The Purpose of Signs and Wonders in the New Testament: What Terms for Miraculous Power Denote and Their Relationship to the Gospel, Part 1, by Gary S. Greig
How the New Testament describes the supernatural can tell us a great deal about how we should see the miraculous.
The year is 1906. A young sixteen year old girl named Henrietta Mears, living in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has just had a painful accident. She somehow “jabbed a hat pin into the pupil of an eye. Her doctors could do nothing for the condition and predicted possible blindness for her.”1 Henrietta’s family, which attends the First Baptist Church of Minneapolis, asks a close friend named Mr. Ingersoll, an elder in a local Presbyterian church, to come pray for Henrietta’s eye in accordance with James 5:14-16. In response to their prayers, God graciously heals Henrietta’s vision:
Henrietta had no doubt that the God who had made her could also heal her eye. Specialists who later examined the eye agreed there was indeed a hole in the pupil and shook their heads in amazement that she could see anything out of it. That she was, in fact, seeing could not be explained except that God had stretched forth His hand and healed her eye—even though the hole remained. Henrietta learned from this experience and from her mother to accept all Scripture at face value. For God to touch her body simply meant taking Him at His word.2
Henrietta Mears went on to be used greatly by God as Director of Christian Education and College Teacher at Hollywood Presbyterian Church, Hollywood, California. She founded Gospel Light Publications and Forest Home Christian Conference Center in the San Bernardino mountains of southern California. She influenced the ministries and lives of such great evangelical leaders as Bill Bright, who founded Campus Crusade for Christ, and Billy Graham, who called her “one of the greatest Christians I have ever known.”3 Towards the end of her life Henrietta sought all the gifts of the Spirit for her life and Christian work: “I have enjoyed spiritual gifts, … I have had the Spirit’s presence. But now I want every thing that He has for me. I want all the gifts.”4
When he was four years old, my own son underwent two painful and traumatic surgeries in the spring of 1991 to correct a congenital defect which he had at birth. That summer the condition had not healed as expected and the specialist who had performed the first two surgeries predicted my son would need a third surgery in the early fall. After persistent prayer by my wife and me and the elders of our church, God touched and healed our son of the condition. The specialist told us that my son’s condition had reversed itself and that this was “highly unusual” in cases like my son’s. My son never had a third surgery and continues to this day without any further need of medical attention for his former condition.
On many occasions my wife and I have also seen God give supernatural insight in prayer to accomplish His purposes. In late February, 1992, my wife was praying with a woman named Carolyn at a monthly church meeting. Carolyn did not know me or my wife well. She knew nothing of our personal lives at the time nor that we had a four year old son and a one and a half year old daughter. Carolyn also did not know that my wife was concerned that she was not spending enough quality time with our son, who at that time had a language-processing deficiency. My wife did not know that Carolyn had been unemployed for six months and had finally gotten a job that very day.
Neither my wife nor Carolyn shared these personal details with each other before they prayed together. As they prayed and asked the Lord to guide their time of prayer, Carolyn saw a picture of a backyard with two children, a boy and a girl, playing on a swing-set and in a wooden-sided sandbox (the only two items which our backyard has). Carolyn sensed God saying that “everything is alright with the children because God is watching over them.” At the same time, my wife saw a picture of the beach and the ocean which she did not understand. It just so happened that Carolyn had had the job interview that day at a Ventura beach. Carolyn shared that God had provided her with a job that day “at the beach.” My wife and Carolyn thanked the Lord for this encouraging witness of His provision and protection in both their lives (Mat. 6:8; Phil. 4:5b-7).
In late September, 1992, I took a cab from the Los Angeles International airport to nearby Santa Monica and was praying for the cab driver, a middle-aged man, and for an opportunity to share Christ with him. Three thoughts flashed through my mind as I prayed: that he was Russian, that he was Jewish, and that he had a daughter whom he dearly loved (I saw a picture in my mind of a young five year old girl with him). The first fact I could have inferred from his name, Boris. The last two facts I could not have known naturally (his last name was not typically Jewish but Russian). I shared these insights with him and found out they were all true—he was Jewish and had only one child, a daughter about five years old whom he loved very much. Then I told him about Jesus, who revealed those insights, who knew every detail of his life, and who, as Israel’s Messiah, loved him enough to die for his sins. Though he did not receive Christ as Savior at that moment, he was grateful for what I said and for my prayer for him and his family. And I was grateful that the Lord demonstrated His presence and His love for this man in a way I could not have done by myself.
Can “ordinary” healing or words of knowledge6 (insights from God) or spiritual gifts of these types be called “signs and wonders” in the sense in which the New Testament uses the phrase? What do “signs and wonders” refer to in the New Testament and what are their function and purpose? Are ongoing “signs and wonders” to be expected in evangelism and ministry in the Church today? Some evangelicals say “no,” claiming to argue from biblical and linguistic grounds.
The following study will focus on “signs, wonders, and miracles” attributed to God in the New Testament and will not consider in detail counterfeit signs and wonders worked by Satan in the last days which are mentioned in Mat. 24:24; Mk. 13:22; II Thes. 2:9; Rev. 13:13; Rev. 16:14; Rev. 19:20. (For discussion of counterfeit miracles, see Wayne Grudem’s chapter in this book, objection no. 23, “How do we know that spiritual gifts today aren’t just demonic counterfeits designed to lead people astray?”) The fact that there will be “counterfeit miracles, signs, and wonders” (II Thes. 2:9) worked by Satan in the last days suggests that there will also be genuine miracles, signs, and wonders worked by God as well (cf. Rev. 11:3-13).
I. “Signs, Wonders, and Miracles” Denote Healing, Deliverance, and Spiritual Gifts in the New Testament
A recent study by D. A. Carson of “signs and wonders” claims that New Testament “signs and wonders” have little to do with healing and spiritual gifts. But the analysis he offers fails to account for all the relevant evidence in the New Testament. The claim is made in his essay that “in Wimber’s predominant usage, signs and wonders include exorcism, healing the sick, and words of knowledge.”7 The claim is also made that “at the purely linguistic [italics his] level, ‘signs and wonders’ cannot easily be made to align with the kinds of phenomena that interest Wimber”8 and that it is “against New Testament usage” to “apply the expression ‘signs and wonders’ to all Christian expressions of the more spectacular charismata, or of miracles generally.”9
However, these statements entirely contradict the linguistic evidence related to the phrase “signs and wonders” (sēmeia kai terata) in the New Testament which largely denotes precisely miraculous healing of the sick, deliverance from demons, and the gifts of the Spirit, including word of knowledge and healing. Long ago in a linguistic study of the evidence, S. V. McCasland, noted that the phrase “signs and wonders” in the New Testament largely denotes “ordinary deeds of healing performed by faith” rather than “grandiose phenomena” as it denotes in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament.10
The vocabularies of all natural languages are grouped in various semantic fields or lexical fields—groups of words having the same or related meanings and denoting the same or related entities in the outside world.11 Most languages have lexical fields for color (red, black, yellow, etc.), furniture (bed, chair, lamp, etc.), animals (cat, dog, cow, bull, etc.), and so on.
It is clear from the evidence listed in the paragraphs below that in the New Testament the phrase “signs and wonders” (sēmeia kai terata) is synonymous with other Greek words such as dunamis “miracle” (plural dunameis “miracles”) and ergon denoting “miraculous work” in the Gospel of John. In a monograph dealing with the linguistic evidence, R. C. Trench pointed out a century ago that the words “sign” (sēmeion), “wonder” (teras), and “miracle” (dunamis), all belong to a group of Greek words which are “all used to characterize the supernatural works wrought by Christ in the days of his flesh.”12
Some evangelicals claim for theological reasons that “there is a danger … of equating ‘power’ with ‘miracles’“ in various New Testament passages.13 But such statements simply do not explain well the lexical evidence of Greek dunamis and the concept of God’s “power” in the New Testament. The Greek word dunamis, “power, miracle” denotes both “power” and “miracle, deed of power” in the New Testament.14 The fact that “power” and “miracle” are related senses of the same word shows the obviously close relationship between the concept of God’s “power” and the concept of “miracles” in the New Testament, as several scholars have noted.15 “Miracles, works of power (dunameis)” are manifestations of God’s power, as Dr. Alan Richardson pointed out half a century ago.16 Dr. Karl Gatzweiler adds, “While the plural dunameis throughout denotes miracles, the singular dunamis can, on the other hand, mean likewise the power which produces miracles … as well as the power and the Spirit which the miracles reveal.”17
Together with these words the phrase “signs and wonders” comprises the lexical field of “Power” in New Testament Greek.18 This lexical field is comprised of dunamis “power” and its synonyms which include the phrase “signs and wonders (sēmeia kai terata).” H. Hendrickx cites the following words which belong to this word group: “power, miracle (dunamis),” “acts of power, miracles (dunameis),” “signs and wonders (sēmeia kai terata),” erga denoting “miraculous works,” “wonders (thaumata, thaumasia),” “wonderful thing (paradoxon).”19 Richardson adds “power in exercise, energy20 (energeia),” “force, violent power (bia),” “strength, especially physical (ischus),” “might, manifested power (kratos),” and “authority, liberty of action (exousia).”21
Within this lexical field the words and phrases “signs and wonders (sēmeia kai terata),” “signs (sēmeia),” “miracles (dunameis),” and “miraculous works (erga)” all denote healing and deliverance from demons22 (otherwise denoted by therapeuō “cure, heal,” iaomai “heal,” and sōzō “save, heal”).23 The phrase “signs and wonders” and the words “sign” and “miracle” are also often associated with and may denote the gifts of the Holy Spirit—including, of course, the gift of “word of knowledge.”
The following passages show that “signs, wonders, and miracles” denote healing, deliverance from demons, and spiritual gifts in the New Testament:
Ia. “Signs”24 and “Signs and Wonders” Denote Healing and Deliverance
Acts 14:3—Paul and Barnabas preach and work “signs and wonders”: “So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders (sēmeia kai terata).” This description of ministry in Iconium parallels the description of Paul preaching and healing in Lystra a few verses later, Acts 14:8-10: “In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, ‘Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.”
Acts 8:6-7, 13—Philip preached and worked “signs and miracles” of healing and deliverance from demons: “When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs (sēmeia) he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed (therapeuō)… Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles (sēmeia kai dunameis).”
Acts 5:12, 15-16—The apostles work “signs and wonders” of healing and deliverance: “The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders (sēmeia kai terata) among the people… People brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed (therapeuō).”
Acts 4:16, 22—The healing of the crippled beggar by the Beautiful Gate of the Temple (Acts 3:1-8)—“he was healed (sōzō)” (Acts 4:9); “the man who had been healed (therapeuō)” (Acts 4:14)—the healing is called an “obvious sign (gnōston sēmeion)” (Acts 4:16) and “this sign of healing (to sēmeion touto tēs iaseōs)” (Acts 4:22).
John 12:17-18—The raising of Lazarus from the dead is called a “sign (sēmeion)” (Jn. 12:18).
John 9:16—The healing of the blind man (Jn. 9:6-7) is called one of “such miraculous signs (toiauta sēmeia)” (Jn. 9:16).
John 6:2—Speaking of Jesus, this verse mentions “the miraculous signs (ta sēmeia) he had performed on the sick (asthenountōn)” obviously referring to healing of the sick.
John 4:48, 54—“signs and wonders (sēmeia kai terata)” (4:48) and the “sign (sēmeion)” of 4:54 refer to the healing of the royal official’s son who had a fever (4:50-52).
Mark 16:17, 2025—“And these signs (sēmeia) will accompany those who believe…Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs (sēmeiōn) that accompanied it.” The “signs” which the Lord worked to confirm the preaching of his word included the gift of “speaking with new tongues” (16:17), deliverance (“they will drive out demons” 16:17), and healing (“they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well” 16:18).
Ib. “Signs” and “Signs and Wonders” Are Related to and Can Denote the Gifts of the Spirit:
Hebrews 2:3-4—“This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders (sēmeiois te kai terasin) and various miracles (dunamesin) and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed (pneumatos hagiou merismois) according to his will.” “Signs and wonders” in this passage are explicitly related to “miracles” and “gifts26 (or ‘distributions’) of the Holy Spirit.”
I Corinthians 14:22—“Tongues, then, are a sign (sēmeion), not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers.”
Mark 16:17, 2028—“And these signs (sēmeia) will accompany those who believe…Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs (sēmeiōn) that accompanied it.” The “signs” which the Lord worked to confirm the preaching of his word included the gift of “speaking with new tongues” (16:17) and the gift of healing (“they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well” 16:18).
Ic. “Miracles” Denote Healing and Deliverance
Acts 19:11-12—“God did extraordinary miracles (dunameis) through Paul. Handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.”
Acts 8:6-7, 13—(quoted above) Philip preached and worked “signs and miracles,” both terms denoting the same phenomena of healing and deliverance from demons: “When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs (sēmeia) he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed (therapeuō)…. Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles (sēmeia kai dunameis).”
Id. “Signs” and “Signs and Wonders” Are Synonymous with “Miracles”
Though the word “sign” (sēmeion) does not always denote miraculous events (e.g., Mat. 26:48; Lk. 2:12; Rom. 4:11; II Thes. 3:17),29 the majority of occurrences in the New Testament denote miraculous events of one sort or another.30
Hebrews 2:3-4—“Signs and wonders” are explicitly related to “miracles” and “gifts (or ‘distributions’) of the Holy Spirit”: “This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders (sēmeiois te kai terasin) and various miracles (dunamesin) and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed (pneumatos hagiou merismois) according to his will.”
II Corinthians 12:12—“The things that mark an apostle—signs, wonders and miracles (sēmeiois te kai terasin kai dunamesin)—were done among you with great perseverance.”
Acts 8:6-7, 13—Philip preached and worked “signs and miracles,” both terms denoting the same phenomena of healing and deliverance from demons: “When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs (sēmeia) he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed (therapeuō)… Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles (sēmeia kai dunameis).”
Acts 2:22—“Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him…”
Ie. “Signs, Wonders, and Miracles” of Healing and Deliverance Are Worked Through the Power of the Holy Spirit (cf. I Cor. 2:4-5; 12:9-11; II Cor. 12:12):
Galatians 3:5—“Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles (dunameis) among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?”
Romans 15:18-19—“I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done—by the power of signs and wonders (en dunamei sēmeiōn kai teratōn), through the power of the Spirit (en dunamei pneumatos). So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed (peplērōkenai) the gospel of Christ.”
II. “Signs, Wonders, and Miracles” Are Not Restricted to the Apostles
The claim is also made that “signs and wonders” only relate to the apostles in the New Testament:
I turn now to the postresurrection period. Once again it proves helpful to begin at the purely linguistic level. It is rather startling to observe that “signs and wonders” (or some minor variation) as a linguistic category [italics his] is almost exclusively restricted to the apostles.31
These statements seem to show a lack of familiarity with the lexical evidence related to “signs and wonders” in the New Testament. Words and phrases whose semantic properties are being defined do not belong to “linguistic categories” but to “lexical fields” or “semantic fields.”32 The phrase “signs and wonders” in the New Testament does not comprise a “linguistic category” but, as was pointed out above, belongs to a “lexical field,” or group of words with the same or related meanings, denoting manifestations of God’s power.
Furthermore, the words “signs” and “signs and wonders” and the miracles of healing and deliverance that that they denote are not “almost entirely restricted to the apostles.” Stephen, Philip, and Ananias were not apostles but laymen:
Acts 6:8—“Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people.”
Acts 8:5-7, 13—“Philip went down to a city of Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. With shrieks evil spirits came out of many and many paralytics and cripples were healed… Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles (sēmeia kai dunameis).”
Acts 9:11-12—“A man … named Saul … is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” Acts 22:12-13—“A man named Ananias … stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that moment I was able to see him.” Prof. G. W. H. Lampe of Cambridge says the following of Stephen, Phillip, and Ananias:33
Stephen’s own preaching was accompanied, like that of the apostles, by signs and wonders done publicly (6. 8)… So, too, with Philip at Samaria: the word is associated with works, exorcisms, and the healing of the paralysed and the lame, which recall the acts of Jesus as prophesied in Isaiah 35 [Isa. 35:5-6] and which are described as ‘signs’ [Acts 8:6, 13]… In the story of the conversion of Saul… , the enemy of the gospel is struck down and blinded by the power of God… He is restored to sight … by Ananias, who, in fulfilling this commission, is acting as the direct agent of Jesus.34
“Signs and wonders” are not in any way restricted to the apostles and their immediate associates, because what “signs and wonders” denote—healing, deliverance from demons, and spiritual gifts—were practiced by all believers throughout the Early Church according to the New Testament. Who among the Corinthians (I Cor. 12-14) with gifts of healing, miraculous powers, tongues, or prophecy—all “signs” according to Mk. 16:17-18 and I Cor. 14:22 (see above)35—was an apostle? Who among the Galatians, among whom God worked miracles (Gal. 3:5), was an apostle? Who among the Ephesians and Thessalonians with gifts of prophetic revelation (Eph. 4:11; I Thes. 5:20) was an apostle? Which of Philip’s daughters, who regularly prophesied in the church of Caesarea (Acts 21:9), was an apostle? How many among the churches in Asia Minor, which I Pet. 4:10 suggests were fully conversant with all the gifts of the Spirit, were apostles?
Hebrews 6:1-5 includes “the laying on of hands” among the “elementary teachings” of the churches addressed by that letter:
Hebrews 6:1-5—“Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so. It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers (dunameis lit., “miracles”36) of the coming age…”
Besides bestowing the Spirit and spiritual gifts37, the “laying on of hands,” mentioned in the list of elementary teachings, is one of the principle means of prayer for healing in the New Testament (Mat. 9:29; Mk. 1:41; 5:23; 6:5; 7:32; 16:18; Lk. 4:40; 13:13; Acts 9:17; 28:8; Jas. 5:14, “let them pray over [epi] him”).38 It follows that prayer for healing and prayer to convey the power and gifts of the Spirit were included in the “elementary teachings” of the Early Church. Did such “elementary teachings” and experiencing the “powers of the coming age” apply to apostles and their associates only?
Are all the elders apostles through whose prayers James 5:14-15 affirms the Lord will “make the sick person well”? Are the members of the congregations addressed by James 5:16 all apostles: “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed”?
Romans 12:6-8, I Corinthians 12-14, Galatians 3:5, Ephesians 4:11, I Thessalonians 5:20, James 5:14-16, I Peter 4:10, and other passages throughout the New Testament suggest that the congregations of the Early Church continued to experience the gifts of the Spirit, miracles, and signs and wonders, quite apart from the apostles. Why should it be any different for churches today?
It is also suggested that the apostles are not examples to Christians in certain areas, presumably in healing ministry and spiritual gifts:
Thus the apostles and other New Testament writers must be viewed as something more than proto-Christians, models of what all other Christians should enjoy and experience.39
But what more should the apostles be viewed as? Where does Scripture ever teach that the Lord Jesus and the apostles should not be viewed as models for all Christians in every aspect, including healing ministry and gift-based ministry? Scripture seems to teach just the opposite:
I Corinthians 11:1—“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ,” Paul tells the Corinthians.
Philippians 4:9—“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me—put it into practice…”
I Thessalonians 1:5-6—“Our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.” Philippians 4:9 seems rather all-inclusive. Paul does not say “Whatever you have learned or … seen in me except for signs and wonders, healing and spiritual gifts…”40
The New Testament evidence shows, then, that Christians throughout the early churches also imitated the way the apostles exercised spiritual gifts, proclaimed the gospel, and preached the Word with healing and gift-based ministry: Acts 6:8; Acts 8:5-7, 13; Acts 9:11-12 (22:12-13); Acts 19:5-6; Acts 21:9; Rom. 12:6ff.; I Cor. 12:8-10, 28; and I Cor. 14:1, 5, 13-15, 18f.; Gal. 3:5; Eph. 4:7-11; I Thes. 5:20; James 5:14-16; and I Peter 4:10.
PR
Part 2 Continues Next Issue …
III. Signs, Wonders, and Miracles Are Intended to
Encourage Belief and Deepen Faith in Christ
- Signs, Wonders, and Miracles Illustrate God’s Grace
in the Gospel
- Signs and Wonders Versus “The Sign from Heaven”
- Past Signs and Wonders versus Ongoing
Signs and Wonders
Notes
1 E. Roe, ed., Dream Big: The Henrietta Mears Story (Ventura: Regal, 1990), p. 68; citing Barbara Hudson Powers, The Henrietta Mears Story (Old Tappan: Fleming H. Revell, 1957), pp. 100ff.
2 Roe, ed., Dream Big, p. 68.
3 Ibid., cited on title page.
4 Ibid., p. 333.
5 Jn. 14:12 (examples of all spiritual gifts, except perhaps tongues and interpretation, can be found in Jesus’ ministry and miraculous works according to the Gospels; see scriptural evidence presented by D. Pytches, Spiritual Gifts in the Local Church [Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1985], pp. 50-55; J. D. G. Dunn, Jesus and the Spirit [Philadelphia: Westminster, 1975], pp. 68-73, 163-170, 172-173, 210-211); I Cor. 12:7; 14:1, 5, 12-13, 24, 31; Mat. 7:7-11; Jas. 4:2b. I Corinthians 12:28-29 speaks of appointments “in the church”—regular gift-functions in the church—and not of how many gifts one may potentially experience or utilize. Such passages as I Cor. 12:31, 14:1, 5, 12-13, and Rom. 1:14 seem to suggest we can seek and potentially receive from God gifts we do not already have (see also Don William’s chapter in this book, remarks on I Corinthians 12).
6 I Cor. 12:8; 14:24-25. It is evident that for the Early Church, whose Bible was the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible), the “word” (Greek logos) in the phrase “word of knowledge” denoted “divine revelation” (hence “word of knowledge” = “divine revelation of knowledge”) as the Hebrew dābār “word,” which Greek logos renders in the Septuagint, frequently denotes (Hebrew dābār denoting “divine revelation,” I Sam. 3:7; 9:27; II Sam. 7:4; I Kg. 17:2, 8; 6:11; 13:20; Jer. 1:4, 11; 2:1; 13:8; 16:1; 24:4: 28:12: 29:30; Ezek. 3:16; 6:1; 7:1; 12:1; Hos. 1:1; Mic. 1:1; Zeph. 1:1; Isa. 2:1; BDB, p. 182b [meaning III.2]; O. Procksch, “logos,” TDNT, vol. 4, pp. 94-96).
7 Carson in Horton, ed., Power Religion, p. 90.
8 Ibid., p. 92.
9 Ibid., p. 103.
10 S. V. McCasland, “Signs and Wonders,” JBL 76 (1957): 151.
11 J. Lyons, Semantics, vol. I (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1977), pp. 250-261; R. H. Robins, General Linguistics. An Introductory Survey (Longman, 1980), chapter 2; P. Cotterell and M. Turner, Linguistics and Biblical Interpretation (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1989), pp. 154f.
12 R. C. Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament (London: Macmillan, 1894), p. 339.
13 P. G. Hiebert, in J.R. Coggins and P. G. Hiebert, eds., Wonders and the Word (Kindred Press, 1989), p. 126.
14 BAGD, pp. 207-208.
15 Trench, Synonyms, p. 343: “But the miracles are also ‘powers’ (dunameis … ), outcomings of that mighty power of God, which was inherent in Christ; … these powers being by Him lent to those who were his witnesses and ambassadors”; id., Notes on the Miracles of Our Lord (Fifth ed. revised, London, 1856), p. 5: “Here the cause [the ‘power’ of God] gives its name to the effect [‘miracles, works of power’]. The ‘power’ dwells originally in the divine Messenger (Acts vi.8; x.38; Rom. xv.19); is one with which he is himself equipped of God… But then, by an easy transition, the word comes to signify the exertions and separate puttings forth of this power. These are ‘powers’ [dunameis] in the plural, although the same word is now translated … ‘miracles’”; cf. McCasland’s rendering of dunamis, “manifestation of divine power,” JBL 76 (1957): 149; W. Grundmann, “dunamai/dunamis,” TDNT, vol. 2, pp. 309-311.
16 A. Richardson, The Miracle-Stories of the Gospels (London: SCM Press, 1941), p. 10: “As in the N.T. generally the miracles (dunameis) of Jesus are manifestations of His dunamis [‘power’]…”
17 K. Gatzweiler, “Der Paulinische Wunderbegriff,” in A. Suhl, ed., Der Wunderbegriff im Neuen Testament (Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 1980) p. 401: “Während der Plural dunameis durchweg die Wunder bezeichnet, kann dagegen der Singular dunamis ebenso die Kraft bedeuten, die Wunder schafft und die der Geist ist, wie die Kraft und den Geist, den die Wunder offenbaren.”
18 Professor C.F.D. Moule of Cambridge referred to the group of words comprising this lexical field in NT Greek as “a vocabulary denoting significant manifestations of power … signs of God at work” (C. F. D. Moule, “The Vocabulary of Miracle,” in Moule, ed., Miracles. Cambridge Studies in Their Philosophy and History [London: A. R. Mowbray & Co., 1965], p. 238).
19 H. Hendrickx, The Miracle Stories of the Synoptic Gospels (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1987), p. 10 and nn. 3-4.
20 For translating energeia as “energy,” see G. Bertram, “energeō,” TDNT, vol. 2, p. 652; C. H. Powell, The Biblical Concept of Power (London: Epworth Press, 1963), p. 136.
21 Richardson, The Miracle-Stories of the Gospels, pp. 6-7.
22 That the phrase “signs and wonders” and the word “sign” denote healing and deliverance from demons is noted by the German New Testament scholar, Prof. Karl H. Rengstorf, TDNT, VII, pp. 239-240.
23 The same lexical field (group of words) includes other terms denoting manifestations of God’s power in healing and deliverance, such as hugiēs “whole,” iasis “healing,” megaleios “mighty deed,” endoxos “glorious deed,” paradoxos “wonderful thing,” thaumasios “wonderful thing” according to Trench, Synonyms, p. 339.
24 That the word “sign (sēmeion)” and the phrase “signs and wonders (sēmeia kai terata)” are synonymous and interchangeable was noted in a linguistic study of the Greek terms by McCasland, “Signs and Wonders,” JBL 76 (1957): 151. The following passages demonstrate this point: Jn. 4:48, 54 (sēmeia kai terata = sēmeion); Acts 4: 16, 22, 30 (sēmeion = iasis “healing” = sēmeia kai terata); compare the phrase “signs and miracles (sēmeia kai dunameis) in Acts 8:13 with the phrase “miracles and wonders and signs (dunamesi kai terasi kai sēmeiois)” in Acts 2:22, “signs and wonders and miracles (sēmeiois te kai terasin kai dunamesin)” in II Cor. 12:12, and “signs and wonders and … miracles (sēmeiois te kai terasin kai … dunamesin)” in Heb. 2:4.
25 The long ending of Mark, Mk. 16:9-20, dates from the first half of the second century A. D. (K. Aland and B. Aland, The Text of the New Testament. An Introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theory and Practice of Modern Textual Criticism [Grand Rapids and Leiden: Eerdmans and E. J. Brill, 1989], p. 293) and is therefore a later addition to the Gospel of Mark. Though it is not found in many of the earliest and best Greek manuscripts, the long ending is attested in 99% of the extant Greek manuscripts of the New Testament (Aland and Aland, The Text of the New Testament, p. 292; W. L. Lane, Commentary on the Gospel of Mark [The New International Commentary on the New Testament, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974], pp. 603-604). This fact suggests that the long ending was widely accepted as authoritative in the Early Church. Lane has suggested the long ending perhaps originated in a second century catechism summarizing post-resurrection events (Lane, Mark, p. 604). The wide dissemination of the long ending, seen in the manuscript evidence, suggests that the Early Church readily agreed that Jesus’ commission to the disciples did include the expectation that supernatural signs would accompany the preaching of the gospel.
26 BAGD, p. 505.
27 Prophecy and tongues are both signs according to this passage. The grammatical structure of I Cor. 14:22 cannot be understood in any other way, since the elliptical clause hē de prophēteia ou tois apistois alla tois pisteuousin depends on the preceding clause for its full grammatical and lexical meaning; see G. Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians (NICNT, ed., F. F. Bruce; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987), p. 682 and n. 38; Wayne Grudem, The Gift of Prophecy in I Corinthians (Washington, 1982), pp. 193-194; id., The Gift of Prophecy in the New Testament and Today (Westchester: Crossway Books, 1988), pp. 173f. and n. 68.
28 See note 25 above.
29 BAGD, pp. 747-748 “sēmeion” (1).
30 Ibid., p. 748, “sēmeion”(2)
31 Carson in Horton, ed., Power Religion, p. 101.
32 Lyons, Semantics, vol. I, pp. 250ff. (§8.4); id., Introduction to Theoretical Linguistics (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1968), pp. 429ff.; Robins, General Linguistics, chp. 2; Cotterell and Turner, Linguistics and Biblical Interpretation, p. 127, n. 41.
33 See the similar remarks of Powell, The Biblical Concept of Power, pp. 139, 143; and E. E. Ellis, Prophecy and Hermeneutic in Early Christianity: New Testament Essays (Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament, vol. 18. Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr [Paul Siebeck], 1978), p. 130, n. 4.
34 Lampe, in Moule, ed., Miracles. Cambridge Studies, pp. 175-176.
35 See notes 27-28 above and also see Jn. 4:48, 54 (healing a fever is a “sign”); 6:2 (healing of the sick is called “signs”); 9:6-7, 16 (healing blindness is one of “such signs”); 12:17-18 (raising the dead is a “sign”); Acts 4:16, 22 (healing a lame man is an “obvious sign”); 5:12-16 (healing the sick and demonized is called “signs and wonders”); 8:5-7, 13 (healing the sick and demonized is called “signs and miracles”).
36 BAGD, p. 208; Gatzweiler, “Der Paulinische Wunderbegriff,” p. 401; Trench, Synonyms, p. 343; id., Notes on the Miracles of Our Lord, p. 5.
37 Laying on of hands to bestow the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts: Acts 8:17; 19:15f.; I Tim. 4:14; 5:22; II Tim. 1:6. Related to this, laying on of hands to commission for a task: Acts 6:6; 13:3; to bestow blessing: Mat. 19:13-15; Mk. 10:16.
38 See E. Lohse, “cheir,” TDNT, vol 9, pp. 431-432.
39 Carson in Horton, ed., Power Religion, p. 102.
40 Nor does a passage like II Cor. 12:12 suggest that because signs, wonders and miracles were among “the things that mark an apostle,” no one else worked them and they were not to be imitated (see discussion in Wayne Grudem’s chapter in this book, question no. 7); Powell, The Biblical Concept of Power, p. 143: “Apostolic power is seen most vividly in Stephen, called by the Church, not to apostolic office at all… Yet in him the Spirit’s power was plainly shown.” Ellis, Prophecy and Hermeneutic in Early Christianity: New Testament Essays, p. 130, n. 4: “Acts … like Paul (2 Cor. 12, 12; cf. Rom. 15, 19), associates signs and miracles with the ‘apostle,’ but not exclusively so (Acts 6, 8; 8, 6f., 13; I Cor. 12, 28f.; 14, 22).” Rather, the passage affirms no more than that anyone who claims to be an apostle would be clearly marked by all the signs of an apostle—not simply signs, wonders, and miracles but primarily Christ-like ministry, selfless lifestyle, endurance of hardship, etc. (see Wayne Grudem’s chapter in this book, objection no. 7).
Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the NIV®.
This chapter is from Gary S. Greig and Kevin N. Springer, eds., The Kingdom and the Power: Are Healing and the Spiritual Gifts Used by Jesus and the Early Church Meant for the Church Today? A Biblical Look at How to Bring the Gospel to the World with Power (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1993). Used with permission.
