toldailytopic: What is a miracle? Is God still performing them to this day?

[godrulz]

Determinism is far more problematic. Free will theism is biblical, so it is a non sequitur to blame it for the misuse of free will or heretical doctrines that do not flow from it. Why swing the pendulum to the other extreme?

 

[Totton Linnet]

Determinism is far more problematic. Free will theism is biblical, so it is a non sequitur to blame it for the misuse of free will or heretical doctrines that do not flow from it. Why swing the pendulum to the other extreme?

*
Beloved William determinism [predestination] is the only word in that lot that IS in the bible

 

[andyc]

If faith is not rooted and grounded in God's word, then it is floating in the air, usually when people fail in the matter of faith they go off into strange doctrines and vain philosophies.

The cross is the ONLY source of any and all of God's blessing.

There at the cross is offered atonement, the forgiveness of sins, peace for the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, comfort for our sorrow for He bore our sorrows and carried our griefs and healing for Himself bore our infirmities and carried our diseases and by His stripes we are healed.

If you can take it there is provision there also for He who was poor for our sakes became poor that we might be the riches of God. The Jews in the OT ALWAYS understood salvation as being fully delivered and made whole and Paul explains the mystery kept hidden from past generations but now made known to the Apostles and prophets by God's Spirit that we Gentiles are brought in and "made partakers of the covenants and propmises" God made with Israel. And that not by keeping the law and ordinance as they did but by the blood of the cross.

Healing is one of those promises

The preaching of the cross did not fail the disciples of the Lord. When people came they WERE healed just as when they came to the Lord during His earthly ministry they were healed.

To answer Grz concerning "word of faith" that is free will nonsense, which is why I say the believers in the Grace doctrines would not fall for the mess that makes for charismatic ministry miss and hittism.

Come back to the pure word sir

What makes you understand faith for healing while other Christians don't believe that healing is for today?

John 20:25 The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord." So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."

Our willingness to believe is subject to whatever we are persuaded by. In the verse I quoted, Thomas explained that the only thing that would persuade him to believe was a physical examination. This tells us that his faith was subject to his will.

 

[Dena]

I believe a miracle is something well within the norms of nature that changes us for the better. It's not up to God to make miracles. It's up to us to recognize miracles.

 

[Totton Linnet]

What makes you understand faith for healing while other Christians don't believe that healing is for today?

John 20:25 The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord." So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."

Our willingness to believe is subject to whatever we are persuaded by. In the verse I quoted, Thomas explained that the only thing that would persuade him to believe was a physical examination. This tells us that his faith was subject to his will.

*
Dear Andy I have EXACT recall of the events that led up to my salvation, I have told a very shortened version of it in different places, giving but a brief out-line but I can focus upon any one of those little events and write a book.

I had picked up an issue of T.L.Osborn from the pavement, carefully planted there by my best friend who knew I would be passing that way. It's headlines were "GOD LOVES YOU-HE WANTS TO BLESS YOU
Wow I had never thought that before. [my school friend had gotten saved thru T.L.O. and had been witnessing to me]

I loved that mag, it's message was revelationary to me, it was all "YOU are the body of Christ, God wants to reach out and bless your world THROUGH YOU."

Then there were the miracle reports from his campaigns around the world.....ah I didn't believe all that.

I never thought that he was lying but I thought well....he's American [we Brits always make allowances] he's a colourful character and that is a whole MASS of people he's preaching to.....maybe he just got carried away.

Then I got taken to a "Teen Challenge" revival meeting, well I simply did not see how Jesus could come to dwell in my heart, so I left without making "the decision"

But reading that mag again I read a testimony of a man who had been hopelessly crippled, 16 years, never walked...I read his story as he told it. And something came ALIVE in me. I thought "this is true, this man is not lying......this is Jesus, this is how He was in the bible, then that scripture I had stared long and hard at "Jesus Christ is the SAME yesterday and today and forever" I understood it, He is not a religion, He is ALIVE.

I understood that the way to Him was not by ritual or ceremony but like they came in the bible.

I STILL did not understand how He could live in me. It was the next morning I woke up as bright as a button with just one thought "I must ask Jesus to come into my heart today."

You see Andy how that each step of this it was the Holy Ghost working, my will was passive, nor was I swayed by excitement.

As for Thomas well he gets a bad press because as I read NONE of the disciples believed even when the women told them. But can't you see he DIDN'T decide...that is wholly wrong....Jesus DECIDED him by appearing to him, there was NO WAY he could escape what He saw with his eyes. And then he promptly forgot all that nonsense about putting his hands into the nailprints-though Jesus held him to his word, be careful what you say, God is listening.

 

[Lighthouse]

:chuckle:

Critical thinking does not lead you to believe in virgin birth, devils, angels, demons etc. You have never seen any of these things. You may as well believe in Leprechauns and Bigfoot. All of these things fall into the category of imaginary by definition due to you having to imagine they exist.

Maybe you should stop jumping to conclusions about what I believe in.

And you should also stop being stupid enough to believe critical thinking leads one to believe exactly as you do.

You may be a critical thinker in other things, but not when it comes to religion. No critical thinker chooses for himself any imaginary characters to believe in.

Can you prove them to be imaginary.

And I honestly think you could be intelligent in many things, but regarding these beliefs you are not. I've seen super smart adults turn into ignorant children as soon as religion is discussed. COMPARTMENTALIZATION!

Care to back this up?

 

[Sherman]

Miracles and how people respond to them. It really depends on how to define a miracle if this one is a miracle or not. People don't usually come back from what this guy I am describing does. He is about 400 pounds and confined to a wheel chair. He's 71 years old. My church and bunch of friends just prayed for a guy that had twisted blocked bowel and sepsis. Tests, including blood tests, at the hospital confirmed the diagnosis. The clinic could not treat this life threatening condition so he was transferred by ambulance to a bigger hospital. After much prayer the second batch of the tests showed no blocked twisted bowel and no sepsis. God answered our prayers. But yet the man, a Christian is saying the doctors screwed up. Wrong! God does do miracles, but man out of his pride doesn't accept them. That is why they are not very common, or they may be common out of God's mercy, but people deny them.

Bottom line: You can't put God in any type of box. He does respond to prayer.

Miracles don't happen at Benny Hinn type revivals. I have yet to see one. God quietly does them in response to the prayers of earnest Christians

 

[Lovejoy]

Many folks will claim that a blooming flower is a miracle or the birth of a baby is a miracle. It's true those things are amazing but claiming that a natural event is a miracle only undermines the importance of a true miracle.

A true miracle is something that happens yet COULD not happen via natural means (such as a completely dead man coming back to life).

God does not perform miracles just to show off. God has performed miracles in the past to signify events such as the coming of the Messiah, etc. I do not believe that God is performing miracles in this day and age.

I don't know if this has been brought up, but what is the nature of the human soul/spirit, and how does it come to be attached to a purely physical creature (humans)? This has come up on another thread, and I have yet to settle my views on it. I think it is possible that it is a supernatural process, and is, in every occurence, a miracle. Other than a materialist or non-dualist position, can anyone produce a natural way that this may happen, or another perspective on the matter?