ISS:Miracles, signs & wonders, Are Miracles and Healings for Today?  by Anthony Burch

New Testament Instructor

Family Radio School of the Bible

MIRACLES, SIGNS AND WONDERS

Today there is a lot of misunderstanding about
miracles, signs and wonders. This paper has been written in
order to help clarify two issues: what are miracles and signs
and wonders, and are they for today?

God has specifically addressed the topic of signs and
wonders in 1 Corinthians chapter 12. You may be familiar with
this chapter as a discussion of the gifts. We will see in
our study that it relates directly to the question of signs
and wonders.

The Greek word for gift is "charisma." The Greek word
for grace is "charis." Vine in his "Expository Dictionary
of New Testament Words" defines the word "charisma" as "a
gift of grace, a gift involving grace (charis) on the part of
God as the Donor (An Expository Dictionary of New Testament
Words, W.E. Vine, M.A., F.H. Revell Company; Old Tappan, New
Jersey, p. 147)...." God by His use of the words *charisma"
and "charis" is indicating the close relationship between #is
spiritual gifts and salvation. We will see this idea further
developed in 1 Corinthians 12.

The Gift of Wisdom

We will start our study by examining each of the gifts
listed in 1 Corinthians chapter 12. 1 Corinthians 12:7,8
tells us, "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to
each one for the profit of all; for to one is given the word
of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of
knowledge through the same Spirit...." Every believer is
given the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit gives each of us
gifts. The first gift mentioned is wisdom. When we search the
Bible for additional verses which talk about wisdom, we come
to Psalm 111:10, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His
commandments. His praise endures forever."

What does fearing the Lord really mean? Proverbs 8:13
says, "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance
and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate." As we begin
to hate evil, we begin to fear the Lord; and then we begin
to have wisdom. This is exactly what happens when we become
saved. We begin to hate our sins. Does every true believer
have the gift of wisdom? Yes, because every true believer
hates sin. 1 John 3:9 states, "Whoever has been born of God
does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot
sin, because he has been born of God."

The Gift of Knowledge

I Corinthians 12:8 goes on to say, "...to another the word
of knowledge through the same Spirit...." The word
"knowledge" is used in the Bible in two senses. Sometimes
it is talking about those who have become born-again believers;
they know Christ, they have a Knowledge of Him; and of what
salvation is. This word "knowledge" is used in this sense
in 1 John 3:6; there it says, "Whoever abides in Him does not
sin. However sins has neither seen Him nor known Him." The
word "knowledge" there is used in the sense of being born
again. But, the word "knowledge" is also used in the Bible of
those who are in the congregation and who know a lot about
the Bible and salvation, but have not been saved. When we are
saved, we really begin to know God; He gives us the gift of
knowledge about Himself.

The Gift of Faith

1 Corinthians 12:9 states, "to another faith by the
same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same
Spirit...." As we look at the whole congregation, we might
ask if everyone has faith? The answer is no, not saving
faith, certainly. Only those who are born-again believers
have saving faith; that faith was given to them by the Holy
Spirit. Ephesians 2:8,9 tells us, "For by grace you have
been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves;
it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should
boast." If God didn't give us the faith to believe, and we
were able by our own faith to believe, then we might have a
reason to boast in our own salvation; but, that is an
impossibility. God will share His glory with no man. God
provides salvation as a gift (grace), and along with
salvation, the faith to believe. He gives each believer the
gift of faith. The glory is all His.

The Gift of Healing

1 Corinthians 12:9 also mentions, "...to another gifts
of healings by the same Spirit...." Throughout the whole
Bible who was given the gift of healing? Elijah was, he
healed Naaman the leper. Elisha was, he raised a woman's son
from the dead. In all of the Old Testament no other believers
were given this gift.

We must remember that the church existed in the Old
Testament in the same sense that it does today as the body
of believers. Acts 7:38 shows this, "This is he (Moses), that
was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake
to him in the mount Sian, and with our fathers: who received
the lively oracles to give unto us (KJV)...." The Greek
word translated church is "ekklesia" the same word which is
translated church throughout the Whole New Testament. God is
showing here that the church was in existence in the Old
Testament.

When we come to the New Testament, Christ comes on the
scene and performs all types of healings. The blind receive
their sight, the lame walk, and the dead are resurrected. This
was real healing power. The disciples had this gift, so did
the seventy. After Christ's resurrection, the only miracles
of healing recorded in the Bible were those done by the
Apostles and two deacons, Philip and Stephen. Both Philip and
Stephen performed signs and wonders for a very short period.

One question that comes to mind is why we are not reading
of any miracles of this type happening today? There are no
documented cases of a person born blind from birth receiving
their sight by some miraculous means. No person with leprosy
has been healed today so that their skin is soft like that of
a little child. No one, who has been dead and buried for 4
days like Lazarus, has ever been raised from the dead in our
day. If Christians are to do these types of miracles, why
aren't they happening? The reason is because God is not
setting aside His natural laws in order to bring about
physical healing. There is one great miracle and only one
which God is still performing today. As we continue our study,
we will discover what it is.

The Gift of Miracles

In 1 Corinthians 12:10 it mentions the gift of the
"working of miracles." There is a little more evidence of this
gift in the Old Testament, than there is of healing. Moses
did miracles; he parted the Red Sea and brought the plagues
against Egypt. Joshua parted the Jordan River. Samson was given
great strength. Elijah called down fire from Heaven. Sodom and
Gomorrah were destroyed by fire and brimstone. In Daniel's
day the lion's mouths were stopped, and three men thrown
in the fiery furnace were not consumed. There are just a
few of these incidents in the Old Testament.

When Christ began His ministry He did a lot of miracles.
He turned water into wine; walked on the water; He was
transfigured. The seventy did miracles and so did the
Apostles, Philip, and Stephen. Outside of these individuals,
we don't read of anyone else who did miracles.

What is a Miracle?

Let's examine this topic of miracles a little more
thoroughly. Today there are many people who believe miracles are
happening all the time. We have all heard stories of
people being healed and even people being raised from the
dead. The question comes, is this Biblical? Are believers
supposed to perform miracles like the Apostles did in the New
Testament period?

First, let's define what a miracle is. A miracle occurs
when God sets aside the natural laws of the Universe which
He created. For God this is a easy task, since He created
the Universe. For example when Jesus walked on the water,
He was setting aside the natural law of gravity. When Moses
lifted his rod over the Red Sea and the waters were parted,
this set aside the natural laws of motion and gravity.
When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, this set aside
God's law of life and death. When a person dies, he is
dead; he never comes back to life again (Heb. 9: 27).

What Are Signs and Wonders?

In the New Testament there are three Greek words which
relate to the subject of miracles. They are the Greek words
"teras" which is always translated wonder; "semeion" which
is usually translated sign, and "dunamis" which is usually
translated power.

The word "teras" always relates to some type of a
miracle.

Acts 2:19 says, "I will show wonders ("teras") in heaven
above and signs ("simeion") in the earth beneath...." A
wonder is always some type of a miracle.

The word "semeion" can be taken in two senses: one
being a sign which is an attesting miracle (Acts 2:19); or
two, the common meaning of sign which is something which
points the way for example, the sign of circumcision.
Romans 4:11 states, "And he received the sign ("semeion") of
circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which
he had while still uncircumcised...." Circumcision was not a
miracle in a sense; it pointed to the covenant which God had
made with His people. The word "sign" can then either mean
something which points the way or a miraculous event.

The word "dunamis" is the word from which we derive our
word dynamite; it indicates the power or might of the
Lord. Now "dunamis" can be used in two senses; it can be
used to mean a miracle. In Luke 23:8 we read, "Now when
Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired
for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things
about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle ("dunamis") done
by Him."

"Dunamis" can also refer to the power of God in
salvation. Romans 1:16 teaches, "For I am not ashamed of
the gospel of Christ, for it is the power ("dunamis") of
God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew
first and also for the Greek." In this case the word "dunamis"
definitely refers to the power of God in salvation and not to
any physical miracle.

Miracles Point to Salvation

We have seen that in these verses God has been
indicating that His works of power, His "dunamis," are
intimately involved in salvation. Why did Jesus in the New
Testament perform all these physical signs? Didn't He heal
the blind man because he had compassion on him? Didn't the
Lord heal the lame man because He had pity on him? Didn't he
cleanse the lepers because he saw their pitiful condition?
Sure, He identified with their physical condition, but He
was much more interested in their spiritual condition. The
Lord said in Luke @:2S-27:

"But I tell you truly, many widows were in
Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven
was shut up three years and six months, and
there was a great famine throughout all the
land; but to none of them was Elijah sent
except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon,
to a woman who was a widow. And many lepers
were in Israel in the time of Elisha the
prophet, and none of them was cleansed except
Naaman the Syrian."

If you study the context of this passage, Luke 4:16-30,
you will find that Jesus was telling the people that He would
perform no mighty works in his own town of Capernaum
(Capernaum was the place where Jesus lived after He began
His ministry). Christ was illustrating the fact that there
were many widows in Elijah's day, yet Elijah helped only one.
Why? Because the event was an historical parable which was
utilized to teach us about salvation. It was an actual event
which has a deep spiritual significance, but God recorded it
in the Bible so that we could learn more about the nature of
salvation. Elijah performed a miracle so that the widow's
bowl of flour and jar of oil never ran out during the whole
time of the famine.

Why did God use these symbols? Flour is used to make
bread; bread points to the Lord Jesus Himself. Jesus said,
"I am the Bread of Life (Jn. 6:31-40)...." The oil was a type
of the Holy Spirit; Who is poured out on every believer (Acts
2:17). The flour and the bread actually symbolized God's
salvation which never runs out, which is eternal. God is also
indicating here that though there are many in need of
salvation, God only chooses a few to be saved. God could have
helped many widows in Elijah's day, but He chose not to.
Jesus could have done many miracles in Capernaum and Saved
many people, but He chose not to.

The cleansing of Naaman the leper was also an
historical parable. Leprosy is a type of uncleanness in
the Bible and uncleanness is a picture of sin. When Naaman
was cleansed, he was also saved (2 Kings 5:17). In this
passage in Luke, Jesus is clearly indicating that He is not in
the business of physical miracles, but primarily of spiritual
miracles. The importance of this is clear. Every person who
received physical healing in the Bible died, but those who
received a spiritual healing are now living in Heaven with
Christ. Which is really more important? God's main
purpose in demonstrating these physical miracles is to point
out the nature of salvation. In the case of Naaman, it pointed
to the fact that our sins are washed away when we are saved
(Titus 3:5). In the case of the widow, the miracle showed that
Christ, who is the Bread of Life, satisfies our spiritual
hunger.

The Purpose of Miracles

Let's look some more at the relationship of the word
"dunamis" and salvation. Philippians 3:10 tells us, "That I
may know Him and the power ("dunamis") of His resurrection...."
This is not talking about a physical resurrection, but a
spiritual resurrection. When we are saved our souls which were
dead in their sins (Eph. 2:1) are resurrected to life and a
true relationship with the Lord is established. This is real
resurrection power.

Acts 1:8, a verse which is often quoted concerning
God's power, tells us, "Ye shall receive power ("dunamis") when
the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses
to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the
end of the earth." The power God is talking about in Acts is
not the power to perform supernatural acts, but the power to
bring the gospel. When a person is saved, God demonstrates
quite a bit of power. An unsaved person is a slave of Satan
and is rushing madly into Hell. When this person suddenly
stops and turns his life over to God, that's a miracle. His
soul is born again, and he becomes a child of God, that's the
power of God. There is no greater miracle than this!

In Galatians 3:5,6 we read:

Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you
and works miracles among you, does He do it by
the works of the law, or by the hearing of
faith?-just as Abraham "believed God and it
was accounted to him for righteousness."

What was the miracle that the Apostle Paul was talking about
to the Galatians? Was it some great physical manifestation
that they all experienced? Did the heavens open up? No. When
are we supplied with the Holy Spirit? At salvation.
Romans 8:9 teaches us, "However, you are not in the flesh
but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.
But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not
belong to Him." Paul in Galatians 3 is talking about the
miracle of salvation. Salvation is a true miracle; God's
natural laws are set aside when a person is saved. Normally,
a person does not come to Christ. Romans 3:10,11
teaches:

As it is written: "There is none righteous,
no, not one; there is none who understands;
there is none who seeks after God.

Unless God opens our spiritual eyes, we will never come to
Christ. Salvation is a true miracle; it is the greatest of all
miracles!

If the purpose of physical miracles are not to show off
God's power, then what are they for? God clearly tells us in
His word (John 20:30,31):

And truly Jesus did many other signs in the
presence of His disciples, which are not
written in this book; but these are written
that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God, and that believing you may
have life in His name.

You see the real purpose of miracles is to bring people to
Christ. Miracles have no meaning in themselves; they are only
meaningful when they point to Christ.

The Miracle of the New Birth

It is interesting that the word translated miracles
in 1 Corinthians 12:10 is the word "dunamis." No where in 1
Corinthians 12 do you find the word "teras" or "semeion."
This is important because God is indicating that the miracles
that we as believers are to do are not physical miracles,
but we are to perform the miracle of the new birth; which
occurs as we witness for Christ and as the Holy Spirit draws
men to the Savior (John 6:39,44). We know that believers
today are to participate in bringing the miracles of
salvation because of God's use of the word "dunamis" in 1
Corinthians 12. "Dunamis" is intimately related with
Salvation. The acts of power that Jesus and the Apostles did
all pointed to salvation. Biblical miracles never
emphasized the physical miracle; they always emphasized the
spiritual message.

The physical miracles of the Bible were the proof of
the ministry of Jesus and the Apostles. Jesus said, "'But I
have a greater witness than John's for the works which the
Father has given Me to finish-the very works that I do-bear
witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me (John 5:36)." One
of the proofs that a person was an Apostle was that he could
do physical miracles. In 2 Corinthians 12:12 the Apostle Paul
writes, "Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished
among you will all perseverance, in signs ("semeion")
and wonders ("teras") and mighty deeds ("dunamis")."

The Bible also indicates that even the physical
miracle-working power of the Apostles was fading away. In 1
Timothy 5:23 Paul told Timothy, "No longer drink only water,
but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and for your
frequent infirmities." If the average believer is to perform
miracles, why didn't Paul heal Timothy? Or why didn't Timothy
heal himself? He was a man of great faith. God was indicating
here that miracles were phasing out and would completely end
with the death of the Apostles.

Signs and Wonders and Satanic Activity

One last point I would like to mention concerning signs
and wonders is that the Bible does speak frequently about
signs and wonders in the last days before Christ returns,
which is the time frame that we are in (Acts 2:17, 1 Tim.
4:1-5); and every mention of them is related to the activity
of Satan. Matthew 24:24 states, "For false christs and false
prophets will arise and show great signs (hsemeion") and
wonders ("teras"), so as to deceive, if possible, even the
elect." The Bible predicts that at the end of time people who
are emissaries of Satan will come and be involved in signs
and wonders. They will be so convincing that they could almost
even persuade the true believer, but God won't allow that.
This also implies that anyone who is deceived by Satan
and is involved with signs and wonders is not a true believer.

2 Thessalonians 2:9 states, "The coming of the lawless
one is according to the working of Satan, with all power
("dunamis"), signs ("semeion"), and lying wonders ("teras").
Here again we see Satanic activity tied in with signs and
wonders. Also notice here that Satan comes with his own
"dunamis," his own salvation program, his own gospel. He
tries to counterfeit the work of Christ in every way.

The true gospel has to do with sin, repentance, the
cross, and the resurrection. It really has nothing to do with
any type of physiCal miracles. In fact, physical miracles
really detract from the true gospel. They lead us to base our
faith on what we can see instead of trusting in God's Word. The
Bible says, "For we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7)."
When the wicked Pharisees asked Jesus for a miracle, He
replied, "A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a
sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the
prophet Jonah (Mt. 16:4)." The sign of the Prophet Jonah was
that as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of
the fish, so Christ would be three days and three nights in
the heart of the earth. In essence, Christ would be killed
and buried and on the third day He would be resurrected.

The only miracle that the Pharisees were to look at was
the miracle of the resurrection. This is the only miracle that
we are to be involved with.

We have seen that the reason that Jesus and the
Apostles performed signs and wonders was to establish their
own authority and to point to the nature of salvation itself.
We have also seen that the power ("dunamis") of God really
relates to His salvation program, and that the work of
the Church is really to proclaim the gospel. As we bring the
gospel, we will see miracles, the miracle of the new birth.
God very clearly indicates in His Word that at the end of
time Satan will come as a counterfeit christ, completely
involved with signs and wonders and miracles. Because of
these reasons, we as true believers should have nothing to do
with signs and wonders, because this is not a part of the
true gospel.

Author's Note: I am greatly indebted to the work of Mr. Harold
Camping, President of Family Stations Inc., whose work on this
topic has been a real inspiration.