Huntington Church of Christ

Does God still confirm His message today by using Divine miracles? Many have told of God removing pain and disease from their body, while others 'testify' that God made their broken automobile run. Some are quite adamant about it, drawing their conclusions on the basis of subjective feelings, and closing their mind to the teachings of God's word.

Jesus performed real and genuine miracles. Witnesses testify throughout the New Testament to these great events. Jesus fed a group of 5000 people with only five barley loaves and two fishes and walked on the waters of the Galilean Sea (John 6). He healed a man who had been blind since birth (John 9) and raised a man from the dead after his body had begun to decay (John 11). Jesus' apostles also were given real and genuine power that enabled them to confirm their message (Mark 16:17-20) -- proving that it came from God. He bore "witness with them, both by signs and wonders, and by manifold powers, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will" (Hebrews 2:4). Peter and the eleven apostles spoke in foreign languages unkonwn to themselves (Acts 2). Peter healed a man who had been crippled since birth at the gate called Beatufiul in Jerusalem (Acts 3) and Paul healed a lifetime lame man in the city of Lystra (Acts 14). Both Peter nad Paul are also credited with bringing the dead back to life (Acts 9 and 20).

The New Testament affirms that those miraculous gifts were only temporarily given -- until the written word of the Lord was completed. Paul listed about nine miraculous powers which were given by the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11. In chapter 13:8-10, he continues to write, "they will be done away" when "the which is perfect is come." James tells us "that which is perfect" is the Word of God (James 1:25). Until we received the completed or perfected written word, the Holy Spirit faithfully confirmed and verified the oral revelations with miraculous events. When that apostolic period was completed, Divine miracles were withdrawn and ceased according to God's purpose. John's gospel record of seven miracles are enough to save man -- "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). Therefore, any modern claims of Divine miracles must be regarded as either mistaken claims or deceitful claims.

"Jesus saith...because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed:
blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed" John 20:20

Daniel S. Dow
Huntington Church of Christ