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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
among you by m iracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the m idst of you, as ye yourselves also know” (Acts 2 :2 2 ). P aul challenged them w ith th e words: “How shall we escape if we neglect so g reat salvation; which a t th e first be gan to be spoken by th e Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them th a t heard him ; God also bearing them w itness, both w ith signs and wonders, and w ith divers m iracles” (Heb. 2: 3-4). Our Lord’s m iracles are so in ter woven w ith th e Gospel record th a t to reject th is p art of the record as un reliable is to impugn th e tru th fu ln ess of th e whole. There is no law of logic by which one may believe on Christ as th e world’s Redeemer a t all while making such colossal liars out of His disciples, who present Him to us in th e Scriptures. In view of some conflicting teach ings of the day, it is desirable th a t we should have th e S criptural answer to th e question, W hat was th e purpose of these unusual m iracles w rought by Jesus and by th e apostles in th e days when th e Christian church was being established? Matthew explains Christ’s healing m iracles as a fulfillment of Isa. 53, a prophecy which clearly has to do w ith Christ’s advent for th e putting away of sin (see Mt. 8:16-17), not th e es tablishm ent of th e earth ly Davidic throne. In th e next chapter (9 :6 ) Mat thew gives us th e healing of th e pal sied man, and Jesus says to the P h ari sees, “That ye may know th a t th e Son of Man h ath power on earth to forgive sins, Arise, take up thy bed and walk.” This reveals Jesus as th e One come to identify H imself w ith sinsick and suf fering humanity, and proclaims th e era of grace. His healings were intended to give evidence in regard to His power to forgive sin. Nor are we left in th e dark as to th e reason for th e m iraculous powers
cupy a secondary and subordinate place in C hristian belief. Jesus H imself laid little weight upon them . . . You cannot find th a t when th e first apostles preached Christ to th e people, they made use of the m iracles to prove th a t He was th e Saviour of men. N either were th e early Christians exhorted to believe on Him because of th e signs and wonders th a t He did. I have run th rough th e New Testament w ith my memory and cannot recall a single in stance of it. One can be a Christian in the fullest sense of th e word, a church member in good and regu lar standing, an officer of thé church, and make any reservations he pleases about th e m iracles of Christ.” We should like to suggest th a t the w riter of th is article run th rough the New Testam ent w ith his eye instead of his memory. It is only necessary to take a concordance and tu rn to pas sages containing th e word “m iracles” or “works” to show th a t th e above statem en ts are subtle. Our Lord H imself did appeal to His m iracles as His credentials showing His divine S.onship and mission. “ The works th a t I do bear w itness of me, th a t the F ath e r h ath sent me” (Jn. 5 :3 6 ). “If I do not th e works of my F ath e r, believe me n o t” (Jn . 10 :37 ). “The works th a t I do in my F a th e r’s name, they bear w itness of me” (Jn. 10 :25 ). “ Believe me, th a t I am in the F a th e r and th e F ath e r in me, or else believe me for th e very works’ sake” (Jn . 14 :11 ). The enlightened Jew knew th a t m ir acles would be th e credentials of th e Messiah, and many believed on Him for th is reason (Jn. 2 :23 ; 3 :2 ; 6 :2 ; 7:31; 9 :16 ; 11 :47 ). The apostles did appeal to Christ’s m iracles as the proof of His deity. The first fact hurled by P eter into th e faces of th e Jews a t Pentecost was: “ Ye men of Israel, h ear these words; Jesus of N azareth, a man approved of God
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