Holy Spirit -12- The Doctrine and Practice of Modern Miracles

2. The Doctrine and "Practice" of Modern Miracles That God can perform miracles no believer in the Bible doubts for a moment. This is necessarily implied in his being God. That he has performed miracles in the past is freely granted. The only question is, Does he perform miracles today? That he once performed miracles is no proof that he now does. He created the first man and woman. These were miracles-but men and women now are born by the working of God’s natural laws. None are being created now. Jesus raised the dead to life again, but he is not raising any from the dead now.

Really we can lay the proposition down as a truism that all things both in nature and in grace started by miracles, but when established, were and are perpetuated by law. Unless God is starting something new now, he is not working through miracles but through law. That Christianity was started and confirmed-established-by miracles is abundantly proved by the New Testament. That the message of the gospel was confirmed "by wonders, signs and manifestations of the Holy Spirit" is also true. That it is the everlasting gospel, "the faith once for all delivered to the saints" is certainly true. We hold, therefore, that no miracles are needed now and that none are performed today. What saith the Scriptures? How readest thou? The gospel dispensation began on the first Pentecost after the resurrection of our Lord, A short time-probably ten days-before this Pentecost, Jesus commissioned the disciples to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Read the passage:

"Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they shall drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following, Amen" (Mark 16:14-20).

These disciples had been unbelievers when they first heard of the Lord’s resurrection. They are now believers and the Lord upbraided them on their former unbelief and hardness of heart. Then he gave them the Great Commission, and made the following promise. (Note the tense of the verbs and the personal pronouns). "These signs shall follow them that believe." It does not say a thing in this passage about others who afterward may believe. Some others would have miracle-working powers but that is not promised in this passage. Nor does the passage say that "These signs shall follow them that believe in my name," making the promise general, but limiting it to those then believing. A colon cuts off the latter phrase, and the passage simply says, "These signs shall follow them that believe"-that is, those who were then believers. Then it further reads. "In my name they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues." etc....: .. "So after the Lord had spoken unto them...and they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word with signs following."

Referring to this occasion the author of the book of Hebrews says, "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 him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his will" (Hebrews 2:3-4). Afterward these apostles laid their hands on certain people and conferred on them the power to work miracles; as for instance, "Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John (apostles): who when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit: for as yet it was fall en upon none of them: only they had been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, Give me also this power that on whomsoever I may lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8:14-19) . He wanted the prerogatives and powers of an apostle. He thus sinned in the sight of God and stood condemned. Read Acts 8:20-23 following. People on whom the apostles laid hands could work wonders, but they could not in turn lay their hands on others and confer the power on them. Keep this in mind, please. Remember that Philip, who had preached to and converted these Samaritans, including Simon the sorcerer, had apostolic hands laid on him (Acts 6:5-6) and he performed miracles at Samaria himself (Acts 8:4-8), but conferred no such power on others, nor were such powers conferred until the apostles Peter and John came and did it.

Afterward Paul was made an apostle. Read Acts 9:10-19; Acts 22:3-21; Acts 26:9-18. Ananias, a disciple could restore Paul’s sight (Acts 22:13), but this did not confer the power of an apostle on him. That was done by the Lord (Acts 26:16-18). Being an apostle, he went to Ephesus, found certain people knowing only the message and baptism of John the Baptist, and taught them the way of the Lord more perfectly, baptized them and then laid his hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-7). Many people in the infantile state of the church could perform miracles because the apostles laid their hands on many people, especially leaders in the churches, and it was only through the laying on of apostolic hands that the power was conferred on other men that they might perform these signs. When the last man died on whom the apostles laid their hands miracles ceased. No real miracles are performed today. All people claiming to be miracle workers are frauds. Let no one be deceived by them. Why were miracles confined to the early age of the church? From the foregoing it is clear that they were to confirm the gospel. The New Testament was not completed until around 90 or 100 A.D.. Gospel workers needed confirmation of their message. Miracles did this very thing. Congregations needed instructions. Many strange voices were heard. How did the people know which to heed? True leaders could perform wonders as a sign manual of their being from God. But when the New Testament was completed and Christianity firmly established then the law of the Lord as revealed in the New Testament could be, and was, appealed to as authority. "If any man thinketh himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him take knowledge of the things which I write unto you, that they are the commandment of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:37). What has been left us in the New Testament is all the guidance we have today in religion and is all we need. When people build a house they erect a scaffold to assist in its erection but when the building, is finished, the scaffolding is taken away. The church is the house of God (1 Timothy 3:15). It is erected by the New Testament message, but before the New Testament was written, the message had to have scaffolding to confirm it. Now that it has been, and will always remain, confirmed, miracles are not longer needed. Hence Paul said to the Corinthian church, a church possessing at that time many kinds of miraculous gifts, "But covet earnestly the best gifts, yet show I unto you a more excellent way." This is the last verse of lst Corinthians the 12th chapter. In the 13th chapter he showed them what this "more excellent way" is-the way of Faith, Hope and Love.