18. Miracles / Workings of Powers

Miracles in Scripture are extraordinary acts of God's Power that go beyond the regular workings of creation — healings of incurable conditions, raisings from the dead, deliverance from demonic powers, supernatural provision, control of natural forces, signs that confirm the gospel. They are gifts to the Church and signs to the world.

The biblical picture distinguishes miracles from healing, though they overlap. Healing focuses specifically on the restoration of the sick. Miracles include healing but extend further: to nature miracles (calming storms, multiplying loaves, walking on water), to deliverance from demonic oppression, to raisings from the dead, to extraordinary acts of provision and judgement.

The biblical picture also clarifies the purpose of miracles. They are signs (sēmeia) — pointing beyond themselves to the kingdom of God breaking in. Jesus says: "If it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you" (Luke 11:20). Miracles are not magic, not entertainment, not personal advancement; they are kingdom signs.

Christians read the contemporary expression of this gift in different ways:

• Cessationist views. Miraculous sign gifts ceased with the apostolic age, having served their purpose of authenticating the canonical revelation.

• Continuationist views. The gift continues throughout church history; God still works miracles in our day, particularly in the advance of the gospel into resistant territory.

• Middle positions. Many hold that genuine miracles still occur, especially on mission frontiers and in moments of unusual divine action, while remaining cautious about claims that lack evidence.

Whatever the position, the New Testament's testimony is consistent: miracles are real, they are God's work and not man's, they confirm the gospel, they are not to be expected as routine, and they always serve God's larger purposes.

Jesus. The miracles of Jesus are the supreme example. He turns water into wine, calms storms, walks on water, multiplies loaves and fish, heals every kind of disease, casts out demons, raises the dead. Each is a sign that the kingdom of God has come. "If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works" (John 10:37–38). His miracles always serve compassion, gospel, and revelation — never spectacle for its own sake.

The disciples. Jesus gives them "power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases" (Luke 9:1) and they go, returning with stories. Later He sends seventy-two who return rejoicing that "even the demons are subject to us in your name" (Luke 10:17). Acts is the continuation of this pattern.

Peter. The lame man at the gate (Acts 3:1–10); Aeneas (Acts 9:32–35); Tabitha raised from the dead (Acts 9:36–42); his shadow falling on the sick associated with healing (Acts 5:15).

Stephen (Acts 6:8). "Full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people."

Philip (Acts 8:6–7, 13). In Samaria, "unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralysed or lame were healed" — even Simon the magician was astonished.

Paul (Acts 13–28). The crippled man at Lystra (Acts 14:8–10); Eutychus restored after falling from the window (Acts 20:9–12); Publius's father healed on Malta (Acts 28:7–10); the viper that didn't harm him (Acts 28:3–6); "extraordinary miracles" through handkerchiefs that had touched him (Acts 19:11–12) — Luke himself notes these as "extraordinary," not normative.

The seven sons of Sceva (Acts 19:13–17). A counter-example: those who tried to use Jesus' name without belonging to Him were overpowered by the demon. The miraculous gift cannot be borrowed.

Old Testament miracle-workers. Moses — the plagues, the parting of the sea, water from the rock, the bronze serpent. Joshua — the sun standing still, the walls of Jericho. Elijah — the widow's oil and meal, fire from heaven, the raising of the widow's son. Elisha — multiplied oil, the floating axe head, the healing of Naaman, the raising of the Shunammite's son, sight given to a blinded army. Daniel — the lions' den. The accounts of these miracles consistently emphasise that God is the worker and the prophet is merely the instrument.

Throughout church history. Reports of remarkable answers to prayer and unusual divine action have continued — though sober Christians have always weighed claims carefully. Augustine's later writings; the lives of Patrick and Columba; the miracles attested in Reformation accounts; the histories of mission to China, Africa, and Latin America; the testimonies of the persecuted church in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

A counter-example: Pharaoh's magicians (Exodus 7:11–12, 22; 8:7, 18–19). Initially able to imitate Moses' signs by their secret arts; eventually confessing, "This is the finger of God." Real spiritual power exists outside Christ, but is finite and ultimately confounded.

A counter-example: Simon the magician (Acts 8:9–24). His prior practice of magic had "amazed" the people, who said, "This man is the power of God that is called Great." When he saw the genuine gifts, he tried to buy them. Peter's rebuke is permanent: spiritual power is not for sale, and the desire to possess it for personal advantage is itself a sign of corruption.

A counter-example: false christs and false prophets (Matt 24:24; 2 Thess 2:9; Rev 13:13–14). Scripture warns that the last days will see signs and wonders that are not from God. The criteria of testing — the fruit, the orientation toward Christ, the agreement with Scripture — remain.

A pattern across these examples: biblical miracles are characterised by their source (God), their purpose (kingdom signs, gospel confirmation, compassion), their context (faith, prayer, often crisis), and their effect (people turning to God, the church being built up). They are real, but never routine. They are gifts, never possessions. They serve the gospel, never compete with it. And they point, in every age, to the One whose name is Wonderful, who works wonders alone (Ps 72:18).