“As for me, I would seek God, and to God would I commit my cause, who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number…” – Job 5:8-9
The Bible is literally the perfect resource for people to turn to so that they can rightly understand supernatural issues. The Bible opens with a miracle: God created everyone and everything out of nothing. The pages of the Bible record a parade of miracles until the ultimate miracle occurs, God becoming a man. Then, Jesus Christ performs miracles, including rising from death after atoning for the sin of the world in the greatest miracle of all time.
The four Gospels that report Jesus’ miracles each do so with a different emphasis.
Mark’s Gospel treats miracles as symbolic demonstrations of the kingdom of God rather than validations of Jesus and the gospel…Matthew’s Gospel uses miracles to portray Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promise to raise up a prophet like Moses (Deut 18:18)…Luke’s Gospel and Acts refer to the miracles of Jesus and the early Christ-followers as validating signs and wonders (e.g., Acts 2:43)…John’s Gospel describes Jesus’ miracles as explanatory signs…the text never calls them ‘miracles’… [In addition,] Miraculous signs and wonders are confirmations of Paul’s apostleship and valuable evangelistic tools (Rom 15:19; 2 Cor 12:12). Paul considers the ability to perform miracles a spiritual gift (1 Cor 12:10, 28–29). (1)
The functions of those miracles include the following:
M – Majesty. God shows up to reveal His divine attributes and demonstrate sovereign power. (Example: Sparing Daniel and his friends from death sentences in a fiery furnace and lions’ den.)
I – Increase Faith. God shows up in power to reinvigorate the waning faith of His people. (Example: The disciples going from cowards to courageous once they saw Jesus risen from death.)
R – Revelation. God speaks a message. (Example: Writing the 10 Commandments on stone, the handwriting on the wall in Daniel, and Jesus speaking to Moses through the burning bush.)
A – Anger. God crushes demonic false gods and other enemies, showing His sovereign power. (Example: Destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, destroying the nation of Egypt and their false gods, or bringing down fire for Elijah.)
C – Care. God provides for the needs of His people. (Example: Feeding His people in the wilderness during the Exodus or Jesus multiplying the little boy’s lunch.)
L – Liberation. God spares His people from devastation. (Example: Parting the Red Sea or removing demonic forces for people to live in full freedom.)
E – Evangelism. God shows up in power to prove He is the One True God, which results in people believing in Him. (Example: When some Egyptians left their nation with God’s people after He supernaturally delivered them, or miracles followed by salvations throughout the book of Acts.)
In tomorrow’s devotional, we will discuss what various groups of Christianity believe about miracles.
Which of these functions of miracles is your favorite? Which of these miracle stories mentioned from the Bible do you love the most?
(1) Ronald D. Roberts, “Miracle,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).
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