I recently had an interesting conversation with someone that is prompting me to write a series of articles to address the question, “Are Miracles For Today?” This person used several common cessationist arguments as to why miracles aren’t for today, which I want to counter in this series. If you aren’t familiar with the term cessationist, it is a term used to describe those who believe God ceased performing miracles either the day the last apostle died or when the Bible was canonized in the 5th century.
Many of you may have heard these arguments and they may have created questions for you about whether God still heals or moves supernaturally today? My goal in this series is to defend the fact the supernatural is for today because historically God uses miracles as a dinner bell to draw people to the gospel. Miracles have played a major role in every revival or awakening in 2,000 years of church history. I want you to have a biblical basis for why miracles are for today so you can believe for miracles and see the lives of many transformed.
In this first article I want to address the passage of scripture that most cessationists use to defend their position that miracles are no longer for today. My goal is to walk you through this passage and help you interpret it properly so you can discover what it actually means. Before we look at the passage, I want to draw your attention to something very important. I’m taking you to the only passage of scripture that cessationists use to defend their position.
Wouldn’t it seem logical if God wanted miracles to cease, that He have put many passages of scripture in the Bible that stated miracles were supposed to cease the after the first century? To me this is a big deal because of how normative miracles are in the Bible.
Also, wouldn’t these passages that stated miracles ceased be clear and not need a lot of interpretation? You would think so as most of the main themes of scripture throughout the Bible, both Old and New Testament are very clear. For example, murder, theft, and adultery is sin in the Old Testament, the Gospels, and the epistles. It’s clear these things are wrong. It doesn’t require deep interpretation to figure this out because when God wants us to know something, He makes it clear. I bring all this up because the one passage cessationists use to make their point, isn’t very clear, but I digress.
Here is the the passage cessationists use to affirm their position on miracles. It is 1 Corinthians 13:8-12:
8 But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
These passages say that the supernatural gifts of tongues and prophecy will cease one day. The question is, when is that day? The rest of verse 8 gives us an indicator this must be sometime in the future because this passage also says knowledge will vanish away. Think about how much knowledge has increased in the last 100 years. In 1924, humans were barely flying airplanes, but by 1969 we landed a man on the moon. That’s an increase in knowledge. The phone you have in your pocket today has a stronger computer in it than the computers we used during World War II that took up entire offices. Knowledge is increasing at a faster rate than ever today, so wouldn’t it be logical that the gifts of prophecy and tongues would also be accelerating.
The next argument cessationists use from this passage is in verse 10, which says when that which is perfect is come….. The thought is when the Bible was canonized in the 5th century miracles were no longer needed because the Bible is that which is perfect. While I’ll agree the Bible is perfect, it is not that which is perfect this passage is talking about. How do I know? Look at verse 12. It says we now see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. The Bible is the mirror we look into dimly until the return of Christ when we see Him face to face. When Jesus returns and we see Him face to face, there will be no more need for the gifts of tongues and prophecy, but until then these gifts remain. Acts 2:38-39 confirms this:
38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the [a]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
In this passage, Peter, says the gift of the Holy Spirit is for you, your children, and as many as afar off. This is talking about salvation, but it is also talking about the rest of the gifts because this was the first day the gift of tongues was given, which is what drew the crowd at Pentecost. The gifts of the spirit don’t cease until Christ returns because the gifts are still needed to reach more more people.
I hope this article has helped you or at least provoked thought. The topic of miracles is something I’m passionate about because I’ve seen it change my life and the lives of so many others, by confirming the word of God they’ve heard preached as Mark 16:20 declares. I have much more to say about how miracles are still for today and I’ll address other cessationist arguments in upcoming articles. My goal is not to be contentious, but to help us all discover truth so we can walk in everything Jesus purchased for us and so we can see the gospel go forward. If you have questions about anything I wrote in this article, please send me an email and I’ll be glad to try to answer them.
Blessings!
Brian
