Transcript

Miracles

Introduction

It’s impossible to read through the Bible without being struck by the number of times something miraculous happens. The parting of the Red Sea, a man seeing or walking for the first time, or even something as drastic as the dead coming back to life. As we read through the Bible we can’t help but wonder how they actually could have happened, why God used miracles, and whether or not they still happen today.

How miracles happened

When we talk about miracles in the Bible, we’re not referring to mere coincidences or occurrences, such as when someone narrowly avoids a car that ran a red light. No, a Biblical miracle was an intentional suspension of the natural laws of the universe, where God directly intervened for a specific reason. Usually, this was done by one of God’s prophets like Moses or Elijah, though it is important to emphasize that while the miracles were performed by prophets, the miracles themselves were always attributed to the power of God as it says in Acts 2:22 — “Jesus from Nazareth, a man approved of God unto you by mighty works and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you.” So without God working through them, these men could never have done the miraculous. Jesus of Nazareth stands as a prime example.

The purpose behind miracles

As you read through the miracles and healings of Jesus, you notice that in every case he does it to advance God’s purpose. Instead of turning stones into whatever food he liked, or performing incredible acts to gather a crowd, Jesus used miracles to show compassion, to illustrate his teachings, to validate his divinity, and to foreshadow the coming kingdom. In fact, these miracles and healings often left Jesus physically drained, prompting Him to seek solace and strength through prayer and solitude.

Every healing and miracle that Jesus performed was unique in its delivery, and taught an important spiritual lesson to the people around him. Every sickness he healed was a symbol of sin and the way in which Jesus actually took it upon himself to cure the problem of sin. As the people witnessed these miraculous healings, they witnessed a living parable of what Jesus was able to do for the most potent sickness of all — the disease of sin and death. 

Following Jesus’ death and resurrection, the power to perform miracles was given to the apostles to kickstart the spread of the gospel. Like Jesus, they performed miraculous healings in order to prove that God was undeniably with them, and that their words could be trusted. With God performing wonders through them, the apostles played a foundational role in spreading the good news throughout the world, setting up churches and encouraging believers in their newfound faith.

Do miracles happen today?

Which brings us to the all-important question of whether or not miracles still happen today, the answer to which is… not exactly. Though God no longer directly intervenes through the use of men to perform miraculous healings or supernatural events, that’s not to say that God isn’t working the lives of individuals and will sometimes do incredible things.

But just because we might never see water turned to wine or the Red Sea parted doesn’t mean that there are no longer reasons to believe in God. In fact, miracles never really worked that way for most people that saw them. In fact it was said that the people in Jesus time would not be persuaded even if someone rose from the dead, which was in fact exactly what happened.

What every believer in every age has come to realize is that it’s not about the grand and miraculous, but about the power of the still small voice. Genuine power and faith in God comes from a simple and thoughtful reading and meditation on the Bible — and if we can do that, then God can work a real, present-day miracle in us, transforming our thinking and character to be more like his own, and one day, changing our nature so that we never feel the effects of sin ever again.