God’s book begins with a miracle: “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”-Genesis 1:3. The mighty works of God litter the pages of the Old and New Testaments: The plagues on Egypt (Exodus 7-12), the Red Sea (Exodus 14), Joseph (Genesis 41) and Daniel (Daniel 2) were given power to interpret dreams, Mary gave birth to Jesus (Luke 1-2), Jesus fed 5,000 (John 6), and raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11). Clearly these miracles demonstrated God’s unlimited power from 2,000-years ago. The question for today’s Christian is, “Is God alive and does he still posses that kind of power?”
I believe God is just as real, alive, and powerful as the day he resurrected his Son from the grave. That is why I am troubled to hear Christians say, “God does not perform present-day miracles.” Is that true and what are the consequences for the church today if God does not work in our lives?
Part of the confusion stems from defining the term “miracle.” What comes to mind when you hear that word? Most of our discussions center around miracles worked by Jesus and his apostles. The Bible refers to these as mighty works, wonders, signs, and various miracles (Acts 2; Hebrews 2). These gifts of the Holy Spirit were God working through men to demonstrate his approval of their teaching. During the apostolic age, God gave the gifts of prophecy and languages to deliver inspired teaching to the entire world.
These miracles were clear examples of God going beyond natural processes to create healing, life, and spiritual knowledge. These miracles served a purpose and they faded from history when the Lord’s body was set on its feet and the faith was successfully delivered by the pen of inspired writers. It is true that men do not have miraculous gifts today, nor is God working through men to perform signs. On this we agree. It is also where the confusion begins. Teachers within churches of Christ regularly state God can not violate natural laws to perform miracles today. Says who?!?!
Is God no longer able to change history? How then do we make sense of Scriptures like this, “there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed,”-Romans 13:1-2. If God must stand back and allow natural laws to have their way, then how does he institute earthly governments and appoint secular leaders?
The word miracle brings to mind events that are a dramatic and visible suspension of natural processes. Does a work of God have to be clearly seen to be miraculous? Perhaps it is clearly seen, but we don’t recognize it as a miracle. If God places someone in my life that can reach me with the gospel, I clearly see the person and recognize Bible teaching, but do I know it is God working? Would that person have entered my life in the natural course of the physical world? No. Did God give them the power to fly or run faster than a chariot (I Kings 18:46) to reach me? No. So is it less a miracle that God caused our paths to cross? Also, no.
How sad would it be to worship a God incapable of working in our world today? I don’t want to imagine a Father in heaven who is without the ability to give when asked, open when there is a knock, or strengthen us to live the Christian life.
Please consider this final point. Can God heal and answer prayer? Those that say no, tell us God can only “heal” using natural processes. If that is true, a sick man will recover by the recuperative properties of the body and the skill of a doctor. Where is God in that? Praise the Lord he has power over natural processes. He spoke them into existence! The Spirit says Christians should “pray over” the sick, “And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”-James 5:15. Praise God! He walks and works among his people!
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