Are Miracles Still Happening Today?

One of the common views in the current climate of religion is the idea that there are supernatural miracles occurring even in our current world. The claim is that spiritual warfare and miraculous events are still being performed to show that God still has power in the world today. Is this true? Are there miracles occurring all over the world demonstrating God’s power over demons, sickness, etc today? What does the Bible say? Does it support this principle? For a few moments, let’s consider this idea and take a look at what the Bible records regarding modern miracles. 

First, what was the purpose of miracles? Are they just a power demonstration by God? Is it to make mankind heroes like what we see in Hollywood or in many ancient religions? The basic reason for the use of miracles can be summed up by what was recorded in the book of Mark. Jesus tells His disciples:

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.

(Mark 16:15-20)

Jesus’s explanation for the purpose of miracles was to show the accuracy of the message by showing that it came from the Lord. This would be the same idea as a police officer coming to your door, knocking, and saying,  “Open in the name of the law.” The authority being shown by that statement is more than just the man, but the evidence to suggest that what he is saying is accurate. The same is true for the message of Christ. If the Lord sent preachers with just a verbal message and no way of confirming it to be true, it would be foolishness at best and malicious at worst. In the Lord’s wisdom, He provided a means by which one could verbally express the message and then, by miracles, provide evidence to the populace that the individual was not speaking for himself but rather on behalf of the Lord. This is shown on multiple occasions throughout the scriptures. For instance, when Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended like a dove confirming that what Jesus did was in accordance with the will of the Father (cf. Luke 3:22). This same idea occurred with the Apostles on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit appeared above them as cloven tongues like fire (cf. Acts 2:3). Finally, this occurred when Peter went to Cornelius and his family (cf. Acts 10:46-47). All of these moments marked massive shifts in the plan of the Lord. The beginning of the Messiah’s ministry, the establishment of the church, and the conversion of the Gentiles. 

This, however, does not cover the topic at hand. The question is whether or not these miracles are still being performed in our time. To answer this question, we must first consider the words of one who performed these miracles himself: the apostle Paul. Paul, writing to the Corinthians, addressed the issue of miraculous gifts and their importance. Chapter 12 delves into the division that had come about as a result of arguing about the importance of each individual gift (cf.1 Corinthians 12:31). Paul states that there is a more excellent way. Paul shows that the emphasis is not on the miracles being performed. In fact, according to Acts 13:12, Paul was speaking to Sergius Paulus, a Roman official,  and the official was amazed at the teaching of Christ while the miracle is not highlighted. This shows that miracles are not the only way to confirm the Word because it is able simply by its own merit to elicit a response. Another important point to note is the means by which miraculous gifts were transmitted. No non-apostle was able to transmit the miraculous gifts. We even see an example of this in Acts 8. Philip the evangelist was working in the region of Samaria, converting the lost to the church. When the apostles heard of this, they went to the region in order to transmit the miraculous gifts to the people of that region:

Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

(Acts 8:14-17)

This principle is clearly seen in that the apostles had to come to that region in order for the gifts to be passed on due to the fact that Philip was unable to accomplish this. With this fact being noted, one must consider the existence of miracles today. If the apostles were the only ones able to pass down this gift, then the passing on of gifts must by extension end at the passing of the apostles. Beyond this, Paul taught that the miracles themselves would pass away. Writing to the Corinthians, Paul wrote, 

“For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. 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” (1 Corinthians 13:9-11). 

Paul clearly states in the passage the better way mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:31. The better way is love and the word of God. When that which is perfect (the completed word of the Lord) is come, then that which is in part (the miraculous means of confirmation for an oral message) shall be done away. We do not have to rely on an oral message with miraculous confirmation because we have the complete message of the Lord by which when we read (cf. Ephesians 3:3-4), we can know and we can study this word to understand the truth (cf. 2 Timothy 2:15). So while we do not have miracles today, we do have all that we need for the life and Godliness that God intends (cf. 2 Peter 1:3).