Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law or by hearing with faith? (Gal 3:5)

I want to talk about the spiritual gifts of miracles and healing together because I believe that healings are miracles.  The two gifts are related even if they are not identical. 

The New Testament speaks of God giving to the church various people who have been given special spiritual gifts of healing and of miracles (I Cor 12:9, 10, 28).  These gifts are more than the common privileges every believer enjoys, for Paul implies that these gifts are something only certain people have (I Cor 12:29-30).  There seems, then, to be both a common privilege to divine healing available to all Christians¹ and certain special gifts of healing given by the Spirit to particular people.  Scripture does not spell out with specificity these gifts, but it does give us examples of ordinary people demonstrating an ability to trust God to perform through them healings or other miracles.  It is this ability that I believe is what Paul means by the gifts of healing and miracles.

Some Christians believe these gifts ceased after the compilation of the New Testament.  I am not such a Christian.  There is no space here to pursue the details.  But in general, my position derives from the fact that the Biblical basis given for the cessationist argument rests on a particular reading of I Cor 13:8-12, and I do not believe that the cessationist reading of that passage is the most natural one.  I, thus, do believe in the possibility of God’s granting today a special, spiritual gift of healing or miracles.  This does not mean that I endorse the practices of those who tell people to send in their money to receive their plastic miracle angels.  To endorse the concept is not to endorse everyone who claims to be under it.

It seems to me that someone who exercises the genuine gift properly will have great faith.  He will be strong in prayer.  He will be humble, not showy, and he will have influence with God when it comes to the healing of the body or the performing of some miraculous deed.  Someone with this gift will ask, and God will grant.  There are people, I believe, who have such favor with God in this area. 

The local church should obviously encourage such people to intercede for the healing of others, but it should not turn healing or miracles into a circus.  These things are mighty displays of the power of God, so the focus of a healing or miracle should not be on the sign itself but on the God who gives it.  This is, I believe, one reason why Jesus was so frequently low key when He healed.  To Jesus, healing was merely a demonstration of something greater.  It was a sign of God’s presence, pointing us to praise the God who healed; but it was not something to be worshipped itself as the serpent on the pole was.

Concerning healing, Scripture commands the sick person to call on the elders of the church to come and lay hands on him, and anoint him with oil and pray (Jas 5:14-16).  This practice should be a part of the ordinary ministry of a local church.  It is not to be pushed on people, for James is clear that it is the sick person who is to initiate.  Yet a congregation does need to know that their elders have this practice, or they will never take advantage of it.  The people need to be taught about their privilege of healing in Christ, informed that their leadership makes anointing available to them, and encouraged to partake.

Someone with the gift of healing may be encouraged to take some role in this practice, even if he or she is not an elder.  Perhaps this person organizes the practice, or comes to pray with the elders, or receives the names of those the elders pray for (with the sick person’s permission) so he can pray (and maybe visit the sick) also. 

Importance of Miracles and Healing

Miracles and healing show that God is still actively involved in the church.  They are clear signs of God’s presence and care.

Strengths

• prayer
• faith
• closeness to God
• worship
• a focus on God’s tangible work in the world
• ability to bring God’s healing or some mighty work of God to pass

Weaknesses

• pride
• a focus on the sensational instead of on God Himself
• emotionalism
• can focus on health and wealth and ignore true spirituality

Examples of People with This Gift

Paul, Peter, Elijah, Elisha, George Mueller

Good Roles for People with this Gift

Healing ministry, visiting the sick, prayer ministry, compassion ministries

1. See Introduction to Healing here:  https://www.austinif.org/introduction-to-healing/ ︎