Miracles

They say, “Jesus emptied himself of his ‘God-ness’ to be born, live, and die on earth.”

/ Joan C. Thomson / Leave a comment

Is it true? No.

I’ve heard it said that this was so he could do miracles as a man, because if he did them as God, it would mean that we, as humans, couldn’t do them. When Jesus sent out “the twelve” and “the seventy/seventy-two,” they were fully human and did many miracles, as did Paul, enabled by the power and authority that Jesus conferred on them. No mere human would carry that power and authority.

Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John;  Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. Matthew 10:1-8

“When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you.  Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ Luke 10:8,9

The Bible says Jesus was born fully God and fully human—at the same time. The entire time.

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Colossians 1:19,20

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form… Colossians 2:9

When Paul wrote that Jesus “emptied” or “humbled” himself, he didn’t mean Jesus was no longer God, but that he was willing to restrain himself so that he could experience what we experience, and ultimately die for us.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Philippians 2:5-8

“They say, “The Holy Spirit doesn’t do miracles anymore.”

/ Joan C. Thomson / Leave a comment
Photo by Sai Krishna on Pexels.com

Is it true? No.

Why wouldn’t he? The Bible, which people rightly point to as the final authority, never says that miracles have ceased or would no longer be necessary. They can only point to I Corinthians 13:8, which says, “Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.”

But they don’t believe that knowledge has passed away. They say that the “completeness” refers to the canon of Scripture, the final agreement of the number of books in the Bible, particularly the New Testament, which didn’t happen until the 300’s—but what about the Resurrection, the final judgment, and New Jerusalem, aren’t those rather the completeness Paul referred to? Yes. And if prophecy disappears when the Bible was “finalized,” then a good part of the Bible would disappear as well, since a lot of it is prophecy.

Paul was speaking, not of the gifts of the Spirit “passing away,” or their being unimportant, but of the ongoing need of love as a “way” of life and of operating in the gifts of the Spirit. He went on to say that the Corinthians—and by extension, all believers should “eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy” (I Corinthians 14:1). Do not quench the Spirit. I Thessalonians 5:19

The only way that healing or miracles of protection would no longer be needed is if we were in New Jerusalem in the new heavens and new earth, where there’s “no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:4). As long as people become ill, are injured are in pain or die, as long as there is spiritual warfare, miracles are still needed.

Many say that since they don’t see any miracles, miracles can’t exist—as though they themselves were the defining authority of what exists. One would have to be hiding in a cave to miss the many healings that the Holy Spirit has done through the ages and continues to do. Lesser known, but still happening, are the miracles of multiplying food, and of supernatural protection from bandits..

I have personally been supernaturally healed, and even raised from the dead, so I am an eyewitness that these things have not “passed away.”

“They say, “The Holy Spirit doesn’t do miracles anymore.”

/ Joan C. Thomson / Leave a comment

 Is it true? No.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Why wouldn’t he?

Why wouldn’t he? The Bible, which people rightly point to as the final authority, never says that miracles have ceased or would no longer necessary. They can only point to I Corinthians 13:8, which says, “Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.For we know in part and we prophesy in part,but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.” But they don’t believe that knowledge has passed away. They say that the “completeness” refers to the canon of Scripture, the final agreement of the number of books in the Bible, particularly the New Testament—but what about the Resurrection, the final judgment and New Jerusalem, aren’t those rather the completeness Paul referred to? Yes. And if prophecy disappears when the Bible was “finalized,” then a good part of the Bible would disappear as well, since a lot of it is prophecy.

Paul was speaking, not of the gifts of the Spirit “passing away,” or their being unimportant, but of the ongoing need of love as a “way” of life and of operating in the gifts of the Spirit. He went on to say that the Corinthians—and by extension, all believers should “eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy” (I Corinthians 14:1). Do not quench the Spirit. I Thessalonians 5:19

The only way that healing or miracles of protection would no longer be needed is if we were in New Jerusalem in the new heavens and new earth, where there’s “no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away (Revelation 21:4). As long as people become ill, are injured are in pain or die, as long as there is spiritual warfare, miracles are still needed.

Many say that since they don’t see any miracles, miracles can’t exist—as though they themselves were the defining authority of what exists. One would have to be hiding in a cave to miss the many healings that the Holy Spirit has done through the ages and continues to do. Lesser known, but still happening, are the miracles of multiplying of food, and of supernatural protection from bandits..

I have personally been supernaturally healed, and even raised from the dead, so I am an eyewitness that these things have not “passed away.”