Superpowers or Calvary?
The cross of Christ will conquer the world, not political might or stupendous signs and wonders.
Since
1989, I have heard claims that God is “about” to pour out an unprecedented
“revival” characterized by great “signs and wonders,” one the likes of
which even Jesus and the apostles have never seen. The whole world will be awed
by these miraculous displays and billions of hearts will accept the gospel.
I
hope this will prove so! I am for genuine miracles that meet real human needs,
and I certainly long to see millions of men and women enter the kingdom of God.
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| [Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash] |
Nevertheless, among the leaders of today’s Charismatic Movement, the promise of “signs and wonders” is the mantra, means, goal, evidence, and indeed, the raison d'être of the Christian faith.
In
this school of thought, no “signs and wonders” means no “revival” and the world
will remain under the sovereignty of the Devil. I remain skeptical. Is the
manifestation of tremendous miracles the key to winning the world for Jesus?
DECEIVERS WORK MIRACLES
In
the first place, Jesus warned of coming “false prophets who will show great signs and wonders; so that, if possible,
they may deceive the elect.” Displays of the miraculous, it seems, are
limited to genuine and committed disciples of Jesus.
Moreover,
Jesus concluded his Sermon on the Mount with some of the most frightening and
sobering words in the Bible:
- “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by your name, and by your name cast out demons, and by your name do many mighty works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.”
In
saying this, he does not deny that these “workers of iniquity” do perform
supernatural acts. The problem is their failure to obey his words, not their
ability to produce “signs and wonders.” And if this is so, then logically, “signs
and wonders” do not prove the genuineness of a person’s faith or ministry.
Paul
likewise warns of the future “man of lawlessness” who will employ “signs
and lying wonders” to deceive and cause many to apostatize. And in the book
of Revelation, the “False Prophet” performs “great signs”
to trick men into giving their allegiance to the “Beast from the Sea.”
GOLGOTHA
In
the second place, though “signs and wonders” certainly can stimulate faith, in
the gospels, Jesus complains about the men who follow him due to his healings
and exorcisms, declaring: “Except you see signs and wonders, you will not
believe.”
In
other words, faith based on the miraculous is not built on a solid foundation,
and very likely, it will not endure when the miracles cease, and times of
tribulation arrive. Moreover, despite his many miracles, in the end, Jesus died
on Calvary alone, deserted even by his closest followers.
Yes,
he and his apostles did heal the sick, cast out demons, and raise the dead. But
the miraculous is neither the goal nor the defining characteristic of the biblical
faith, nor did it constitute the contents of their preaching.
And,
yes, God did resurrect Jesus from the dead, but Calvary preceded Easter, not
vice versa. And despite his many “signs and wonders,” before his death, no man recognized
who Jesus is, though the very
demons exorcised by him certainly did.
Only at his death on Calvary did a human being perceive and acknowledge him to be the “Son of God,” and ironically, it was the Roman centurion in charge of his execution. And this occurred as Jesus breathed his last.
Thus,
he cannot be understood apart from his self-sacrificial death, and if this is so,
then it is not his miracles that identify him as the “Son of God.”
Paul
describes “Christ crucified” as the very “power and wisdom” of
God, not “signs and wonders,” an understanding that only the truly “spiritually
minded” can grasp. No matter how many miracles you or I perform if we do
not conform our lives to the paradigm of Christ crucified, we are not “spiritual,”
or at least not in a good way - (1 Corinthians 1:17-2:5).
And
in Revelation, Jesus, the one who was “dead but lives forevermore,”
exhorts the churches to “overcome” in the same manner that he did, that
is, by his self-sacrificial death.
Likewise,
so must anyone who chooses to “follow him wherever he goes.” Believers
overcome Satan not by “signs and wonders,” but “by the blood of the Lamb, by
the word of their testimony; even they loved not their lives unto the death”
- (Revelation 3:21-22, 12:11).
What
the world needs is a church conformed to the Cross of Christ that will proclaim
his gospel to “all nations” If “signs and wonders” accompany that
effort, fine. But if they do not, are we to cease conforming our lives to his
death or preaching the gospel?
Satan
is perfectly capable of providing “signs and wonders” through his human agents,
including many so-called “apostles and prophets.” And according to Paul, it is
not supernatural “signs” that prove the genuineness of an apostle, but the man’s
willingness to suffer for the gospel.
Finally,
when we are before the “judgment seat of Christ,” the last words we will
want to hear are - “I never knew you: depart from me, you worker of iniquity.”
