4 1 3 6 9 12 SUPERNATURAL INFLUENCE IN THE WORLD
At the beginning of this study we said that God is involved in a super- natural way in the following ways: He acted to create time, matter, energy, space, life, and laws to govern; HE "upoholds the worlds by the power of His might"; He governs through natural laws; He creates relationships with his children through the atonement, regeneraton, justification, intercession, answered prayers, and etc.; He acts to reveal His will to maintain contact with his children; He acts redemptively toward those who violate His will; and He acts in judgment to correct.
Because words are necessary for communication we showed the importance of defining words to differentiate ways in which God acts supernaturally.
"The first step in this, as in all other discussions, is to come to a clear understanding as to the meaning of the term employed. Argumentation whether miracles are possible and if possible, credible, is mere beating the air until the arguers have agreed what they mean by the word 'miracle.'" (T. H. Huxley).
DEFINITIONS
Let us look at some of the ways in which scholars define a miracle:
"An event, occurring in history, which is so different from a well-known natural law that it arrests the attention of the spectator and deserves to be considered a special intervention of a supernatural agent...Notice that we haven't concluded that a miracle is a sign of God, only that it is so different from the regular order that it MIGHT be interpreted as a divine sign." (Arlie J. Hoover, "Dear Agnos" and "Pillars of Faith," p. 110)
"A miracle is (1) an extraordinary event, inexplicable in terms of ordinary natural forces; (2) an event which causes the observers to postulate a super-human personal cause; (3) an event which constitutes evidence (a 'sign') of implications much wider than the event itself." (The Living Bible Encyclopedia, p. 1262).
"An event occurring in the external world, which involves the suspension or counteracting of some natural law, and which can be referred to nothing but the immediate power of God...After all, the suspension or violation of the laws of nature involved in miracles is nothing more than is constantly taking place around us. One force counteracts another...When a man raises a weight from the ground, the law of gravity is neither suspended nor violated but counteracted by a stronger force." (Charles Hodge, Theology, Vol. 2, p. 76, Vol. 1, p. 621).
"A miracle is an event in nature, so extraordinary in itself and so coinciding with the prophecy or command of a religious teacher or leader, as fully to warrant the conviction, on the part of those who witness it, that God has wrought it with the design of certifying that this teacher or leader has been commissioned by him" (Strong, Systematic Theology, p. 118).
"All is wonder; to make a man is at least as great a marvel as to raise a man from the dead. The miracle is not a greater manifestation of God's power than those ordinary and ever-repeated processes; but it is a DIFFERENT manifestation." (Trench, 1949 Baker Book House, p. 10) # "A miracle has been defined as a work wrought BY a divine power FOR a divine purpose by means beyond the reach of man." (Herbert Lockyer, All the Miracles of the Bible, p. 13).
A prayer may be an immediate action on the part of God but according to these definitions it:
May not be obvious to the senses. May not be for a religious purpose. May not be in response to a command of a teacher. May not be a witness that it was from God. May not be to certify the miracle worker as commissioned by God. Does not involve a "miracle worker" who bestows the act.
MANIFESTATION OF MIRACLES
God works supernaturally in many different ways but the word "miracle" is reserved for certain acts. A study of about twenty resources shows an amazing uniformity in defining and restricting miracles to attestations of a Divine power. This understanding flows from the Bible's treatment of miracles as spectacular outbursts of God's power which are restricted to (1) WONDERS, or (2) MIGHTY WORKS, and (3) SIGNS.
A "WONDER" is characterized by the unusual, exceptional, and striking character of the works. These are also called "prodigies" or "wonders" (Mt. 24:24; Acts 2:22, 43). The word describes impact upon upon its observers (Mark 2:12; 4:41; 6:51; 7:37). Not even the unbelieving Jews could deny that Jesus was working miracles and their only answer was that He was the son of Satan.
Greek TERATA, something strange, causing the beholder to marvel, is always used in the plural, always rendered 'wonders,' and generally follows SEMEIA, 'signs.' (Vine, p. 1251)
However important we might consider God's work in our own lives we need to ask whether it is a "wonder" which creates the same amazement in the mind of the casual bystander or even by the most virulant critic of God's power.
MIGHTY WORKS are characterized by the power displayed. The word dunamis, powers, or mighty works (Mt. 11:20, 21, 23; 13:54; 14:2; 2 Cor. 12:12).
Greek DUNAMIS, power, inherent ability, is used of works of supernatural origin and character, such as could not be produced by natural agents and means. (Vine, p. 757)
Here, the emphasis is upon the one who performs the deed and it is a sign of the great power behind the one performing the miracle. Whether it is a sign, wonder, or mighty work the beholder cannot deny that something super- natural has been done in his presence. The miracles of Jesus are usually instantaneous and unquestionable and He never makes excuses when He is intent upon performing a miracle. This is quite different from God working provi- dentially or in answering prayer as we will shortly see.
SIGNS are characterized by their prophetic impact--as proofs of fulfilled prophecy (Acts 4:16:22; 6:8; Rev. 13:14). # Greek SEMEION, a sign, mark, token, is used of miracles and wonders as signs of Divine authority. (Vine, p. 757)
A SIGN is also a seal to authenticate the miracle-worker and his message. These signs were always pledges of something greater than themselves such as the Virgin Birth. They were seals of power to the miracle worker (Mark 6:30; Acts 14:3; Heb. 2:4). They were proof that the worker was a representative of God (1 John 2:18; 2 Cor. 12:12). In Acts 2 In 1 Cor. 12-14 the sign of foreigners speaking in tongues was a judicial signs against the Jews who failed to listen to clear prophetic preaching.
SIGNS AS PROOF OF AUTHORITY
The purpose of the coming of of Messiah begins with and flows through the entire Old Testament. The kingdom (church) which He would establish would be based upon the promises of God and justification would be based upon faith and reliance upon both the promises and the Promiser.
According to John, Jesus performed many miracles but the ones which are recorded in Scripture are to create belief and a resulting life. We should see then the value of miracles as confirming Messiah and confirming the message which He left us. A large part of that verification depends upon miracles being "signs" or the fulfulment of Old Testament prophecies concerning Jesus.
"Many other signs therefore did Jesus in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are WRITTEN, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye may have life in his name" (John 20:30,31).
Miracles not only verify revelation, they are a part of the revelation. They are not addressed to the "sign seekers" or those who wanted to see some spectacular display of power because Jesus rebuked such immaturity when He said, "An evil and adulterous generations seeks after a sign."
Nicodemus came to Christ and said, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him" (John 3:2). Nicodemus properly focusses our study of miracles by showing their implication. Miracles, signs, wonders, mighty works are central to Biblical study. While we can understand science and nature from direct observation, the only way for finite man to understand an infinite God is to see His works. Of mortal man we are to "judge him by his fruit."
A brief examination of the Bible shows that miracles are integral, and not just incidental stories sprinkled throughout the text. The story begins with the greatest miracle of all--the creation of the universe. When Moses was called upon to do what he considered impossible, God told him, "prove yourself by working a miracle" (Exod. 7:9). Elijah and Elisha proved themselves by their undisputed miracles and Christ authenticated His message by His works, "Believe me for the sake of the works" (John 14:11). "The works that I do in my Father's name, they bear winess to me" (John 10:25).
John who was to fe full of the Holy Spirit and the God-ordained forerunner to Messiah never worked a miracle. He was not Messiah and he was not a messanger FROM Messiah and therefore he validated his work by his clear prophetic teacing. John understood the nature of Messiah and thus to prove Himself, Jesus gave as proof that He was Messih, "the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are clean, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life" (Luke 7:22). # No one made lame excused about the miracles of Jesus and they could not be questioned or denied. These were so spectacular that Jesus said, "If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father" (John 15:24). Jesus makes a distinction between perceived "miracles" and those which he did. They were so spectacular as signs, wonders, and might works that even His enemies could not deny their nature. And yet, they rejected Him and proved that they were rejected.
"Are then, it may be asked, the miracles to occupy no place at all in the array of proofs for the certainty of the things which we have believed? So far from this, a most important place. Our loss would be irreparable, if they were absent from our sacred history, if we could not point to them there. It is not too much to say that this absence would be fatal. There are indeed two miracles, that of the Incarnation and that of the Resurrection, round which the whole scheme of redemption revolves, and without which it would cease to be a redemptive scheme at all." (Miracles, Trench, p. 58-59)
"It is manifest that, if the miraculous facts of Christianity did not really occur, the stories about them must have originated either in fraud or in fancy." (Smith's Bible Dictionary, p. 566)
Bernard Ramm says,
"Older synoptic critics of a modernistic bent considered it a feasible task to go through the Gospels and shave off the miracles much like warts and leave the fabric of the record intact...The miraculous is part of the very fiber of the record that cannot be cut like a superficial growth and an extraneous and imposed body of material. Miracles inhere vitally in the records themselves, and if deleted render the record unintelligible." (Protestant Christian Evidences, pp. 137-138).
MIRACLES AS SIGNS OF CONFIRMATION
God confirms His messenger through the resurrection of Christ:
"which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, who was declared with power to be the Son of God by the resurrec- tion from the dead, according to the Spirit of Holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 1:3, 4).
The saving power of the Gospel is that it is a demonstrated proof of the resurrection and therefore the Diety of Jesus. If we believe that He is Messiah then we trust His promises and obey His commands.
God confirms His message retrospectively:
"These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled" (Luke 24:34).
God confirms His message prospectively:
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you" (John 14:26). # It would be outrageous to pretend that the Holy Spirit "reminds" me of something which Jesus never told me personally. The purpose of this "remind- ing" was to confirm inspiration.
God confirms His secondary messengers--the Apostles and Prophets:
"God also bearing witness with them, both by SIGNS and wonders and by various miracles and by the gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will" (Heb. 2:4).
"...When the apostles were ordained the miraculous SIGNS were promised to them, 3:15 Matt. 10:1...These SIGNS were thus credentials for the apostles and their gospel message, SEALS that proved their message genuine and exhibited the fact that the living and risen Jesus was present with them and working through them." (Lenski, Commentary on Mark, p. 768).
The finality of the confirmed message
Because there are so many who "contend for the faith contentiously" or who use unfair, unethical, and unscriptural methods of defense, Jude 3 has become the butt of many derisive jokes. However, this does not remove the passage from Scripture nor lessen its impact. It says:
"I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was ONCE FOR ALL delivered to the saints" (Jude 3).
The writer continues, "But, you beloved, ought to REMEMBER the words that were spoken beforehand by the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ" (v. 17). It is not Jude who is the authority in these matters but the "apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ." He says, "the apostles spoke the message, I am writing to remind you, you ought to listen to them." Luke also considered the eye- witnesses as authority.
What is the "faith?" Frequenty when the article is added the meaning is not "faith" or PISTIS, but the entire Christian system--all that should be believed and practiced--the entire scheme of justification by faith.
"'Faith' often means the faith which one believes, the confidence in the heart (subjective); but PISTIS is often undoubtedly the faith by which one believes, the doctrine, teaching, creed, gospel, divine truth (objective). It is so here in Jude, also in Phil. 1:27" (Lenski, Commentary on Jude, p. 610-611).
"Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ; so that whither I come and see you or remain absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of THE GOSPEL" (Phil. 1:27).
'Once' = for all time, 'till the end of the world'" (Ibid p. 611).
"When sufficient attestations were provided these miraculous gifts ceased; for those recorded in Scripture were sufficient and stand today as SIGNS and credentials for us, just as if they had been wrought before our eyes. To call for an endless line of signs declares only that the original signs were not enough. But the Lord does not discredit himself and his promised signs in such a foolish way." (Ibid. p. 771) # Let us hear it again: "To call for an endless line of signs declares only that the original signs were not enough."
Paul, if he is the writer of Hebrews, warns that the spoken word once confirmed or attested by signs is fixed, normative, unalterable, with the severest penalty for those who would change, ammend, or neglect it. Because God demands two or three witnesses, even when it is His own testimony, a miracle was a SIGN of its validity.
"...we must PAY MUCH CLOSER ATTENTION to what we have HEARD, lest we drift from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation...
"...at the FIRST was SPOKEN by the Lord, And was CONFIRMED unto us by them that HEARD Him; God also bearing them witness, both with SIGNS and WONDERS and different miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit according to HIS own will" (Heb. 2:1-4).
Paul establishes the following pattern:
-We must pay closer attention to what we have heard. -It was first spoken by the Lord. -It was confirmed to us by eyewitnesses. -The apostles as eyewitness were validated by, Signs and wonders, different miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit. -These gifts were distributed at the will of God.
MIRACLES AS SIGNS OF CONDEMNATION
Because the Jews had resisted the preaching as well as the signs and wonders God said:
"Go to this people and say 'You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; And you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; For the heart (mind) of this people has become dull, And with their ears they scarcely hear, And with their ears they scarcely hear, LEST: They should see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart And turn again And I should heal them'" (Acts 28:26-27).
Paul then shows the outcome of rejected signs and words:
"Let it be known to you therefore, that this salvation of God has BEEN SENT to the Gentiles; they will also listen" (Acts 28:28).
In reprimanding the Corinthians, Paul said:
"In the Law it is written, 'By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people, and even so they will not listen to Me,' says the Lord.
"So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe, but to unbelievers; but prophecy is a sign, not to unbelievers, but to those who believe" (1 Cor. 14:21, 22). # Tongues are a sign in foreign languages (a terrible thing to do to the nationalistic Jew) which they could witness, compare with the Old Testament prophecy concerning themselves and know that salvation was a universal promise and not a Jewish monopoly. Paul does not say that these are signs to "convince" the unbeliever and make him into a believer because the unbeliever on Pentecost saw tongues as proof of drunkeness and in Corinth they would see them as signs that the group was crazy.
The miracles of Jesus were not just slick tricks to create faith. Rather, they were so numerous, so far-reaching, and so spectacular that the average Jew understood that none but Messiah could perform such miracles. Their faith then came primarily from understanding that Jesus was "the Son of God."
On the other hand, to those who rejected the nature of His kingdom which they understood to jeopardize their law, their temple, their traditions, and their "place" as surrogates for the Roman authorities, these miracles became SIGNS OF CONDEMNATION. As Jesus said those who have seen the miracles are without excuse and utterly condemned:
"If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father" (John 15:24).
This component of condemnation would continue, we believe, up to A. D. 70 when the Jew's Law was no longer effective, their temple had been destroyed, and their "place" as important secular rulers for the Romans was gone.
After the church was established, the supernatural gifts which were given to formulate the church and produce inspiration were misused as proofs of spiritual superiority.
Paul, in his opening shot to the "sign-seeking and therefore evil" Jews and to the "human wisdom seeking Greeks," says, "For indeed the Jews ask for signs, and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach (prophesy) Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness" (1 Cor. 1:22, 23). Paul says to the modern sign-seeker "evil people seek signs but the only sign is the 'foolishness of preaching of Christ and Him crucified, burried, and resurrected.'" This is what he told the Romans in Acts 28 who refused to listen with their ears and see with their eyes.
Paul, in quoting Isaiah said,
"In the law it is written, by men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers will I speak unto this people; and not even then will they hear me, saith the Lord." (1 Cor. 14:21)
"He does not quote the passage as having any prophetic reference to the events in Corinth...it is a simple reference to a SIGNAL EVENT in the Jewish history from which the Corinthinas might derive a useful lesson. The Jews had refused to hear the prophets speaking their own language, and God threatened to bring upon them a people whose language they could not understand. This was a judgment; a mark of displeasure designed as a punishment and not for their conversion. From this the Corinthians might learn that it was no mark of divine favor to have teachers whose languages they could not understand. They were turning a blessing into a curse." (Charles Hodge, Exposition of First Epistle to the Corinthians p. 293)
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Tongues were miracles as a SIGN which confirmed the unbelief of the Jews and also served as a sign of Biblical confirmation because it was validation of the prophet who was guided by the Holy Spirit.
"But the purpose of the miracle being to confirm that which is good, so, upon the other hand, where the mind and conscience witness against the doctrine, not all the miracles in the world have a right to demand submission to the word which they seal. On the contrary, the supreme act of faith is to believe, against, and in despite of, them all, in what God has revealed, and implanted in the soul, of the holy and the true; not to believe another gospel, though an Angel from heaven, or one transformed into such, should demand it" ( Deut. 13:3; Gal. 1:8). (Trench, p. 17).
"They refused to listen to the prophets, who spoke to them in their own language; and out of their wine and strong drink they have been mocking God through the prophets. They were BABBLING as drunkards. So Isaiah, filled with the Spirit of God, said that God was going to speak to them by men of another language. HE IS GIVING A JUDICIAL SIGN-- a sign of JUDGMENT." (John McRay, Integrety, Jan. 1972, p.110)
They misunderstood the signs because they were carnal children:
"I could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to BABES in Christ. I gave you milk to drink..." (1 Cor. 3:2, 3). Or as Isaiah would say I have fed you "here a little, there a little."
And too, many of them were still pagans:
"You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the dumb idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you, that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is accursed"; and no one can say, 'is Lord,' except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:2, 3)
Even after the Death of Christ the disciples still lacked faith in some respects. The miracles, then, enhanced a faith which had been gained prior to seeing Jesus work any miracle. They had forsaken all and followed Him upon the strength of what He said and not upon what He did in the form of miracles.
Nor, we believe, was it the miracle which produced their belief. Their initial belief allowed them to see and understand the significance of the miracle and thus their faith was confirmed and strengthened. The expression "believed on him" implies a trust and confidence in Him. While they had believed IN him as a result of His teachings, they now believed ON Him as the expected one in whom they could put their trust.
"Christ required then, as He requires now, a faith based on reason and not on miracles. Consequently, a miracle does not prove the truth of a doctrine; for the doctrine must first commend itself to the conscience as good, and only then can the miracle seal it as Divine...Therefore we must look in every miracle, not only for the Divine power, but also for the Divine wisdom and goodness. A miracle is not (just) a wonder, but a sign, so that the inward meaning is more important than the outward form." (G. F. Terry, The Old Theology in the New Age, p. 179)
"Signs are not for the positively unbelieving, since, as we have seen, they will exercise no power over such as harden themselves against the truth; these will resist or evade them as surely as they will resist or evade every other witness of God's presence in the world." (Trench p. 31) # The tongue-speaking on Pentecost did not make converts, it simply gained the attention of those who wanted to learn. Only after Peter preached His first gospel sermon were people convicted of their sins and asked him for a remedy for their sins.
The miracles would FOLLOW or accompany those who believe Mk. 16:20 and blessing were pronounced upon those who believe without seeing (John 20:29). Those who already believed were amazed (Acts 10:44-47).
The testimony of Jesus about miracles:
Jesus demonstrates the fact, well attested by the Bible and by later church history, that God does not always reveal Himself through miracles. Miracles were prevelant during the establishment of the Law and during the Elijah/ Elisha period to combat "Inclusivism" where the Jews were in danger of being absorbed into pagan religions because their priests had failed them. In the Messiah/Apostle period it was the establishment of the church and the inspiration of Biblical literature.
When warning that miracles are unusual, Jesus goes back to the Elijsh/ Elisha period as the last great manifestation of miracles. And in addressing His native Nazarenes, Jesus read their intententions:
"And He said to them, 'No doubt you will quote the proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself. Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum, do here in your home town as well'" (Luke 4:23).
Jesus then explains that God always uses miracles sparingly and then the context shows that they are for confirmation:
"But I say to you in truth, there were MANY widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; and YET Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a women who was a widow" (v. 25-26).
The result of raising the widow's son to life was the confession: "Now I know you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth" (1 Ki. 17:24). The miracle was to confirm God's messenger.
"And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian" (v. 27).
Again the result was confirmation. The outcome of this miracles, besides teaching obedience to God's commands, is seen in the expression: "Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel" (2 Ki. 5:15).
The Nazarenes, like the Corinthians, put their trust in supernatural signs and despised prophesying or preaching. When the people understood that Jesus was preaching to them instead of giving them some signs they turned upon the Incarnate God of the universe as they would a common criminal:
"And all in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and they rose up and cast Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff" (V. 28-28). # The testimony of John:
Prior to giving Thomas a physical demonstration of His identity, Jesus had just pronounced His blessing upon those who believed WITHOUT some physical manifestation. John goes on to say:
"Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; (John 20:30)
"But these have BEEN WRITTEN THAT YOU MAY BELIEVE that Jesus is Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name" (v. 31)
Whatever the immediate meaning of a miracle by Jesus, the ultimate end was that they produce additional confidence in Him.
Redemptive power of miracles:
In the Old Testament it is clear that God introduces the idea of personal justification based upon the principle of obedient faith. Yet, words such as "salvation" more often convey the idea of deliverance from some kind of calamity.
The concept of salvation as deliverance from sin, evil, and corruption, is only truly seen (as it were "face to face") in the New Testament as introduced by the Gospel message. In the miracles Jesus is showing that He is doing the work of a creator, one with power over nature, sin, and death. It is this redemptive power which Christ claimed for himself:
"Go and report to John the things which you hear and see: the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them" (Matt. 11:4, 5).
If these supernatural deeds were performed only to prove power they would have less significance because they would be no different from Antichrist who can perform his own "signs and wonders" (2 Thess. 2:9; Matt. 24:23-26). Rather than just as a display of raw power as seen in apocryphal accounts, they are to illustrate the love of God for mankind in providing means for his total restoration to the image in which he was created. We see "true nature" in the raising of the dead, healing of the sick, and restoring sight to the blind. That we might continue to have physical disabilities should not deter us from the hope that we have based upon His creative demonstration.
The clear impact of the message of Jesus to John is that Christ is God incarnate--the Messiah--and is Savior with total and continuing powers to save and preserve those who obey Him.
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12 WHAT MIRACLES ARE NOT
If the word "miracle" is to include everything which we cannot explain then words have no meaning. And if we are to define miracles from the popular religious press then we can never arrive at a concensus.
Socrates said it: "You must first dispel error then discover the truth."
Sherlock Holmes said it: "To arrive at the truth you must first eleminate all other possibilities."
Paul said it: "...that he (the pastor-teacher) my be able to exhort with sound doctrine and refute those who contradict it" (Titus 1:9).
Miracles are not answered prayer:
It is often the case that religious misunderstanding occurs because of semantics. That is, you discuss apples and I understand oranges. This is especially true of miracles, providence, and answered prayer. There are two extremes: First, one constructs the syllogism; (1) Miracles have ceased, (2) answered prayer is a miracle, therefore (3) God does not answer prayer. And of course even the casual Bible student understands this fallacy.
"If one relegates miracles to the time of the Bible (as we believe that the Bible teaches), then one may have difficulty in explaining how God can intervene in human affairs in response to prayer and not be working a miracle. There are certainly very good ways to avoid this conclusion, but still some Christians might find intellectual perplexities here that could hinder their praying." (Anthony Lee Ash, Prayer, The Living Word, p.8)
The other extreme is; (1) God answered my prayer, (2) an answered prayer is a miracle, therefore (3) miracles still continue. This extreme defines everything which it cannot explain as a miracle
Because so many reject God's continuing work in the universe, they reject the notion of answered prayer. One of the finest preachers (not the wisest) this writer has known taught: "If prayer makes you feel better then pray, but it will not go any higher than the ceiling." And it is not uncomon to find people who do not believe that God can be moved by any call for help.
We must forcefully establish that the denial of modern miracles as signs, wonders, or mighty works and the denial that God has "agents" through whom He works modern miracles does not deny that God works mightly in answering prayers or that He works providentially.
And to the contrary, the demand for modern miracle workers may be a denial of the adequacy of God's "first causes" and His ability to achieve His goals through "second causes"--inspiration, providence, and answered prayer.
That God has always acted directly in the affairs of man is beyond dispute. However, answered prayer is a response by God to our request where He works directly without "miracle workers" and with no intent that our answered prayer serve as a "sign" of confirmation or a "wonder" to inspire awe. It neither confirms a messenger nor a message. # "A miracle was a supernatural, superhuman work done by God through inspired men in order to confirm their message. God is not so limited that He cannot answer prayer without working a miracle. He can work behind the scenes in His providence and, without any supernatural manifestation, answer prayer. David prayed that God would turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. David then did what he could. God overruled and answered the prayer, but there was no supernatural sign." (Pentecostalism in the Church, James D. Bales, p. 55)
However, spectacular our answered prayer, even the intimate bystander may conclude: "wasn't she lucky." This could never be the case of a miracle.
Miracles are not works of magic:
It is difficult to escape the notion that many people have possessed powers of magic which cannot be explained by ordinary laws or human senses. (Exod. 7:11; 8:7). Of the magicians in Egypt it is said:
"Rather was this a conflict not merely between Egypt's king and power of God; but the gods of Egypt, the spiritual powers of wickedness, which underlay, and were the soul of, that dark and evil kingdom, were in conflict with the God of Israel" (Trench)
Yet, they were not true miracles because they are not a product of God. They were not a Divine ACE to accomplish a Divine PURPOSE.
Miracles not works of demons:
By looking at the Biblical warning against false gods, christs, apostles, and prophets, we understand that there are people who have powers through satanic influence but their works, however spectacular, are not miracles in the sense that they are signs of Diety.
"There shall arise false christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible they shall deceive the very elect" (Matt. 24:24) See also 2 Thess. 1:9; Rev. 13:14; 16:14.
Miracles are not God violating or interfering with natural law:
One way in which the issue of miracles has been prejudged is to say that a miracle is a VIOLATION, INTERRUPTION, INTERFERENCE, TRANSGRESSION, or CONTRADICTION of the laws of nature. But it would be presumptious to say that God cannot work a miracle without somehow upsetting natural law.
Trench points out that many of the plagues of Egypt were the natural plagues of the land. None were unknown to the land. The miracle consisted of the intensity, the dread succession, their connection with the command of Moses, and their order of coming and going. It is not a proof of a miracle that a coin be found in a fish's mouth (Matt. 17:27). It is not necessarily a miracle that a lion should slay a man (1 Kings 13:24) or that a thunder- storm should unexpectedly happen (1 Sam. 12:16-19). They become a miracle only if they are a sign of something else, happen by command, or are such that a sense of awe and wonder is created.
1. God created nature (Col. 1:16) 2. God is the upholder of nature (Col. 1:17) 3. God transcends nature (Psa. 90:2; 102:25-27) 4. God is immanent in nature (Eph. 1:11) 5. God's purpose is created nature (Eph. 1:9-11) 6. God's nature is a medium of his self-revelation to man (Rom. 1:19, 20) # In short, God would not be God unless he could accomplish His purposes by upholding nature. In fact, it is probably a fact that if God took His ever-present hand off "nature" it would evaporate into the nothingness from which He created it. He continuously upholds nature and does not "violate" its laws when He either momentarily suspends them or supercedes them by a higher nature which we do not have access to.
Having said this, it is beyond belief that it is "just nature" that one who had been dead for four days could be brought back to life through science.
Miracles are not God's Providental work in the universe:
It is difficult to believe in the idea of "providence" without believing in miracles, for if God "interferes" in the affairs of man and diverts, aids, or prevents him in any way from his "natural" course then we are forced to believe that a miracle has occurred. However, we submit as a working definition the following:
"We accept as manifestation of God's providence the ordinary course of affairs through secondary causes or without any attempt to show a sign, confirm Diety, answer a prayer, or to influence the casual unbeliever".
In fact, what we call "natural" law is simply the visible evidence of God's continuous upholding the universe by His power. Yet, we reserve the word "miracle" for something other than God's continual providence.
The term "providence" is normally understood in three different ways: First, it is understood as DEISM which says that while God has not totally retired from the human scene, His activity is limited to the upholding and maintenance of general laws.
Second, is God's "provide-ance" or His providing of space, time, matter, life, energy, and laws; His direction over certain affairs to assure that His will is carried out; and His providing care for His children such as answering prayer. This we call providence in its literal or ordinary sense. With this definition, God's work in the unverse is conditional.
The third meaning of providence is really equivalent to the word "predes- tination" and is usually defined to include the five points of Calvinism-- Total Hereditary Depravity, Unconditional Salvation, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace and Perserverance (impossibility of apostasy).
Deism (NO CONTROL)
While stoutly objecting, many Christians are Deists in that they deny that God is involved in the operation of His universe. They believe that He orders the universe and then does not "interfere" even in answering prayer.
This is the notion that God wound the universe like a clock, set it on the shelf provided with rules to govern it, and retired back to heaven. Under this false notion miracles would be God's immediate work or His work through designated agents, and providence would be events working through "second causes," which He set in motion but over which He exercises NO control. This Trench says that this: # "Cannot be allowed: for it rests on a dead mechanical view of the universe, altogether remote from the truth. The world is no curious piece of mechane as well as contemporary theology--most of which flows from Calvinism which teaches that before the foundation of the world God singled out certain persons to be saved and certain persons to be damned. If God's decrees are then allowed to function, there is nothing a person can do to affect his own salvation and nothing to prevent his damnation. He is bound to passively wait for God to indicated that he has been chosen.
While we cannot adequately study all of the areas in which the religious world
We use the term "crucial" because it is proven that God orders events to achieve His own ends. However, we do not believe that God reaches into the womb and fashions a deformed or retarded child. God's "natural" laws normally work to achieve a healthy child, but when some chemical imbalance, or other misfortune occurs, a child does not develop normally. We do not blame ourselves and we should not blame God.
We believe that God providentially gave means to overcome gravity and fly in an airplane and yet we do not believe that God dashes hundreds of people to death by momentarily "violating" His laws.
Ordinary providence is God working without manifesting a sign, wonder, or mighty work which cannot be explained by "natural" causes. For instance, as a result of the faith of Abraham, it was promised that he would be the father of many nations although he was well beyond natural ability to father a child. Sarah, because of her faith, was given the "ability to conceive." As far as we know, Abraham and Sarah followed the normal procedures for begetting a child. The child became the father of many more and so by natural processes, Abraham became the "father of many nations."
By a "miracle" God could have created several millions of offspring but instead He allowed normal processes to achieve His ends while He undoubtedly acted in the affairs of these offspring through the centuries.
Not only must God ordain that events work by some natural order, He must periodically "interfere" when man attempts to circumvent His plan. Again in the case of Abraham and Sarah, perhaps the only initial miracle was to make Sarah able to conceive. But, God worked again when Abraham decided to circum- vent His plan and produce a child by one KNOWN to be capable of giving birth rather than rely on Sarah.
Even if God's "provide-ance" involved supervising each step of the process, each choice of mate, the number of children who would be born, the preserva- tion of each person from danger, or the supply of daily food, we would still define this as providence or answered prayer rather than as a miracle because it would not perform the same sign, wonder, or mighty works tasks as a miracle.
Manifestations of ordinary Providence:
1). It is not possible to deny that God "intervenes" in the ordinary course of nations to achieve His own end, to His own glory, and for man's good. He both rules and overrules. The experience of Joseph and Rebekah prove this. (Gen. 24:7, 12-15; 37:25). He overcomes Satan and all of his plans. (Gen. 1:20; Acts 4:28; Romans 8:32). # 2). Also, God is benevolent and good and cares for all of His children. If God knows the number of hairs on our head can it be denied that He is vitally interested in our lives? According to Lockyer:
1). He arranges prosperous journeys (Rom. 1:10, 11; 15:32; 1 Cor. 4:19; Phil. 22: James 4:13-15; 3 John 3). 2). He acts in Spiritual and temporal mercies to lead us to repentance (Rom. 2:4; 11:22). 3). He causes all things to work for good (Romans 8:28). 4). He is with us while others are against us (Rom. 8:31, 38, 39; 1 John 5:15). 5). He is over all rulers and powers (Romans 13:1-3). 6). He deserves glory for what He provides (1 Cor. 10:31; Heb. 13:5, 6). 7). He is able to comfort us (2 Cor. 1:3-5; 7:6, 7; 1 Pet. 5:7). 8). He meets every need (1 Cor. 9:7-9; 12:9; Eph. 3:20; Phil. 4:6,11; 1 Thess. 5:12; 1 Tim. 4:4; 6:8). 9). He succors and relieves the tested (Heb. 2:18; 4:16; 13:8).
Predestinating providence (TOTAL UNCONDITIONAL CONTROL)
While we all believe that God controls and upholds the universe, Providence as a theological concept has its greatest meaning in terms of Calvinism where it means a "prearrangement or the universal sovereign rule of God."
"...all things come to pass immutably and infallibly, yet, by the same providence, He ordereth them to fall out according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently" (Wesminister Confession).
We need to specifically note the term "ALL THINGS come to pass infallibly" where the Confession intends to include the salvation of a predestinated few and eternal damnation of a rejected many. Here, "second causes" are defined as "the ordinary forces and events of nature which God usually employs to accomplish His purposes." The use of ordinary "second causes" does not, according to Calvin, allow any deviations to occur:
"The inability of the sinner to comply with the demands of the Divine law, to believe the Gospel, or to exercise any holy affections, is absolute and entire; so that regeneration is effected alone by the direct and immediate agency and power of God the Spirit; the subject of this work of grace being passive, in respect to the vital operation of the renewing of the heart." (Synod of South Caroline and Georgia, 1838).
The difference between these last two understandings of providence is that the first allows God's grand design for the universe to unfold without turning people into robots who neither care, aspire, or are capable of affecting the outcome. The second allows man no part in any of the particulars. This definition of "providence" is the fundamental reason for the increasing reliance upon the miraculous to validate one's position in God's plan.
WARNING AGAINST FALSE MIRACLE WORKERS
There is no way that this writer can judge the merits of those who claim to work miracles. However, if false "miracle workers" was not a potential problem there would not be so much Biblical warning against them.
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This warning is especially important in view of three facts:
1. Jesus looks all the way back to the Elijah/Elisha period to point out miracles. 2. The Bible repeatedly warns against false "miracle workers." 3. The true Apostles considered their record normative and final. 4. The rapid decline of miracles after the Apostolic period with no reliable historical claims for nineteen hundred years. 3. While charismatics believe in miracles as a "latter rain" the universal emphasis upon "latter day miracles" is that they will be the work of deception.
FALSE AGENTS
Undoubtedly many good people claim that they have the power to work miracles and so it is not possible to judge their motives. However, because even in the Biblical period there were satanic miracle workers it is vital that we try to distinguish between the true and the false.
If we grant that there are satanic forces in the world then how do they exercise their influence? It would be a mistake to expect satan to wear a sign identifying himself as a false christ, false prophet, or false apostle. He often works through agents who look, in all respects, like a true agent of God. He is a wolf but he looks like a lamb. He goes throughout the earth seeking those whom he might devour.
Aside from very limited discussion of the possession of demons we under- stand that Satan does not perform his deceptive work by personally moving into the body of a person where he would have total control but makes use of both EDUCATIONAL means and AGENTS or MESSENGERS as shown below:
Through Ministers of Satan 2 Cor. 11:13-15 Wicked devices 2 Cor. 2:11 Messengers a 2 Cor. 12:7 Devilish Wiles Eph. 6:11 Snares 1 Tim. 3:7; 2 Tim. 2:26 False words 2 Cor. 11:5 Agents Rev. 12:19 Indwelling Matt. 16:23; Acts 5:3; Jn. 6:70; 13:2 Lk. 22:3
Satan may not appear as some third party but may work upon those who are susceptable. Jesus attributes the rebuke of Peter to satan himself.
"But He turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind Me, Satan!'" (Matt. 16:23)
And Peter attributes the lie of Ananias to satanic "indwelling"
"But Peter said, 'Ananias, why has Satan FILLED your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back some of the price of the land?" (Acts 5:3)
In the case of Judas:
He is described AS the devil (Jn. 6:70). In Luke 22:3 it is said that "Satan entered into Judas" In John 13:2 it is said that "Satan put into the heart of Judas Iscariot... to betray Him." # Satanic "indwelling" then is not personal but through means. He appeals from outside through the senses. When, therefore, satan puts an evil thought into us, he (satan) is said to "enter" into that person and the end result is that we ARE satan. That is, we are the agent of satan.
The Holy Spirit does not just leave us with the testimony of the Miracles of Jesus but warns agains counterfeits and reveals some of the signs of the false miracle worker:
1. The test--does he claim to work miracles:
We believe that there have been three primary spans of time in which miracles were wrought by human agents of God: that of Moses-Joshua, that of Elijah-Elisha and that which lasted from the prophecy and conception of Jesus to the destruction of Jerusalemn, a period roughly equal to the previous periods of Moses-Joshua and Elijah-Elisha. Accepting this concept is the only thing which fortifies one against later-day prophets who claim supernatural powers because their deeds will closely match the real miracles. It is important then that when we see these false miracles we are not led astray.
"Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlesness is revealed, the son of destruction. Who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes the seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God" (2 Thess. 2:3-4).
"For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrained will do so until he is taken out of the way... (v. 7).
"That is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders" (v. 9).
2. The test--acknowledging Christ:
The positive response:
"By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God" (1 John 4:2).
"It would be a serious mistake to think that John speaks of confessing only the one fact or doctrine of the Incarnation, of the Virgin Birth, or the two natures so that it is of minor importance when other facts, doctrines, call them what you will, are either not confessed or or denied in some way. 'Jesus Christ as having come in flesh' is not merely the center of the gospel but the whole of it. In Christ there inheres all that John has said and will yet say in this epistle, likewise all that John's Gospel, yea the whole New Testament and the Scripture contain." (Lenski, Commentary on 1 John, p. 438).
John's statement often leads to the false conclusion that if a self- proclaimed miracle worker simply acknowledges that "Jesus is Christ" then his claims must not be doubted. However, false prophets understand better than man the true nature of Christ. They do not "confess" Him in the sense that they trust Him for their salvation and neither do they put their trust in Him in the sense that they obey His will.
"And behold, they cried out, saying, 'What do we have to do with You, SON OF GOD? Have you come here to torment us before the time?'" (Matt. 8:29.) # "saying, 'What do we have to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the HOLY ONE OF GOD!" (Mark 1:24).
"...she kept crying out, saying, 'These men are bond-servants of the MOST High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation" (Acts 16:17).
"Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name peform many Miracles'" (Matt. 7:22).
The negative response:
"And every spirit that confesseth NOT that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world" (1 John 4:3).
One who confesses the name of Christ in an external sense must be examined based upon his fruit. However, the flat denial that Jesus is the Christ is proof that one has the "spirit of the antichrist" and one needs no further proof. This is why Paul is so emphatic in the twelfth chapter of First Corinthians to warn against uninterpreted tongue speakers because one might, by the spirit of antichrist, actually be saying "Jesus is cursed" even as he pretends true spirituality.
The resulting warfare:
John shows the continuous warfare which must exist between God-confessers and God-deniers. They are FROM the world, they speak as FROM the world, the world LISTENS to them. John says that you God-confessers, on the other hand, are from God, and Godly people listen (1 John 4:5-6).
He also shows that the confict has resulted in personal victory but it must be guarded: you "have overcome THEM; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). The Greek is perfect tense, indicating that the victory is continuous.
3. The test--do they love the brethren:
John makes a connection, as does Paul to the Corinthians, between false claims and true claims. One who claims to be from God but does not love, manifests the spirit of antichrist and we have no right to trust him because, whatever his claims, his life has not been impacted by God:
"The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this has the love of God been manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him" (1 John 4:8-9).
Whatever the teacher's doctrinal correctness, if he shows no evidence that he loves his brethren, then John says that he does not KNOW GOD. However, this is not just sentimental love, but a love (agape) which seeks the highest good of each person. # One of the most conspicious teachings of Paul is that while the teacher should be supported by his students, he steadfastly refused to accept other than the bare necessities of life and he flatly denied that giving is some kind of legal demand. Those who shout their "powers of miracles" from the housetop must be tested by whether they are givers or takers. Are they out on the mission fields healing the sick and preaching the gospel in a language which they never learned or are they "house-bound" solicitors of money to be used to propigate their dogma?
4. The test--do they accept the authority of the apostles:
"We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error" (1 Jn. 4:6).
"But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons" (1 Tim. 4:1).
A primary object of Paul's condemnation of sign-seekers in Corinth was to point out that truly Godly people are eager to hear the factual message of the gospel while "carnal children"--the spiritually immature--are engrossed in seeking powers which make them seem superior. He says that prophecy or preaching is superior to tongues and he uses the word RATHER instead of IN ADDITION TO to urge the Corinthians to seek prophecy RATHER than tongues.
"If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknow- ledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord" (1 Cor. 14:37).
5. The test--do they minimize Biblical truth:
Passages such as Rev. 13:14; 16:14; and 19:20, show that there will be false prophets who actually have the power to perform signs which can be understood as being miracles performed by servants of God.
After one abandons the love for the truth, false teachers can do or appear to do mighty deeds to deceive.
"...that is the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all POWER and SIGNS and FALSE WONDERS, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved" (2 Thess. 2:9,10) (See 2 Cor. 11-15).
If truth is not derived from the inspired Biblical record then each modern "apostle" is left to his own subjective feelings, hunches, or dreams to guide himself and his flock.
6. The test--do they deny commandment keeping:
John follows his connection of the "spirit of antichrist" with those who are "of the world" with the test of love. He then discusses the nature of true (not sentimental) love:
"By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this IS the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His comandments are not burdensome" (1 John 4:2-3). # John then groups closely the following:
First, he warns against those "of the world" (those with the spirit of antichrist) who deny that Jesus is the Christ. Second, he demands that one be tested by his confession of Christ. Third, he identifies those who do not love with the spirit of antichrist and those who love the brethren with God. Fourth, he defines love as resulting in keeping God's commandments.
Earlier, John describes the nature of one in fellowship with God. One aspect of that nature is the possession of love. If one does not love he is not God's disciple. The false prophet is one who appeals to those who are sentimental but do not possess agape love:
"And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, 'I have come to know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him" (1 John 2:4).
This is often held to mean that there is just one commandment here and that is "love" but a close look at John's material will clearly show that he includes much more.
"John quotes from Jesus' own lips (John 14:15, 21, 23, 24; 15:10; Matt. 28:20); and just as Jesus does in John 14:23, 24...These 'commandments' are 'the truth.'...The substance of this truth, light, Word, words, commandment, commandments consists of all the divine verities regarding God, and they produce actual fellowship with him in which we know him and know that we have known and know him." (Lenski, p. 405)
Lenski says that these are the words which Christ gave His apostles:
"for the words which Thou gavest Me I have given to them; and they received them, and truly understood that I came frth from Thee, and they believed that Thou didst send me" (John 17:8).
7. The test--of not accepting pious claims:
Miriam and Aaron were soundly disciplined because they were self-appointed spokesmen for God. They claimed the power of inspiration with a result hauntingly similiar to the almost universal unhappy end of those who have falsely claimed to be God's agents in our own lifetime.
"Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well? And the Lord heard it" (Num. 12:1).
Paul warned the Corinthians that their tongue speakers might be saying "Jesus is cursed" and unless their words are interpreted by a supernaturally gifted person there is no way to know (1 Cor. 12:1-2).
"Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name peform many Miracles'" (Matt. 7:22).
Jesus did not accuse these people of being liars nor does He dispute their claim, but He says "I never knew you," you practice lawlessness. Scripture leaves no doubt that many false prophets can easily say "Lord, Lord" while being satanic. These people were either liars or they performed their great miracles by demoniac powers. # Whatever the nature of these false confessors, it was difficult to determine that they were false because they probably lived out their entire lives looking like sheep but inwardly (where you cannot see unless you examine the fruits) they were wolves.
8. The test--do not look at their clothing or their posturing:
"For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light" (2 Cor. 11:13).
Periodically, one hears of one who says, "I am an apostle." Because he cannot possible measure up to the very clearly defined credentials for an apostle he should be rejected. If he looks like an apostle of Christ he is especially suspect and in the words of Paul, he should be prepared to "show the signs of an apostle."
9. The test--do they manifest spiritual fruits:
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits, Grapes are not gathered from thornbushes, nor figs from thistles, are they?" (Matt. 7:15, 16; cf. Matt. 24:11).
Jesus says, "a good tree CANNOT produce bad fruit nor can a rotten tree produce good fruit" (7:18).
Not every thing that looks like a duck, waddles like a duck, and goes "quack, quack" is a duck. Jesus gives total authority to examine the lives of "miracle workers" to see whether they are sheep or wolves. To the casual observer, the wolf may look like a lamb, smell like a lamb, and bleet, but when you examine his diet he is found eating lambs rather than grass.
10. The test--where do they attempt to lead you:
"For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect...If they say to you, 'Behold, He is in the wilderness,' do not go forth" (Matt. 24: 24, 26).
One might be a very charismatic leader, but if he attempts to lead you to Jonestown or invites you to drink "koolaid" you must be able to examine his credentials. To follow him blindly is not a sign of spirituality. Especially if he extorts money by claiming that "God told me to tell you to send me money."
CONCLUSIONS
Jesus came to bring salvation to all those who accept His as saviour and Master-Teacher. Establishing that relationship depends upon our ability to believe in and put our trust in His single act of redemption by which He bestows His own righteousness upon those who "have the faith of Abraham." This is described in Gen. 26:5 as obedience to God's commands, laws, statutes, and ordinances based upon one's total trust rather than based upon ones trust in his own "earning" power. # John says that the Miracles of Jesus were to produce that level of faith in Him. The miracles are not part of the kingdom teaching but are to produce faith in the King. They do not continue once they have accomplished their purpose.
True miracles--not pious claims--are a manifestation of Divine power. They were never confused with simple tricks. For this reason those who attempt to appropriate God's power usually pretend to be able to perform certain kinds of miracles. It is important therefore that we understand the clear Biblical warning against them.
Modern claims are especially destructive because they tend to diminish the true miracles of Jesus and those upon whom He gave power and they cheat all of the power of God available to all through His Word, His providence, and His answer to prayer.
K. L. Sublett Class Notes--Summary 2/27/89