HOW SHOULD WE UNDERSTAND MIRACLES?

I remember when I became a Christian and began reading the Bible. I was amazed at the scale of miracles and how powerful and undeniable they were. And I thought that these same miracles are possible today because God is the same and does not change. As the years passed by, I noticed a significant difference between the miracles in the Bible and the ones performed by modern day Faith healers. This discrepancy raises important questions about the validity of miracles, but Scripture clearly explains God’s purpose in performing them.

Patterns of Extraordinary Miraculous Activities 

If you study scripture carefully, you will find that extraordinary miraculous activities happened at certain crucial periods in redemptive history. The first of this crucial period was the giving of the Law with Moses (Exodus 7:19-24, Exodus 14:26-31). Centuries later, Israel was in serious spiritual decline and had turned away from God. However, God commissioned Elijah to challenge the widespread idol worship of the people (1 Kings 16:25-26). Elijah’s opening miracle proved his message showing that he was God’s messenger (1 Kings 17:1). 

Similarly, Elisha after Elijah continued to display the power of God to bring reformation to Israel (1 Kings 21:25-29, 2 Kings6:24-7:20, 4:1-7). After, the specific periods of Moses, Elijah and Elisha, came Christ and His Apostles. Jesus ushered in His coming Kingdom and performed miracles revealing His nature and purpose (Matthew 8:1-13, Matthew 8:23-27). So also, the Apostles who were His special messengers performed miracles to authenticate their message (Acts 5:12, Acts 3:6-10, Hebrews 2:4). What we find in the Bible is that this pattern shows the primary purpose of miracles and its role in the history of salvation (John 11:4).

However, some have argued that miracles served other purposes (Matthew 14:14, Luke 7:13). While this is true, Scripture shows that these purposes are secondary to the primary aim of glorifying God (Luke 7:16). For example, Jesus’ compassion was not the ultimate reason for His miracles; rather, it revealed the human dimension of His actions. In John 11, when Jesus heard that Lazarus was seriously ill and needed urgent attention, He deliberately delayed His arrival, which led to Lazarus’ death.

The death of Lazarus and the bereavement of his family take second place. We can conclude that Jesus’ actions revealed the primacy of God’s glory. Furthermore, because miracles are concerned with God’s glory, they find their fulfilment in the spiritual and eternal. We find Jesus showing this in the account of the paralysed man who was seeking physical healing from Him. In the presence of His critics and unbelievers, Jesus showed the critical necessity of the spiritual. He grants the paralysed man spiritual healing before physical healing (Mark 2:1-12).

The Son of God shows that our deepest paralysis is spiritual, and that we all need healing from it. Likewise, when Peter and John healed the paralysed man at the Temple gate, Peter used the occasion to preach the gospel of Christ so that the people might receive spiritual healing (Acts 3:1-26). In the same way, Jesus’ miraculous feeding of the five thousand revealed His divine power and pointed to the spiritual satisfaction found in Him (John 6:26-59).

God did perform miracles outside these specific periods, but they were rare (Daniel 6:22-24; Jonah 2:10). These miracles comforted God’s people displayed His judgement and pointed to future restoration. The extraordinary miracles performed during key periods in redemptive history reveal their primary purpose, and the nature and quality of biblical miracles are undeniable. This scriptural pattern should correct common misconceptions about biblical miracles and expose the claims of many modern-day faith healers.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BIBLICAL MIRACLES AND MODERN DAY HEALERS

One key difference between biblical miracles and those claimed by modern-day faith healers is that the latter are often difficult to verify and lack the immediate, public, and undeniable character of biblical miracles (John 11:47).

Although faith healers often present physically disabled people before their audiences, these individuals may be influenced by the emotionally charged atmosphere of music, singing, and suggestion. This can produce a placebo effect, causing them to believe they have been healed. Later, many realise that their physical condition has not genuinely changed. This suggests that the apparent healing may have resulted from the atmosphere of the event, showing the possible influence of the placebo effect.

Comparing the miracles of Faith healers with the miraculous acts of Jesus and the Apostles, it is easy to see the difference between the two (Mark 2:11-12). Biblical miracles are undeniable and were verified by unbelievers (John 11:47). We need to understand that the miracles found in the Bible are revelatory gifts of the Holy Spirit confirming the gospel message (Hebrews 2:4, Acts 2:22).

Does God Work Miracles Today?

As we have seen, the miracles of Jesus and the Apostles find their fulfilment in Christ’s death and resurrection. Therefore, the miracle God performs today is raising the spiritually dead to life (Ephesians 2:5-6). Through Christ, God redeems His people for His purpose, their joy, and their salvation. Although a person’s salvation can easily be undervalued, it is an extraordinary miracle that only God can perform (John 6:44). The church is called to greater works: proclaiming the gospel as the Spirit raises spiritually dead people like us to life.

God works through his providence and according to his will and for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28). During his workings through his plan and purpose he opens and closes doors, guiding, protecting, providing, restraining, and sustaining his people. If miracles are extraordinary acts of God superseding usual events, then it is easy to know that they are not common like in those specific times in redemptive history.

For example, the supernatural healing of a church member from a terminal disease is a miracle through God’s providence. In another instance, I have seen a person dying of a disease and both outcomes result in gain, because they belong to Christ. The healing that comes from the stripes of Christ is spiritual and eternal (1 Peter 2:24-25). If we think miracles is something that we can demand from God, it will be as if we are sovereign and God is our subordinate.

Lastly, the Apostle Peter was a firsthand witness of Jesus’ miracles, including His transfiguration and the appearance of Moses and Elijah. After such a remarkable encounter, we might expect Peter to urge the church to pursue miracles and subjective experiences. Instead, he directs Christians to focus on the sure prophetic word: the Scriptures (2 Peter 1:16-21).