Berean Fact Sheet Number 024

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Miracles Then and Now
Copyright ã 2005, 2006 by Larry G. Overton

Supernatural phenomena did not cease at the close of the first century with the completion of the New Testament canon. Miraculous gifts of the Spirit did not die with the apostles. It is my conviction that spiritual gifts and other miraculous manifestations are available to the body of Christ today. There are those who believe that miraculous gifts and manifestations did die with the apostles. They hold a position known as “cessationism,” the belief that all supernatural phenomena ceased after apostolic times. I used to hold to this position myself, by the way. I see the fact that I have been on both sides of this issue as an advantage. I believe it allows me to speak to both sides of the cessation/continuation debate more objectively.

Advocates on both sides of the debate have appealed to four lines of evidence: theology, history, personal experience and exegesis of Scripture. The structure of this Fact Sheet, then, will be to touch on each of these four categories of evidence as applied to both the cessationist and continuation perspectives.

Theology

The truth of the matter is that theology is of little help in this debate as a category of evidence. By definition, theology is just opinion, an expression of a body of doctrines. Our English word theology is derived from a compound Greek word, theologia [θεολογια] (theos [θεος], God, andlogos [λογος], a word, rational expression). So strictly speaking, theology is “the study of God.” A secondary definition of the term better expresses the meaning of this word theology as applied to our discussion: “a body of doctrines as set forth by a particular church or religious group”; “ a coherent body of theological doctrine : a theological theory or system…a body of theological opinion distinguished by some characteristic emphasis, method, or association .” Accordingly, a theology of miraculous gifts and manifestations does not add anything of substance to the debate; it merely states an opinion. And that carries weight only to those who already hold to the position stated and/or for those who give deference to the theologian or religious group.

History

Those subscribing to the concept of cessationism infer the ceasing of miraculous gifts from their doctrine. However, they typically claim that this conclusion on their part is more than mere inference; they often claim outright that history teaches us that gifts did in fact cease shortly after the first century or the apostolic age. The following statements are typical of cessationist theologians: “Miracles ceased!” “They stopped.” “ The testimony of history is that certain miraculous gifts ceased with the passing of the apostolic age. ” “… the performance of miracles by men in the church ceased forever. ”

However, history does not support the idea that miraculous manifestations ceased shortly after the closing of the New Testament canon of Scripture and/or the apostolic age. Justin Martyr wrote (mid- second century AD) of disciples in his day “receiving gifts” such as “healing” and “foreknowledge,” that it was possible in his day “to see amongst us women and men who possess gifts of the Spirit of God…” He also said that “the prophetical gifts remain with us, even to the present time.” Irenaeus, writing in the late second century, spoke of Christians in his day “receiving grace” and performing miracles, such as “driv[ing] out devils…hav[ing] foreknowledge of things to come…see[ing] visions, and utter[ing] prophetic expressions…heal[ing] the sick by laying their hands upon them.” Irenaeus also spoke of hearing of “many brethren… who possess prophetic gifts, and who through the Spirit speak all kinds of languages… ” Tertullian, writing ca. 212 AD, spoke of specific testimonies of deliverance and healing, and then stated, “How many men of rank (to say nothing of common people) have been delivered from devils, and healed of diseases!” Augustine wrote a great deal about miracles in his own day. Here is his clear statement on the subject: “For even now miracles are wrought in the name of Christ…” At the conclusion of Book XXII, Chapter 8 of his work City of God (written in 426 AD), Augustine sums up the matter by reiterating his testimony that the same God who performed the miracles “we read of” (i.e., those recorded in the NT) is “still performing them.”

Personal Experience

The true cessationist would tell you that he has no personal experience in miraculous gifts. In fact, he would insist that is exactly his point. “I’ve never seen miraculous gifts in operation,” he would say. “Certainly nothing like that has ever happened to me. I would have to see it to believe it.” Not all cessationists are from the “Show Me” state, but they certainly do have a “prove it” mentality. To a degree, this is not a bad thing. If a person combines critical objectivity with openness—if he is teachable—then he will not be deceived by every wind of doctrine. However, the cessationist’s lack of experience in this matter is not proof that no one in our own day and time has experienced miraculous gifts and manifestations. Testimonies may be multiplied of contemporary examples of words of knowledge, discernings of spirits, healings, visions, etc. Space does not permit me to recount them here. The truth of the matter is that a lack of miraculous manifestations in one’s life may be more readily accounted for in other ways: by a religious refusal to believe, by hardness of heart, sin in one’s life or apostasy.

Scripture

The fourth line of evidence used in this debate is Scripture, or more specifically, the exegesis of Scripture. Both sides of the debate claim that their position is Biblical. However, one side has to be wrong. This fact doesn’t sit well with the relativism of our day, but it’s the truth of the situation before us. The two sides of this controversy are polar opposites; they are diametrically opposed to one another. Therefore, they cannot both be right. They cannot both be Biblical (unless we view the Bible as such a vague and ambiguous statement of revelation that it can mean whatever a person wants it to mean). One of these two positions has to be wrong. And as I have already stated, I firmly believe that it is my former position—cessationism—that is wrong.

There is no verse of Scripture that says “Spiritual gifts and miraculous manifestations shall cease towards the end of the first century AD and the apostolic age, with the close of the New Testament canon of Scripture.” The Bible does not speak of spiritual gifts and miraculous manifestations as though they were designed to be limited to either a select few or a select time.

Instead, the Bible speaks of gifts and manifestations as being normative for members of the body of Christ. Mark said that certain “ signs will accompany those having believed…” (Mark 16:17) Paul spoke of miraculously imparted knowledge and the gift of prophecy ceasing only when the “perfect” comes, when we will see “face to face” and “know just as also [we are] fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:8-13) Paul also spoke of “supplying” the Galatians with “the Spirit and working miracles among [them]” because of their “hearing of faith” (Galatians 3:5)

While a detailed discussion of the Biblical evidence (or any of the other categories of evidence) is not possible here, this Fact Sheet does serve as my own position statement, as a summation of the case for believing in miracles, then and now.

Funk & Wagnall’s Standard College Dictionary, p. 1389.

Webster’s Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged. p. 2371.