The Confirmation Purpose Of The Miraculous Gifts

Perhaps the primary purpose for the miraculous gifts which were active in the first century was to reveal God’s New Testament law while it was being written through inspiration (https://bibledebates.wordpress.com/2014/01/31/miracles-have-ceased/ ). A second closely connected reason for the miraculous gifts would be the confirmation of that revelation.

To illustrate suppose the new testament writer Mark told the disciples of his day “God has revealed to me a book and we should put it in the Bible and call it “Mark.” And then John Doe told the disciples “God has revealed to me a book and we should put it in the Bible and call it “John Doe.” How would the Christians at that time have known to put Mark’s book in the New Testament, but not John Doe’s?

A passage like John 3:2 helps us see the answer to that question. According to that text, Nicodemus knew Jesus was a “teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him” The point is no man can raise someone from the dead or still a weather storm of his own power. They could only do that using power given to them by God. And God wouldn’t work through a man in such way if he was a liar and a fraud. So the fact Jesus could perform such amazing miracles proved he was who he said he was, and that he was preaching God’s truth; he wasn’t just making it all up like many people do (especially today).

And so the first century disciples would have known to put Mark’s book in the Bible but not John Doe’s, because Mark could work miracles (like healing the sick), and John Doe couldn’t. Do you see how the gifts like prophecy, tongues, and miraculous knowledge then were used to reveal the law of Christ (I Cor 13:8-10), and the gifts such as healing were used to confirm who was actually revealing truth, and who was a fraud?

Following is a list of passages that show this confirming nature of supernatural gifts …

Deuteronomy 18:22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

I Kings 17:22-24 And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth. And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth.

Mark 2:10-11 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.

Mark 16:20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

John 3:2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, 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 10:38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

John 20:30-31 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.

Acts 2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; 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 8:6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.

Hebrews 2:3-4 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 own will?

If you think of another such passage, please send it to me so I can add it to my list.

hear Bible Crossfire Sunday nights at 8:00 central on SiriusXM radio Family Talk 131 and 59 local stations across America or at www.BibleCrossfire.com