The Landover Baptist Church Forum - The Effectiveness of Miracles

What is a Miracle? Luke 7:11-17 tells of how, a little before Nain, Jesus saw a coffin being carried and told the dead man to get up: and he did. The Old Testament has a similar miracle at 1 Kings 17:18-24 except that Elijah has to have God’s help and Jesus didn’t. And like Elijah, we all can do wondrous things when acting under God’s Command.

Then we have Jesus doing a miracle on Himself – He returned from the dead after three days. As a result of this, the question that I am often asked is “Can dead men do Miracles or did Jesus not die on the Cross?” My answer is unequivocal: He did die on the Cross, but it is obvious that he pre-planned a miracle so that He could defeat Death. So we know that miracles can be arranged in advance.

This idea of “pre-planned” miracles is quite reasonable:

God has a Plan –
The plan is certain and fixed –
The Plan unfolds as time passes –
There are miracles,
Therefore some miracles are pre-planned by God.

It is debated whether “some or all miracles are planned by God” – perhaps He does a miracle when a little extra faith is required, or as a reward for being Holy, or perhaps God knew that there would be such times and all miracles are pre-planned. I do not see either view as being crucial to faith.

The Catholic “Church” has a Committee on Miracles. The Committee is composed of Catick Doctors and Catlick Scientists. Their criterion for a miracle is “We can’t explain it using science.” What they seem to have missed is that “Science cannot explain everything, otherwise science would stop.” And you may have noticed that those who waste their brain studying science haven’t stopped and they rarely have any real faith.

The Landover view is clearer: We are Christians and the miracle makes complete sense – there is no need to “explain,” or even attempt to explain, anything. And even it could be explained, would it mean that God did not do it? And if God did not so it, who did? Only God can do miracles.

Why are there so few miracles, nowadays?

I am always surprised by such stupid questions and I sometimes feel as if I have been banging my head against a wall rather than preaching to God’s Word to a nation thirsty for Good News and Faith.

Why are there so few mechanical adding machines? Because nowadays we all use computers or “smart phones” So what does the manufacturer of mechanical adding machines do? He sits back and waits while we are being foolish and relying on batteries and electricity that will one day fail.

Likewise, we use medicine and science, so God sits back and waits while we are being foolish and relying on science that will one day fail – whereas God’s miracles will never fail and He will be there waiting for us.

I hear you saying, “Yes, but does that mean that God is merely a producer of old-fashioned things that people today don’t want, choose to ignore or are ignorant of?”

Well, I sometimes think that is possible: People always want “the latest thing” don’t they? They often forget the old in favor of the new – this is sad. It is rather like ignoring your parents because they don’t have iPhone 20s or do not know what “woke” means.

Is the word “Miracle” simply a word for “Magic”?

I find this question insulting to God - in fact, I find it blasphemous. You can name any number of old fairy stories in which some wizard, fairy, witch, etc., will do “magic”. For example, in Cinderella, the fairy godmother waves her wand and mice turn into horses and a pumpkin turns into a coach. I would like you to hold that thought and then think of Jesus who turned the water into wine at the Wedding at Cana…

Yes! The difference is so obvious that I think even the most ardent Catholic or Atheist will have to admit the distinction.

Miracles in False "Religions"

People might quote false religions like Hinduism – they claim to have miracles. Lord Shiva is said to have brought his beheaded son, Lord Ganesh, back to life by using an elephant's head. Now, all I ask is that you think how unlikely this is (a) to work and (b) to be a good idea. We can see the parallel with Cinderella immediately, and yet there are a billion people who believe this happened.

Muslims are even worse – their “miracle workers are called “Fakirs” – say that a few times… Yes “Fakers” :lol: God must have cracked a smile at Babel when he gave the Arabs that word.

Then we have Odin and this apparent “miracle” from https://www.debate.org/opinions/is-o...e-one-true-god

Quote:

I asked Odin to help me conceive after 10 years of miscarriages. He did. My husband and I struggled to conceive for 10 years. I finally felt like I was going to lose him because I couldn't have a child (he never threatened this). […]I prayed to Odin, And got what I had been asking for in Jesus name for 10 years and it only took Odin a few weeks. I'm sorry but that has to be proof.

This is clearly neither a miracle nor “magic” = God had decided that the woman would not have a child until she had been married for 10 years. I don’t know why, and I am not bothered why – God decided it and that is enough for me and you.

The Effectiveness of Miracles
I need do no more than quote from the Bible:

Ge:5:5: And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.
Ge:5:8: And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.
Ge:5:11: And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died.
Ge:5:14: And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.
Ge:5:17: And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.
Ge:5:20: And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.
Ge:5:27: And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.
Ge:5:31: And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.
Ge:9:29: And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.

Nowhere in the Bible does anyone good die of Covid, cancer, TB, smallpox, or anything else. Satan might have tried to curse them with demons of some sort, but all they had to do was to mention this to God, and they were cured. Miracles happened to everyone, every day. And just look how old they lived to! They were closer to God and Adam in time and had more Faith because they instinctively knew God's Word and obeyed it.

Conclusion:

We have deserted God and His Gift of miracles. If we simply did away with science and false gods, the Golden Age of Miracles would reappear. Jesus has promised us that all is possible. Jesus does not copy fairy tales or do “magic”.

We need only return to a simple yet profound faith led by the literal Word of God, and all our problems will be gone.