Miracles
are an obvious fact of Christianity. How m uch
importance should we place on them... and are
miracles applicable in the Church age?
It's
essential to have an accurate definition of miracles
because the word is often clouded with mis-representation
and ill-interpretations. A miracle is an event or
act whereby God supernaturally acts in the natural
world.
The Bible
describes miracles in three terms: signs, wonders,
and mighty works
(Hebrews
2:4). They
were acts that birthed wonder in those who witnessed
them. Miracles were not an end in themselves but
acted as signs pointing outside the natural realm.
They were exacted by God to demonstrate His power
and love. The ultimate purpose of miracles, signs
and wonders were to always draw one's attention and
affection to Jesus' authority and divinity.
Miracles were also employed to authenticate the
ministry and message of the early church under the
teaching ministry of the apostles. These miracles...
in particular: healing miracles, were exacted by God
through the apostles to validate their message of
the gospel and their teachings.
Should Christians
seek miracles from God in order to validate and even
stimulate faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? When
we rightly divide the word of truth... it is clear
that Believers are to depend exclusively on the Word
of God as influenced by the Holy Spirit. Faith in
Christ does not come by or is even nurtured by
seeing miracles... it is by hearing
(Romans
10:17). We
are in possession of all that is necessary for faith
in Christ Jesus... namely, the Word of God
(Matthew
4:4).
Seeing a miracle would not and could not make Jesus
any more real to us than He already is.
From a
biblical perspective, miracles were primarily
associated with Israel in the Old Testament and with
the church in its infancy as it appealed to the
Jewish people. Once we get to Acts chapter thirteen,
we find the church's appeal to believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ go universal and thus, the diminishing
use of miracles. Any Miracle employed through the
church was primarily to persuade Israel to believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ. The Israelites were
accustomed to miracles as a means of validation. So
it is not unusual to see miracles employed by Jesus
and the apostles. Biblically recorded miracles
were always exacted in the presence of Israelites...
this is a matter biblical record.
With
Israel, the Holy Spirit always used miracles, signs
and wonders. This is distinctly realized in the book
of Acts where we observe the Holy Spirit working
outwardly with signs. In his address at Pentecost,
Peter spoke with outward evidences of the Holy
Spirit to a Jewish audience
(see
Acts 2:1-4).
The Holy Spirit literally came upon (outwardly)
their flesh. The point is this: In Acts chapters 2
through 9, the Holy Spirit is working outwardly with
Israel while the church in her infancy observes. It
is not until we get to
Acts 13 that we
begin to see the Holy Spirit working inwardly in the
Church. Not to distinguish this major difference in
which the Holy Spirit employed miracles will cause
confusion in churches by placing emphasis on
patterns such as miracles and signs and wonders that
are exclusively intended by God to draw Israel to
recognition of Christ and repentance towards Christ
Jesus. It is not until we move to the future as
noted in Revelation that we begin to observe once
again the employment of miracles, signs and wonders
that will be powerful and personal to the Israelites
during the Great Tribulation.
Christians are
identified as being in the body of Christ... a
heavenly body. Thus, we do not live by sight or
influenced by signs and wonders... we live by faith.
The greatest of all miracles still being realized
today is the the New Birth. God wills that all who
were born, to be born-again (2
Peter 3:9).
Sincerely, Dr. Arthur
Belanger
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