to second-hand smoke has been shown to be dangerous to others.

Third, Christians do well to consider that the Lord has provided our bodies for his purposes. (Revelation 4:11). We should work to remain healthy so that we may continue to serve God. Further, Christians should consider that our bodies our indwelt by the Holy Spirit. in 1 Corinthians 6:19, the Lord asks, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?”

Last, it is also worth noting that the cost of vaping or smoking can impede our desire to be good stewards of our finances.

In conclusion, Christians should refrain from smoking or vaping in order to (1) demonstrate love to others, (2) to avoid addiction — which necessarily involves yielding control to something other than God and (3) to be good stewards of our finances and our physical bodies so that we may serve God as long as he desires.

If you are already addicted to nicotine or any other substance, consider these suggestions:

1. Pray and confess the sin;

2. Ask God for grace to stop using the substance. And ask him to help you seek comfort from him;

3. Get support from your pastor or someone else in your church. In addition, ask your doctor about programs to help manage the physical aspect of the addiction. In the case of smoking or vaping, this may include using a nicotine patch for a short time to help wean your body off nicotine.

Praise God for his grace and comfort!

If your’re not certain that you know Christ as your Savior, please learn more here.

Copyright © 2020 Robert W. Hammond.