Whats the scriptural response when a brother defends miracles today with following argument: “Let me say this about miracles. … Those of us who hold firmly to the Bible as the complete word of God need to also understand that THE BIBLE IS NOT THE COMPLETE MIND OF GOD. It is his message. The same God that enabled his chosen vessels to perform miracles IS STILL GOD. He can aslo perform more miracles. He has not limited himself to our finite capacity to understand what he will and can do. Please see Isaiah 55:8-9 –‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higer than your thoughts.’ If miracles have ceased, why do we pray? We pray to God to do what only God can do. When a brother or sister is ill, and we pray for God’s power to heal that person when the doctors have given up, are we just pretending? Or do we expect the all powerful God that we serve to hear our prayers and answer with healing grace? James 5:15 says, ‘the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well.’ Verse 16 tells us ‘The prayer of a righteous man is pwerful and effective.’ What power is James speaking of? The power of God to do what man cannot. That is a miracle. … God performed the miracles of the Bible for ‘God’s purposes.’ … Must we seek proof about the ‘works of men’ and avoid being duped by imposters? Yes. Must we rely on the Word of God to guide our reasoning? Yes. But we must not reduce God to our limitied ability to understand him and his ways. Read also Job Chapters 38, 39, 40, and 41. … I am suggesting that we must be careful about how we place limitations on the power of God to affect his will.”
The above, lengthy excerpt is filled with points that need biblical adjustment. First, the Bible is the complete will of God for mortals. (1) No new or different revelation is coming (Galatians 1:6-9). (2) The Christian faith or doctrine has been completely delivered already (Jude 3). (3) We already have everything provided to us by God that we need (2 Peter 1:3). (4) We are forbidden to add to or take away from divine revelation already provided to us by God (Revelation 22:18-19).
Second, references in the citation above to the Old Testament are used in such a way as to indicate the lack of understanding between the Old Testament and the New Testament, and that everyone now living is bound exclusively in religion by the New Testament – not at all by the Old Testament. (1) Yes, the Old Testament often is foundational to understanding New Testament references and it contains principles that are instructive (Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:11). (2) However, the New Testament has replaced the Old Testament (Romans 7:1-7; 2 Corinthians 3:11-13; Ephesians 2:14-16; Colossians 2:14; Hebrews 8:6-13) as a religious law by which people living today must conduct themselves and by which they will be judged (Revelation 20:12).
Third, the brother who penned the above does not understand that God has limited Himself respecting miracles. Further, he neither understands the purpose of miracles nor the distinction between miracles and the providence of God. Consequently, he does understand how prayer works, or for that matter, the reasons for which God’s children pray. (1) The purpose of miracles was provisional – to confirm new revelation from God, the New Testament or Gospel (Mark 16:20); when miracles had accomplished the purpose for which in the New Testament era they were performed, miracles were no longer needed. The purpose of miracles was never to walk on water, multiply bread and fishes contrary to natural law or even heal people; these were byproducts of the biblically stated purpose of miracles. (2) Miracles were always temporary and scheduled by God to end once the completed revelation of the New Testament was provided to mankind (1 Corinthians 13:8-13; Ephesians 4:11-14). (3) God’s answer of prayers does not depend on continued miraculous intervention by God – and it never depended only on miracles. The same divine power of God was behind miracles and remains behind the providence of God. During miraculous periods of history, God could have answered a prayer by the use of miracles, but I cannot think of an occasion that was miraculous and not providential, or He could have answered the prayer through His providence (James 5:17-18).
Further, there are two types of providence: General, where any human may be the recipient (Matthew 5:45), and Special, reserved exclusively for the faithful children of God (Genesis 45:4-8). Miracles are supposed to be obvious to prove something, whereas providence is not obvious and is not designed, therefore, to prove anything. (4) The reasons for which the children of God pray are not limited to asking for something, but include praise and thanksgiving. (5) God’s answers to prayers may not be “Yes,” but could be “No,” “conditionally” or “later”; an answer other than “Yes” as asked and when asked is as much of an answer from God as “Yes.”
Fourth, contrary to what the inspired apostle Paul penned, the brother writing above supposes that only through miracles can one avoid being duped by religious imposters. The apostle declared that it was the completed Word of God in the absence of miracles that was more likely to distinguish between imposters and the truth than relying on miracles (Ephesians 4:11-14; 1 John 4:1).
In summary, miracles fulfilled their purposes and concluded once the New Testament was penned; pragmatically, miracles ended at least by the time the last apostle died and the last Christian died upon whom an apostle had laid his hands to impart miraculous ability. The New Testament alone is the guide for everyone living today. Though miracles have ceased long ago, prayers are answered effectively “Yes” through the providence of God. Finally, resorting to the written, providentially preserved Word of God is the way God intends for men now living to distinguish between truth and error.
