Do Christians Today Have the Gift of Miraculous Healing?

Part Five: Bible Miracles vs. Modern-day Miracles

Before answering the subject question, several other questions need to be answered first.

• Does God have enough power to do a miracle today? Yes, God is all-powerful today.
• Did Jesus and other people in Bible times do Miracles? Yes, they did!
• Are the miracles recorded in the Bible true and genuine? They are!
• Should we pray for the sick and thank God for their recovery? We should!
• Do I believe God’s promises? I believe every one of them!
• Do Christians have the gift of miraculous healing, today? No!

As we discovered in last week’s article, gifts were only imparted by the laying on of the Apostles’ hands. Only the Apostles and the first Gentile converts received them through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2,10,11). There are not two-thousand-year-old apostles roaming the earth laying on of hands today!

Bible Examples Contrasting Real vs. Fake Miracles

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). Just as there are false prophets in the world today, there are those who use false or fake miracles.

• Moses performed real miracles. Pharaoh’s magicians tried in vain to imitate these (Ex. 7; 2 Tim. 3:8).
• During Elijah’s contest with Baal’s prophets, he demonstrated the true power of the True God in praying for fire to come down from heaven to devour his sacrifice (1 Kings 18).
• Simon the sorcerer was converted to Christ after seeing the true miracles of God performed by Philip (Acts 8:9-11).
• Paul could cast out demons by the name of Jesus. The seven sons of Sceva could not, no matter how hard they tried (Acts 19:13-17).

Paul foretold of fake miracle workings in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10: “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth.” The difference between true and false miracles are obvious in the Bible. They are just as obvious today.

Contrasting Bible Miracles with Modern Miracles

■ Historically Witnessed vs. Currently Doubted

The miracles of the New Testament were universally accepted as real by those who witnessed them. The Miracles of Christ and His Apostles and some of the early Christians were verified as historical events by eyewitnesses. The Jews said of the Apostles, “for, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it” (Acts 4:16). Luke claims to have listened to many witnesses before penning his Gospel (Luke 1:1-4). Jesus feeding of the five thousand men plus women and children with just a young boy’s sack lunch was witnessed by thousands (John 6). John makes it clear that he saw and heard the events in the life of Jesus. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— that which we have seen and heard we declare to you” (1 John 1:1-4). Peter makes a similar claim. “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty” (2 Peter 1:16).

Miracles of today are denied by the witness of history and doubted by eyewitnesses today. We are told that doctors all over the country will testify to the fact that miracles of healing are being performed. Dr. William Nolen, in his book Healing: A Doctor in Search of a Miracle wrote, “I may not understand how a magician performs a magic trick, but the explanation is purely natural and not miraculous.”

■ Attested to by Enemies vs. Attacked by Many Skeptics

Often the rulers of the people were angry at Jesus, but never did they try to deny any of the miracles that occurred. Not being able to condemn Him for faking miracles and accepting the fact that these events were supernatural events, they came up with the false claim that Jesus did them by the power of Beelzebub (i.e., the Devil; see Matt. 12:22-30). The Jewish leadership who witnessed Jesus performing miracles or the end results of them did not reject them as spurious. “Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs” (John 11:47). Some might argue that the eyewitnesses were disciples of Jesus and therefore biased in favor of His miracles. Being a disciple does not necessary discredit their objectivity. The Sanhedrin said of the apostles, “And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it….saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it” (Acts 4:14,16).

■ Instantaneous vs. Delayed/Gradual

Almost all miracles of the Bible were performed instantaneous or “immediately”. To a blind man “Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way; your faith has made you well.’ And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road” (Mark 10:52). In healing a leper “Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’ Immediately his leprosy was cleansed” (Mt. 8:3). Peter’s mother-in-law was healed as soon as Jesus touched her hand (Mt. 8:15), and Malthus’ ear was restored whole immediately (Lk. 22:51).

Other miracles were slightly delayed due to a desired and necessary effect. Such as when Jesus healed another blind man. “He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. And he looked up and said, ‘I see men like trees, walking.’ Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly” (Mark 8:23-25). However, the delay was a mere matter of seconds.

Today, it can take days, weeks, and even months for these so-called miracles to take effect.

■ No Failures vs. Failures

The early Christians had no failed attempts at miracles to explain away. However, there was one exception. The time when Jesus condemned them for their little faith. Yet today there are many failures in attempts to heal which have been documented.

• When Dustin Graham Gilmore became ill, he was brought to church for prayer, so faith alone could heal. At home Dustin’s temperature climbed as he became deaf, as he became blind, and finally died on May 15th of meningitis.
• Jack Coe in Miami, Florida “healed” a little three-year-old boy who had polio. He ordered his braces removed and the little innocent child fell to the floor. Ironically, since that time Jack Coe took polio and died!
• “One lady in Burbank, California, was so convinced that Oral Roberts could cure her cancer that she flew from California to Cincinnati to attend his healing service. She was supposedly cured, and shortly after her arrival home, her cure was featured on Roberts’ television show. Within 12 hours after the show, she was dead of cancer. Pasadena Tumor Institute listed the cause of death as cancer” (The Indianapolis Star, Jan. 31, 1956 “Woman Dies of Cancer After “Cure”). Oral Roberts admitted, “No one in the whole world has prayed with more sick people who have not been healed than I have.”

■ Enduring vs. Temporary

Jesus and apostles did not have to repeat the miracle a few days later nor did it wear off and the healed return to a state of blindness or lame or disease. But one man who was “healed” wrote a letter to the fake healer: “Everything is as before, I am deaf again, please help me, dear brother Zaiss.” People may feel better for a time, perhaps while under the hypnotic influence of the healer, yet the pain or disease will return.

– Daniel R. Vess