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Miracles were never intended to be permanent happenings in the church, but were provisional and
temporary in bringing the New Testament into existence.
But someone will say, "God used to heal the sick by miracles, and He is the same yesterday, today and forever." Now it is true that God worked miracles through the apostles and others while the New Testament was being written. It is also true that God is the same now as then, but it does not follow that miracles are being performed now as they then were. When spiritual gifts were in existence, God said they would cease (1 Corinthians 13), and when "that which is perfect" — the New Testament — came, they did cease. God once had his Spirit speak through Baalam's ass, but He can be the same now as then without having the Holy Spirit speak through animals today. Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead because they lied to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:1-11) about their giving. Aren't you glad that liars are not so suddenly cut down today? Yet, God is the same today as He was then. Jesus once fed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fishes, but He is the same in character now as then without so feeding every 5,000. Something must be said or done before it can be reported. It must be reported before it can be believed. It must be believed to be enjoyed or acted upon, and the testimony must be confirmed before it can be relied upon. With men, "the oath is final for confirmation," but supernatural facts required miracles for confirmation. The Bible is the Book of such facts. God loved man so much that He gave His Son to save him. He planned our salvation. Christ loved us and willingly gave Himself for us. But we could not have been saved without knowing what they had done and what we must do. Hence, it was revealed by the Holy Spirit — the will of God and the duty of man. The Holy Spirit told us what they had done and what we must do. The Bible is the "faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3). Notice that it was once for all delivered. God does not give a revelation for each generation. When God called Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt, He gave him power to confirm His word before the people that they might believe that God had sent him. The record says that Moses and Aaron, "spake all the words which Jehovah had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people" (Exodus 4:30). When the Old Testament was finally written and confirmed, the people who lived under it were to believe it and go by it without miracles being performed before or upon them. In Luke 16, Jesus tells of the rich man and Lazarus, both of whom lived under the Old Testament. After death, Lazarus went to Abraham's bosom and the rich man went to torment. He asked Abraham to send Lazarus to his aid. When his request was denied because he waited too late to make remedy for his sins, he asked that Lazarus be sent back into the world to convert his brothers. But Abraham told him, "They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them" (Luke 16:27-29). Ah! but he said they will not repent just by hearing the Old Testament. Then Abraham said, "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead" (Luke 16:31). Thus, you see, they were to believe the Old Testament, and while it was God's covenant with His people they were to be converted by it, be turned to repentance by it — without miracles. Enough miracles had been wrought to confirm it. It was believable and credible. But we live under a better covenant than they. The New Testament is the teaching of Christ and it, too, was given by inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). We must believe and obey it to be saved. If you turn your ear from hearing it, you will be the companion of the rich man in torment. If you will not repent at its commands, you would not do so if some Lazarus should come back from the dead. Hebrews 1:1-2 says, "God, Who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son." Jesus lived and died under Moses and the prophets, but His own teaching became effective after His death. Following His death, the apostles — guided into all truth by the Holy Spirit (John 14:26, 16:13) — gave unto us the New Testament — the will of Christ. If the rich man went to torment because he did not heed the law under which he lived, then, "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard them: God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?" (Hebrews 2:3-4). Thus, the word spoken by the Lord's apostles was confirmed by miracles. Jesus said, "The very works that I do, bear witness of me" (John 5:36 ASV) and He asked the Jews to believe Him for His works' sake. Nicodemus said, "Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him" (John 3:2). Furthermore, John writes, "And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God: and that believing ye might have life through his name" (John 20:30-31). In John's first epistle, he said that what he and the other apostles had heard and seen concerning the word of life was written that, "ye also may have fellowship with us" (1 John 1:1-3). I do not have to see Jesus walk upon the water to believe that He did. The apostles, who saw Him raise the dead, give sight to the blind, heal the sick — including leprosy — and do many other mighty works, have told me about those in the Bible. I have fellowship with them in the belief of their testimony and in the blessings of being a Christian. Those things do not have to be repeated for me to believe that Jesus is the Son of God. When Peter preached on Pentecost, he said, "Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles, and wonders, and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know" (Acts 2:22). Thus, his message was confirmed. The apostles were of no reputation among the mighty leaders of their day and with the responsibility of preaching to all the world, how were they to prove they were sent from Christ? They proved it by the miracles they worked. In Mark 16, Jesus said, "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them: they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover" (vv. 17-18). Mark wrote of Jesus' promise years after it was made to the apostles. He told of the ascension of Christ to heaven in verse 19, and then takes up the work of the apostles which was done in obedience to the command to preach the gospel in all the world. "And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following" (Mark 16:20). The Lord promised them the signs, and the record says the signs followed. Mark lived to see the promise fulfilled. But here we make use of what is said by seeing that their "word was confirmed by the signs." Today, we have that word which the signs confirmed. The Holy Spirit guided the apostles into all truth. When we today believe what is written in the Bible, our faith does not rest in men, but in the power of God. "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation, to everyone that believeth" (Romans 1:16). |