The Power of the Cross: Introduction

 

Introduction

Increasing millions of believers worldwide claim that God still works miraculously through His people today.¹ They claim that Christians should expect to preach the gospel and minister the gospel’s power with all the gifts of the Spirit, including the miraculous gifts (prophecy, word of knowledge, word of wisdom, gifts of healing, working of miracles, distinguishing spirits, tongues, interpretation). The topics of the work of God’s Spirit, healing, and ministry with miraculous spiritual gifts and their relationship to the gospel and evangelism have been flash points of division among Christians in the twentieth century with the emergence of the Pentecostal and charismatic movements and the emergence of what has been called the “third wave” movement.

The often divisive rhetoric surrounding the controversy suggests the need for a careful reexamination of the biblical evidence related to these topics. This book intends to encourage the reader to reexamine the basic issues in Scripture and draw his or her own conclusions regarding the implications for evangelism and ministry in the Church today.

In books, magazines, conferences, cassette tapes, and videos, many pastors and lay leaders are finding themselves confronted over and over with questions like the following about healing ministry and ministry with all spiritual gifts, including the miraculous gifts. Can any church or liturgical tradition have a healing ministry and personal prayer ministry? Can any church or liturgical tradition help people find freedom in Christ from demonic oppression and related emotional and spiritual bondage? Can any church or liturgical tradition encourage lay ministry that utilizes all spiritual gifts? Is such ministry foreign to the gospel and the message of the Cross, or is it a natural, biblical extension of the power of the Cross to cleanse and redeem us from sin and sin’s consequences? What does Scripture have to say about such issues?

Is ministry with all spiritual gifts and healing a biblical idea? Was such ministry just for the Early Church, and if so, where does Scripture teach such a notion? Why did the Church preserve instructions for healing prayer ministry in the canon of Scripture (James 5:14-16)?

Do healing and gift-based ministry (meaning ministry with all spiritual gifts)² have any role in Scripture’s view of preaching the gospel? Is the Church to follow the preaching and healing pattern of evangelism practiced by our Lord, the apostles, and the Early Church?

The Purpose of this Book

Much has been written recently on these issues. Many voices among evangelicals have offered conflicting answers to such questions. Some of the literature seems to answer these questions with a partially affirmative or a wholly affirmative response,³ and some of the literature seems to answer them with a partially negative or a wholly negative response.⁴

On one side of the controversy healing and spiritual gifts have no necessary role in the proclamation of the gospel and the Word of God. They are not to receive so much attention that they usurp a church’s focus on Christ and the gospel. Protestant cessationism represents the most extreme form of this viewpoint. Certain protestant theologians from the Reformation era onwards have popularized the view that the miraculous gifts of the Spirit mentioned in the New Testament ceased after the apostolic age, since they were neither necessary nor functional after the New Testament was completed.⁵

On the other side of the controversy, proponents point out that no scriptural passage clearly teaches that any gift of the Spirit should or would cease before the return of Christ.⁶ According to this view, healing ministry and ministry with all spiritual gifts are more than just a nice idea which may or may not be worthy of emphasis in a church’s ministry repertoire. Healing and spiritual gifts are signs of God’s Kingdom and rule in Christ—symbols of His grace and His redeeming work through the Cross—which are as non-negotiable now as they were in the Early Church.

Such questions as those articulated above have been raised in the recent literature and, in turn, gave rise to this book. The purpose of this book is to reexamine these questions in Scripture and their implications from a pastoral perspective. Scholars and church leaders from a broad range of evangelical liturgical and denominational backgrounds (including Covenant, Missionary Church, Southern Baptist, Anglican, Vineyard, Presbyterian, Christian and Missionary Alliance, United Methodist) have contributed fourteen chapters discussing the issues from an exegetical and pastoral point of view as well as from church-historical, psychiatric, sociological, and missiological points of view.

The first seven chapters of this book explore the issues exegetically. Jeffrey Niehaus’s chapter explores the relationship of signs, wonders, and miracles to the prophetic word in the Old Testament which is the foundation of the prophetic New Covenant ministry of word and deed in the New Testament Church. He also discusses the relationship of healing and spiritual gifts to the substitutionary atonement of Christ foretold in Isaiah 53. Wayne Grudem’s chapter addresses the question of whether we should expect the Holy Spirit to work in miraculous ways in connection with the preaching of the gospel and the life of the Church today.*

Peter David’s chapter explores the relationship of sin to forgiveness, healing, and wholeness in Scripture and surveys the biblical evidence concerning sin and the fruit of sin—sickness, demonization, death, and natural calamity. He also examines Scripture’s view of how, on the basis of the atoning power of the Cross, God works to reverse the fruit of sin. Gary Greig’s chapter explores the nature and purpose of signs and wonders in the New Testament, showing how they function to encourage faith in Christ, to illustrate God’s grace in the gospel, and to bring glory to Christ.

Don William’s chapter investigates the biblical evidence for discipleship, showing how Jesus intended to pass on His ministry of word and deed to His disciples and, through them, to all believers. Walter Bodine’s chapter traces the evidence for power ministry in the epistles, showing that the New Testament evidence is not insignificant for ongoing regular ministry with all spiritual gifts in the Early Church. James Packer’s chapter discusses the biblical evidence of God’s power in the believer’s life. He concludes that expecting supernatural demonstrations of God’s power in evangelism and in the life of the Church is healthy and biblical, when it is within the only legitimate biblical “power scenario” which is power in weakness—humble, selfless dependence on God.

The next three chapters explore the pastoral implications of the issues. Roger Barrier, a Southern Baptist pastor, discusses the importance of praying for healing and deliverance from demons in the power of the Holy Spirit as one means a church can use to show Christ’s love to those in need. Lloyd Fretz, District Supervisor of the Missionary Church, Canada East, recounts cases of seeing the power of the gospel bring true freedom in Christ through prayer for healing and deliverance from demonic influence. Kirk Bottomly, a Presbyterian (PCUSA) pastor, discusses the challenges and blessings of pursuing ministry with all spiritual gifts in one’s own life and in the life of the local church. He underscores the need in evangelicalism for a return to biblical paradigms of faith and a fundamental change from a deistic rationalistic worldview to a biblically-based worldview of God’s supernatural involvement in our lives, in our churches, and in our evangelism.

The final four chapters explore the issues from the perspective of church history, psychiatry, sociology, and missiology. Stanley Burgess’s chapter discusses evidence of the continuity of all spiritual gifts in the life and evangelism of the post-biblical Early Church. John White’s chapter offers a psychiatrist’s analysis of the unusual reactions and manifestations (trembling, falling, weeping, etc.) accompanying past and contemporary revivals. David Lewis’s chapter discusses the sociological, psychological, and medical aspects of reported cases of healing. He focuses on his own in-depth statistical analysis of 100 randomly selected cases out of a total pool of 1,890 cases of reported healings associated with prayer in Christ’s name. In their chapter, Charles Kraft and Marguerite Kraft discuss the problem of dual allegiance to Christ and to demonic power among Christian converts in Third World countries. They urge that biblical strategies be developed for cross-cultural ministry to communicate the gospel and to minister its power through prayer for healing and deliverance from demonic power.

Seven Appendices offer additional studies of the New Testament evidence and key passages related to power evangelism, Jesus’ commissions to His disciples and the Church, spiritual gifts, spiritual warfare, models of prayer for healing and related phenomena, and what Scripture shows regarding its own sufficiency.

A Fresh Outpouring of Renewal

Over the last decade, many evangelicals claim to have experienced a fresh outpouring of revival and renewal in the Holy Spirit across denominational lines. They do not identify themselves as Pentecostal or charismatic, though they affirm and support the same work of God’s Spirit in those movements. Instead they have chosen to remain and work for renewal in their own denominational traditions. New denominational movements have also arisen out of the renewal such as the Vineyard Christian Fellowship under the leadership of John Wimber, one of the leading pioneers of the recent renewal movement among evangelicals.

The recent renewal has been called “the third wave of the Holy Spirit” by Dr. C. Peter Wagner. Anglican researcher and statistician, Dr. David Barrett, has estimated that 33 million believers worldwide are a part of the third wave movement.⁷

The “third wave,” Wagner says, is analogous to the first two waves of the Holy Spirit’s work in the Pentecostal and charismatic movements. However, third wave proponents distinguish their theology and practice from that of Pentecostals and charismatics in certain ways.⁸ While third wave proponents are open to all the miraculous gifts and miraculous work of God, they generally understand the baptism of the Spirit not as a second blessing but as a part of conversion (I Cor. 12:13; Eph. 1:13-14; Tit. 3:5; Jn. 3:3, 5-8; Rom. 8:9; Gal. 3:26 and 4:6). At the same time they acknowledge the need to be filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit more than once after conversion (Eph. 5:18; Acts 4:8, 31; 7:55; 13:9, 52). They do not focus on the gift of tongues above all other spiritual gifts as the evidence of being filled with the Spirit. (Indeed, some third wave leaders who minister with miraculous gifts like healing and discerning of spirits do not speak in tongues.) Rather, they affirm the value of all spiritual gifts, whether miraculous or non-miraculous. They emphasize the potential of all Christians, not just specially gifted individuals, to minister healing and to minister with all the miraculous gifts (Jn. 14:12; I Cor. 12:7; 14:1, 5, 12-13, 24, 31; Mat. 7:7-11).⁹ Third wave proponents also emphasize the biblical pattern of using spiritual gifts and healing not only in the life of the Church but also in evangelism (see below and see appendix 1).

Proponents claim that the renewal has brought several positive elements to evangelicalism including a greater understanding and openness to the work and power of the Holy Spirit taught in Scripture. Many evangelicals, some say, have begun to realize that biblical Christianity is much more than they had previously known. They have begun to move from an unbalanced emphasis only on the proclaimed Word to a scripturally balanced emphasis on both the proclaimed Word and ministry in God’s power (Rom. 15:18-19; I Cor. 2:4-5; 4:20; 11:1; Gal. 3:5; I Thes. 1:5; Heb. 2:3-4; I Pet. 4:11; Jas. 5:13-16). Proponents of third wave theology and practice claim to have attempted such a biblical balance—a balance between the fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit, between the proclamation of the gospel and the works of healing and gift-based ministry which are said to demonstrate the power of Christ in the gospel.

The Gospel and the Power of the Cross

Throughout this book and particularly in appendix 1, the contributors set forth the biblical evidence showing that healing ministry and miraculous spiritual gifts were the chief demonstration of the redeeming power of the Cross which accompanied the preaching of the gospel in the New Testament Church. The substitutionary atonement of Christ on the Cross is the heart of the gospel. I Peter 2:24 makes this clear: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” Christ’s atoning work on the Cross is the center of gravity in New Testament faith (Mat. 20:28; Mk. 10:45; Jn. 12:27, 31-33; Rom. 3:22-25; 5:8-9; II Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13; Col. 1:21-22; I Tim. 2:6; Heb. 2:14; 9:14, 26-28; 10:10; I Pet. 1:18-21; 2:24; 3:18; I Jn. 2:2; 3:5, 8; Rev. 12:11).

The power of the Cross is first and foremost in the atonement and the forgiveness of all sin that the Cross provides (I Jn. 2:2). Scripture is also clear that the Cross provides the basis for all God’s work in our lives to sanctify us and to restore us from the brokenness of sin (I Pet. 2:24: “so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed”; II Cor. 5:21 “in him we might become the righteousness of God”; Col. 1:22 “to present you holy in his sight”; I Jn. 3:8 “the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work”). Just as Scripture suggests we may experience sanctification and the eradication of sin only in part in this life (Phil. 3:12-13; I Jn. 1:9), so Scripture also seems clear that prior to the return of Christ, we will experience healing and spiritual gifts only in part (see below and compare I Cor. 13:9 with I Cor. 12:8-10; 13:8-12; I Jn. 3:2; Rev. 22:4; and cf. Gal. 4:14; Phil. 2:27; I Tim. 5:23; II Tim. 4:20).

In their chapters Dr. Niehaus and Dr. David’s discuss this “already-not yet” tension of the Kingdom of God in relation to healing and spiritual gifts. Dr. Niehaus’s chapter below discusses the relationship of the substitutionary atonement of Christ and divine healing and the atonement; in the context of the Isaiah 53. In a recent book, Prof. Gordon Fee discussed in detail the biblical evidence concerning the relationship, showing that healing is made possible by the atonement of the Cross but is not necessarily guaranteed to be fully experienced by believers in this age:

Healing is provided for [in the atonement] because the atonement brought release from the … consequences of sin; nonetheless, since we have not yet received the redemption of our bodies, suffering and death are still our lot until the resurrection.¹⁰

The reader will find more detailed discussion of this issue in Dr. Fee’s book and in Dr. Niehaus’s and Dr. David’s chapters below.

The contributors to this book share the conviction that the Cross of Christ is the solution to every problem men and women face (cf. II Pet. 1:3). We do not believe that healing and spiritual gifts are the solution to every problem nor that the Cross is limited to or equivalent to spiritual gifts and healing. Rather, Scripture is clear that the work of Christ on the Cross is the fountain-head from which all other blessings of the Christian faith, including healing and spiritual gifts, flow. Healing and spiritual gifts mean nothing by themselves, since demonic counterfeits are well-attested in non-Christian religions and cults, as Scripture itself suggests (Exo. 7:11, 22; 8:7; Acts 8:9-11; 13:6ff.; 16:16; 19:13, 18-19). But Scripture is clear that Christian healing and spiritual gifts are unique in that they show the superior power of the true and living God (Acts 8:9-11; 13:6ff.; 16:16; 19:13-19), they honor and glorify Christ, proclaiming Him Lord (I Cor. 12:1-3; I Jn. 4:2), they are accompanied by good fruit (Mat. 7:20; Gal. 5:22-23), and they encourage faith and growth in Christ (I Cor. 14:12; Eph. 4:11; I Pet. 4:10-11).

Christ and His Cross are everything, as Paul said in Philippians 1:21: “For me to live is Christ, to die is gain.” One may preach (and indeed many have preached) the Cross of Christ without healing ministry and still express the heart of the gospel, as Paul did at Athens (Acts 17:16-34). But it is the multifaceted grace and power of Christ’s death on the Cross, forgiving our sins, that make healing and spiritual gifts possible in the Christian life (Isa. 53:4-5; I Pet. 2:24; Acts 3:13-16; Gal. 3:5). Furthermore, certain passages in the New Testament suggest that healing and spiritual gifts actually illustrate the grace, forgiveness, and atoning power of the Cross (Mat. 9:6; 11:4; Mk. 2:10; Lk. 4:18-19; 5:24; 7:22; Jas. 5:15-16; cf. Rom. 15:18-19; I Cor. 2:2-5 [and II Cor. 12:12]; I Thes. 1:5; see appendix 1, “Power Evangelism and the New Testament Evidence,” and Dr. Greig’s chapter below). Is it simply coincidental in this regard that the Greek word charisma “spiritual gift” is derived from the same root as Greek charis “grace” and charizomai “forgive, pardon”?¹¹

This is why Paul sought not only to preach the gospel boldly (Eph. 6:19-20) but also sought regularly to heal the sick and minister with signs and wonders and all spiritual gifts alongside his preaching (Rom. 15:18-19; I Cor. 2:4-5; II Cor. 12:12; I Thes. 1:5; cf. Acts 13:7-12; 14:3, 9-10; 15:12; 16:16-18; 19:4-6, 8-12; 20:7-10; 28:8-9). This is why in Philippians 3 Paul says in one breath, “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil. 3:8) and in the next breath, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection” (Phil. 3:10). The work of Christ on the Cross is not equivalent to spiritual gifts and healing, but the power of the His Cross makes them possible and is illustrated and demonstrated through them in a unique way.

New Testament Scholarship and the Evidence

Many New Testament scholars, publishing over the last century in English, German, and French, seem to have concluded that, throughout the New Testament, the power and compassion of God in healing and gift-based ministry is integrally related to the proclamation of the gospel and the ministry of the Word of God. Many point out that in the New Testament’s view such ministry is a sign of God’s forgiveness and grace in the gospel.¹² The following quotations summarize research on the subject.

F.F. Bruce, the well-known evangelical British New Testament scholar, considered Jesus’ healing ministry an integral part of the message Jesus preached:

While the miracles served as signs, they were not performed in order to be signs. They were as much a part and parcel of Jesus’ ministry as was his preaching—not … seals affixed to the document to certify its genuiness but an integral element in the very text of the document.¹³

A. Feuillet, a French New Testament scholar, points out that just as Jesus’ preaching was regularly accompanied by healing and gift-based ministry, so was that of his disciples:

In Mark ii.2 and iv.33 Jesus is seen ‘to proclaim the Word.’ . . . In Mk. xvi.19-20, once Jesus ascended to heaven, the apostles in their turn ‘proclaim the Word.’ And as the Word proclaimed by Jesus was accompanied by works of power, it was exactly the same according to Mark xvi.20 for the Word proclaimed by the apostles. . . . What Jesus began to say (the Word) and to do (the miracles), all that is continued after the Ascension by the apostles.
Moved by the Spirit, the apostles take up the call of Jesus for repentance ([Acts] ii.38, iii.26, v.31, xviii.30) and his announcement of the ‘Kingdom of God’ ([Acts] viii.12, xix.8, xx.25, xxviii.31). . . . They bear witness to the resurrection of Jesus: cf. [Acts] i.22, ii.32, iii.15, iv.33, v.32, x.39, 41, xiii.31. They depend on the invocation of the Name of Jesus. . . . It is for this Name that the apostles suffer ([Acts] v.21, xxi.13; cf. I Pet. iv.14); it is this Name that they preach ([Acts] iv.10-12, 17-18; v.28-40).
And the invocation of this Name puts into action the divine power kept by Jesus. The result is that, by this invocation, the apostles accomplish miraculous wonders like those of Jesus’ public ministry, heal the sick, drive out demons and even raise the dead: [Acts] iii.1-10, viii.6-7, ix.32-43, xiv.8-18, xx.7-12 … v.16 … xix.12.¹⁴

The British New Testament scholar, Alan Richardson, points out that Jesus’ healing ministry was a necessary concomitant of His preaching:

The working of miracles is a part of the proclamation of the Kingdom of God, not an end in itself. Similarly, the sin of Chorazin and Bethsaida [Lk. 10:13; Mat. 11:21; ] is spiritual blindness; they do not accept the preaching of the Kingdom of God or understand the miracles which were its inevitable concomitants. … Can we interpret the remarkable connexion which this Q saying establishes between the miracles and repentance in any other way than by understanding the miracles as the necessary concomitants of the preaching of the Kingdom of God?¹⁵

Dr. Bertold Klappert, a German New Testament scholar, similarly describes the unity of word and deed in Jesus’ proclamation:

The healings are part of Jesus’ word and are not to be detached from his proclamation. According to Lk. 4:18, Jesus related the prophetic word of Isa. 61:1f. to his own mission. God sent him to bring good news to the poor and sight to the blind. This denotes the unity of word and deed in Jesus’ proclamation. … The proclamation of the kingdom of God takes place by means of Jesus’ word, and Jesus’ healings are the physical expression of his word.¹⁶

The German New Testament scholar, Prof. Gerhard Friedrich, G.; of Tübingen, points out that the New Testament concept of preaching the gospel is more than verbally communicating the rational content of the gospel and that it includes demonstrating the power of the gospel through healing ministry:

Euaggelizesthai [“to preach the gospel”] is not just speaking and preaching; it is proclamation with full authority and power. Signs and wonders accompany the evangelical message. They belong together, for the Word is powerful and effective. The proclamation of the age of grace, of the rule of God, creates a healthy state in every respect. Bodily disorders are healed and man’s relationship to God is set right (Mt. 4:23; 9:35; 11:5; Lk. 9:6; Acts 8:4-8; 10:36ff.; 14:8-18; 16:17ff; Rom. 15:16-20; II Cor. 12:12; Gal. 3:5). Joy reigns where this Word is proclaimed (Acts 8:8). It brings sote—ria [“salvation”] (I Cor. 15:1f.)… Hence, euaggelizesthai [“to preach the gospel”] is to offer salvation. It is the powerful proclamation the good news, the impartation of sote—ria [“salvation”]. This would be missed if euaggelizesthai [“to preach the gospel”] were to take place in human fashion en sophia logou [“(merely) in the wisdom of words”] (I Cor. 1:17).¹⁷

The British scholar, D. S. Cairns, says that the biblical evidence shows that the miraculous signs of Jesus’ healing ministry were “integral parts of the revelation, and not adjuncts to it.”¹⁸ Christ, Cairns says, does miracles out of love and compassion for men and women, “because he cannot help working them.”¹⁹ The Dutch New Testament scholar, H. van der Loos, points out the same about the apostle’s healing ministry:

The miracles were therefore not works or signs which happened for the sake of the apostles, but originated in the point at issue, viz. the proclamation of salvation by Jesus Christ and the coming of His Kingdom. They did not accompany the preaching of the gospel as incidentals, but formed an integral part of it; in the healing, as a visible function of the Kingdom of God, something that could be experienced, God’s will to heal the whole of man was manifested.²⁰

E. Thurneysen points out that Jesus’ healing ministry illustrated the gospel in that the healings are “signs which show the victory of Christ over sin and death and thereby confirm the power of his word.”²¹ Prof. Walter Grundmann, a German scholar, similarly stresses that Jesus’ healing ministry showed that He came to destroy the devil’s work through sin (I Jn. 3:8):

The miracles of Jesus are a part of the invading rule of God which Jesus brings with his person in preaching and acting. They are the rule of God overcoming and pushing back the demonic-satanic sphere of influence.²²

H. van der Loos points out that God’s power manifested in Jesus’ healing ministry shows that Jesus came to destroy sin and to begin to reverse the effects that sin has brought upon mankind:

This power presents itself in dual form, viz. as evidential power and as militant power. As evidential power it identifies Jesus as the Messiah-King and reveals His divine mission. As militant power it reveals Jesus as the adversary of all the forces of ruin. For Jesus has come to smash the forces of disease, sin and death, to dethrone Satan. This dual nature of the power function finds striking expression in Jesus’ important pronouncement: “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God is come unto you,” Mt. 12:28, and cf. Lk. 11:20.²³

Professor Richardson affirms that “miracles of healing are, as it were, symbolic demonstrations of God’s forgiveness in action.”²⁴

The German scholar, Prof. Otfried Hofius, summarizes the New Testament evidence concerning the integral relationship of healing and gift-based ministry to the proclamation of the gospel and the Word of God:

According to the witness of the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus sent out his disciples to preach and to perform miracles (Mat. 10:7f.; Mk. 3:14f.; Lk. 9:1f.; 10:9; cf. Mk. 6:7ff.; Lk. 9:6) …
Similarly, Acts mentions many times the correlation of apostolic proclamation and apostolic miracle-working (2:2f.; 4:29f.; cf. 3:1ff.; 4:16, 22; 5:12; 6:8; 8:5ff.; 9:32ff.; 15:12; 20:7ff.). The miracles are co-ordinated with the preaching—they are “accompanying signs,” by which Christ confirms the word of the witnesses (Acts 14:3; cf. Mk. 16:20). As in the authoritative word (Acts 6:10) so in the signs is manifested the power of the Holy Spirit promised to the disciples (Acts 1:8). . . .

For Paul, too, “word and deed,” preaching and signs belong together; in both Christ is at work in the power of the Spirit (Rom. 15:18f.). Signs and wonders accompany the proclamation which takes place “in demonstration of the Spirit and power” (I Cor. 2:4; cf. I Thes. 1:5). . . . To the hearers of the preaching also the Holy Spirit mediates miraculous powers (Gal. 3:5). That is why alongside the gifts of proclamation the charisma of healing and the power to perform miracles belong to the living gifts of the Spirit in the church (I Cor. 12:18ff., 28; cf. Jas. 5:14f.).

Finally Hebrews also bears witness that God confirms the preaching of salvation, which proclaims the dawn of the age of salvation, by signs and wonders (2:3ff.), which, as “powers of the world to come” (6:5), foreshadow the completion of salvation. . . .

Preaching and miracles thus belong essentially together according to the New Testament. In both Jesus Christ proves himself to be the living Lord, present in his church in the Holy Spirit.²⁵

Evangelism with or without Use of Healing and Miraculous Gifts

Scholars like those quoted above and cited in the notes are unanimous that the New Testament’s concept of evangelism included healing ministry and ministry with all spiritual gifts (see also appendix 1: “Power Evangelism and the New Testament Evidence”). But this conclusion does not suggest, on the other hand, that “any form of evangelism not accompanied by miracles [is] not … true evangelism”²⁶ or that such evangelism is “substandard.”²⁷

As was mentioned above, the fact that Paul preached the gospel without any signs and wonders at the Areopagus in Athens (Acts 17:16-34) is enough to show that biblical evangelism is not substandard “when no genuine sign or wonder is performed.”²⁸ The obviously anointed ministry of such a great evangelist as Billy Graham is enough to show that evangelism unaccompanied by miraculous healing is not substandard. But even Graham affirms the use in the Church today of all spiritual gifts, including the miraculous gifts—healing, tongues, miraculous powers, etc.—because, according to him, they are biblical.²⁹

And though evangelism unaccompanied by healing and miraculous gifts is anything but substandard, it does seem biblically abnormal to overlook or ignore, as some evangelicals do, the way Jesus, the apostles, and the Early Church evangelized with preaching accompanied by use of miraculous gifts and healing.

Pursuing a Biblical View of God’s Power

The epistles contain more than forty references to the power of God (Greek dunamis). Passages like Ephesians 6:10 command us to seek God’s power in order to serve Him and live for Him: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” Many other passages like the following show that God’s power is central to proclaiming the gospel, ministering the Word of God, and growing spiritually:

Rom. 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, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.”

I Cor. 1:17-18, “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

I Cor. 2:4-5, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.”

I Cor. 4:20, “The kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.”

Eph. 1:18-20, “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.”

Eph. 3:16-17, “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”

Eph. 6:10-11, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”

I Thes. 1:5, “Our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction.”

As Christians, we face growing darkness in society today—the exponential disintegration of the family and the increase in sexual brokenness, rape, and violence; rising child abuse; increasing teenage violence and murder; the spread of gangs from urban to suburban areas; the rise of New-Age occultism, witchcraft, and Satanic ritual practices; heightened spiritual battles and conflicts which many pastors and their congregations attest to today. In the face of all this, we need God’s power in the Church more than ever today—we need all God wants to give us to do all that he intends His Body to do in living for Christ and reaching our communities with the gospel.

Scholars who have studied the New Testament concept of God’s power point out the complete and whole picture one sees of His power throughout the New Testament. No aspect of power is excluded from the whole pattern of God working in the Christian life. God’s power through the Cross of Christ makes possible miraculous healing as much as it does sanctification, endurance, and “suffering for the gospel by the power of God” (II Tim. 1:8).³⁰

Experiencing Spiritual Gifts and Healing in Part

As pointed out by the scholars quoted above, miraculous healing is the chief expression of God’s power accompanying the proclamation of the gospel in the New Testament. The overall witness of the New Testament regarding God’s attitude toward healing shows that God desires to heal. His Son healed the sick.³¹ The apostles and Early Church laity healed the sick (Stephen, Philip, Ananias, the Corinthians, Galatians, Jewish Christian churches, etc.).³² God gave the church gifts of healing (I Cor. 12:9). As well, He commands the church to pray for the sick (Jas. 5:14-16).

However, such a whole view of God’s power as one sees in Scripture does not overlook sanctification on the one hand (Rom. 8:4-16; I Cor. 6:11-19; Gal. 5:16-6:10) nor suffering, weakness, and prolonged and unresolved sickness; on the other (Rom. 8:17; II Cor. 4:7-11; II Cor. 12:7-10; Gal. 4:13-14; II Tim. 1:8; II Tim.3:12). Although God desires to heal, Scripture also makes it clear, as was mentioned above, that in some cases we may not experience complete healing in this age.³³ In this age, according to Paul, the Church will only experience spiritual gifts, including healing, “in part” (ek merous) until the second coming of Christ: “For we know in part and we prophesy in part” (I Cor. 13:9; cf. I Cor. 1:6-7; and 13:8-10, 12; I Jn. 3:2; Rev. 22:4).³⁴

John Wimber touches on the issue of our faith and God’s faithfulness in such cases in his discussion of suffering, persecution, and martyrdom for the faith:

The fact that we are living between the first and second comings of Christ, what George Ladd calls living between the ‘already and the not yet,’ provides the interpretative key for understanding why the physical healing that Christ secured for us at the cross is not always experienced today. His sovereignty, lordship, and kingdom are what bring healing. Our part is to pray ‘Thy kingdom come’ and trust him for whatever healing comes from his gracious hand. . . . We have no right to presume that unless God heals in every instance there is something wrong with our faith or his faithfulness.³⁵

And though not all may experience immediate or complete healing in this age, Scripture does not allow us, on the other hand, to be complacent and capitulate in the face of illness. We are commanded, rather, to pray for healing (James 5:14-16)—again and again (James 5:17-18; and I Kgs. 18:43)—just as we are to pray for deliverance from persecution (cf. Acts 12:3-17; Rom. 15:31; II Cor. 1:8-11; II Thes. 3:2; II Tim. 3:11; II Tim. 4:17):

Jesus says very little about sickness; He cures it. He does not explain that sickness is health; He calls it by its proper name, and has compassion upon the sick person. There is nothing sentimental or artificial about Jesus; He draws no fine distinctions, and utters no sophistries about healthy people being really sick and sick people really healthy. . . . Jesus does not distinguish rigidly between sicknesses of the body and of the soul; He takes them both as different expressions of one supreme ailment in humanity.³⁶

Even in weakness, when we see no immediate answer to prayer, Christ’s power can work in us and through us, sanctifying us, enabling us to endure all difficulties (II Cor. 12:7-10):

The contrast between the weakness of the incarnate Lord and the living power of the Risen Christ is central to the theology of the early Church: “He was crucified through weakness, yet He liveth through the power of God” (2 Cor. xiii. 4). . . . The birth of Christ, “born of a woman, born under the Law” (Gal. iv. 4), and His human life “in the form of a servant” (Phil. ii. 7), as well as His death on the Cross, which appears to be defeat and weakness, are the means of the breaking through of God’s victorious power.³⁷

Power in Weakness and Biblical Balance

The evidence presented by the contributors shows that miraculous healing and spiritual gifts are not ends in themselves, according to Scripture. They are tools to be used to encourage the Body of Christ toward holiness of life, effective witness to the lost, and endurance (I Pet. 4:10-11). Michael Green describes the balance well:

Much Western Christianity has concentrated too much on the Cross, symbolizing the suffering, weakness, and sorrow of our earthly existence. There is truth in that but not exhaustive truth.

Charismatic Christianity, on the other hand, has concentrated too much on the Resurrection, on the transcendental power of the new life, its signs and wonders and excitement.

A realistic Christianity will hold equally fast to both. And that is what you see in Paul, who claims, “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you in all patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works” (2 Cor. 12:12), but almost in the same breath confides, “I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10).

Power in weakness. That is the place of signs and wonders in today’s church in general and in evangelism in particular.³⁸

Richard Foster has also emphasized such a balance and pointed out that healing and gift-based ministry is simply a normal and biblical part of a life of faith in Christ:

Healing prayer is part of the normal Christian life. It should not be elevated above any other ministry in the community of faith, nor should it be undervalued; rather, it should be kept in proper balance. It is simply a normal aspect of what it means to live under the reign of God.³⁹

Although miracles and healings of all kinds and classes should be received gladly as a part of what it means to live in the kingdom of God, they merely come with the territory for those who walk in the light of God’s grace. They should be expected as part of the normal Christian life. … One of the greatest hindrances today to the free exercise of the healing ministry is the tendency to view certain aspects of it as some sort of “big deal.” The religion of the “big deal” stands in opposition to the way of Christ. It is this spirit that can lead to the cruelest excesses. … Healing prayer is simply a way of showing love to people. The healings, physical or otherwise, are the natural outflow of compassion.⁴⁰

This book intends to help the reader reexamine what Scripture shows about God’s power and the function of healing and gift-based ministry as a demonstration of the power of the gospel. This book also shares the thoughtful reflection of pastors and church leaders about the importance of ministering the power of the gospel through prayer for healing and ministry with the gifts of the Spirit in order to reach the lost for Christ and to bless and strengthen the Body of Christ. What is offered in this book does not pretend to answer every practical and theological question related to healing and gift-based ministry. The following chapters represent only a preliminary attempt to reexamine the scriptural evidence and address the most basic issues related to such ministry.

PR

 

Next Issue (Summer 2006):

“Old Testament Foundation: Signs and Wonders in Prophetic Ministry and the Substitutionary Atonement of Isaiah 53” by Jeffrey Niehaus  

Notes

¹Three waves of renewal in this century (Pentecostal, charismatic, and third wave) are growing at a rate of 19 million new members a year or 54,000 a day worldwide according to a 1988 article by Anglican scholar and statistician, Dr. David Barrett, “The Twentieth-Century Pentecostal/Charismatic Renewal in the Holy Spirit, with Its Goal of World Evangelization,” International Bulletin of Missionary Research (July, 1988): 1-10; id., “Statistics, Global,” in S. M. Burgess et al., eds., Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988), pp. 810-830.

²The term “gift-based ministry” refers to ministry with all spiritual gifts, including the miraculous gifts which, as scriptural examples from the Gospels, Acts, and the epistles show, demonstrate God’s presence and power in a dramatic way (prophecy, word of knowledge, word of wisdom, gifts of healing, working of miracles, distinguishing spirits, tongues, interpretation). The term does not exclude less overt spiritual gifts (service, teaching, evangelism, encouragement, contributing to need, leadership, mercy, administration, helps). Both the overt miraculous gifts and the less overt gifts of the Spirit are intertwined with one another in the New Testament lists of Romans 12, I Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4, suggesting that God sees no distinction.

³John Wimber and Kevin Springer, Power Healing, San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1987; id., Power Evangelism, 2nd revised and expanded ed., San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1992; Kevin Springer, ed., Power Encounters among Christians in the Western World, San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988; C. Peter Wagner, How to Have a Healing Ministry in Any Church, Ventura: Regal, 1988; id., The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit, Ann Arbor: Servant, 1988; Charles H. Kraft, Christianity with Power: Your Worldview and Your Experience of the Supernatural, Ann Arbor: Servant, 1989; Richard Foster, Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1992), chps. 18-20 (pp. 203-242); Don Williams, Signs, Wonders, and the Kingdom of God, Ann Arbor: Servant, 1989; Wayne Grudem, The Gift of Prophecy in the New Testament and Today, Westchester, IL: Crossway, 1988; John White, When the Spirit Comes with Power: Signs and Wonders among God’s People, Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1988; Ken Blue, Authority to Heal, Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1987; David Lewis, Healing: Fiction, Fantasy or Fact? A Comprehensive Analysis of Healings and Associated Phenomena at John Wimber’s Harrogate Conference, London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1989; David Pytches, Spiritual Gifts in the Local Church: How to Integrate Them into the Ministry of the People of God, Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1985; George Mallone, Those Controversial Gifts. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1983; Michael Green, I Believe in the Holy Spirit, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1985; Colin Brown, That You May Believe: Miracles and Faith Then and Now, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1985; Morton T. Kelsey, Healing and Christianity. New York: Harper & Row, 1976 (revised and expanded, Psychology, Medicine, & Christian Healing, Harper & Row, 1988); Francis MacNutt, Healing, Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press, 1974; J. D. G. Dunn, Jesus and the Spirit: A Study of the Religious and Charismatic Experience of Jesus and the First Christians as Reflected in the New Testament, Philadelphia: the Westminster Press, 1975; id., Baptism in the Holy Spirit: A Re-examination of the New Testament Teaching on the Gift of the Spirit in Relation to Pentecostalism Today (Studies in Biblical Theology, 2nd series, no. 15) London: SCM Press, 1970.

⁴D. A. Carson, J. Armstrong, and J. M. Boice in M. S. Horton, ed., Power Religion. The Selling Out of the Evangelical Church? Moody Press, 1992; M. G. Moriarty, The New Charismatics. A Concerned Voice Responds to Dangerous New Trends, Zondervan, 1992; J. F. MacArthur, Charismatic Chaos, Zondervan, 1992; Phillip Jensen, et al., The Briefing 45/46 (April 24, 1990; St. Matthias Anglican Church, Sydney, Australia): 1ff.; D. A. Carson, How Long , O Lord (Baker, 1990), pp. 123ff.; J.R. Coggins and P. G. Hiebert, eds., Wonders and the Word, Kindred Press, 1989; P. Masters, The Healing Epidemic, London: The Wakeman Trust, 1988; J. Woodhouse, P. Barrett, and J. Reid, in R. Doyle, ed., Signs and Wonders and Evangelicals: A Response to the Teaching of John Wimber, Homebush West, Australia: Lancer Books, 1987; Lewis Smedes, ed., Ministry and the Miraculous, Fuller Theological Seminary, 1987; Ben Patterson, “Cause for Concern,” Christianity Today (August 8, 1986), p. 20; Donald Lewis, “John Wimber: Signs and Wonders?” Channels (Spring, 1986), p. 10; Dave Hunt and T. A. McMahon, The Seduction of Christianity: Spiritual Discernment in the Last Days, Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1985; F. D. Bruner and W. Hordern, The Holy Spirit—Shy Member of the Trinity, Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg, 1984; F. D. Bruner, A Theology of the Holy Spirit: The Pentecostal Experience and the New Testament Witness, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1970.

⁵E.g., Benjamin B. Warfield, Miracles: Yesterday and Today, True and False, Grand Rapids, Eerdmans: 1953 (formerly published asCounterfeit Miracles, Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1918); R. B. Gaffin, Perspectives on Pentecost, Presbyterian and Reformed, 1979; R. L. Reymond, What About Continuing Revelations and Miracles in the Presbyterian Church Today?, Presbyterian and Reformed, 1977; W. Chantry, Signs of the Apostles: Observations on Pentecostalism Old and New, Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1976; N. Geisler, Signs and Wonders, Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1988.

⁶See appendix 4: “Spiritual Gifts” and Wayne Grudem’s chapter in this book, objection no. 21; see also Prof. Gordon Fee’s comments on I Cor. 13:9-10 in his commentary, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, pp. 644-645, n. 23; 646 and nn. 30-31; F. F. Bruce, 1 and 2 Corinthians, (The New Century Bible, London: Marshall, Morgan and Scott, 1971), p. 122; Wayne Grudem, The Gift of Prophecy in the New Testament and Today (Westchester, Il.: Crossway, 1988), pp. 233-243.

⁷D. B. Barrett, “Statistics, Global,” in Burgess et al., eds., Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, pp. 812-813.

⁸Third wave thelogy and practice have been largely articulated by John Wimber and Kevin Springer as well as C. Peter Wagner: John Wimber and Kevin Springer, Power Points: Your Action Plan to Hear God’s Voice, Believe God’s Word, Seek the Father, Submit to Christ, Take up the Cross, Depend on the Holy Spirit, Fulfill the Great Commission, San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1991; id., Power Evangelism, 2nd revised and expanded ed., San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1992; id., Power Healing, San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1987; Kevin Springer, ed., Power Encounters among Christians in the Western World, San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988; C. Peter Wagner, The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit, Ann Arbor: Servant, 1988; id., How to Have a Healing Ministry in Any Church, Ventura: Regal, 1988.

⁹See Don William’s chapter below and Wimber and Springer, Power Points, pp. 156ff.

¹⁰Gordon D. Fee, The Disease of the Health and Wealth Gospels (Beverly: Frontline, 1985), p. 19; see also Wimber and Springer, Power Healing, pp. 152-157 (and references cited there) which also discusses the relationship, coming to similar conclusions.

¹¹BAGD, pp. 876-879.

¹²See references cited in notes below and also J. Becker, “Wunder und Christologie,” NTS 16 (1969-70): 138-140; G. Delling, “Das Verständnis des Wunders im Neuen Testament,” ZSTh 24 (1955): 265-280; J. Hempel, Heilung als Symbol und Wirklichkeit im biblischen Schrifttum (Nachrichten der Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, Philosophisch-historische Klasse, 3) 1958; B. Klappert, “Die Wunder Jesu im Neuen Testament,” Das Ungewöhnliche, Aussaat-Bücherei 45 (1969): 25ff.; G. Mensching, W. Vollborn, E. Lohse, and E. Käsemann, “Wunder,” in K. Galling et al., eds., Die Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart (3rd ed., 1957-65), vol. 6, pp. 1831ff.; R. Renner, Die Wunder Jesu in Theologie und Unterricht, 1966; G. Siegmund, “Theologie des Wunders,” Theologische Revue 58 (1962): 289ff.; R. E. Brown, The Gospel According to John, vol. 1 (1967), pp. 525-532 (“Signs and Works”); id., “The Gospel Miracles,” New Testament Essays (1965), pp. 168-191; A. B. Bruce, The Miraculous Elements in the Gospels, 1886; R. H. Fuller, Interpreting the Miracles, 1963; A. de Groot, The Bible on Miracles (St. Norbert Abbey Series 19), 1966; J. Kallas, The Significance of the Synoptic Miracles, 1961; K. Tagawa, Miracles et évangile: La pensée personnelle de l’évangéliste Marc (Études d’histoire et de philosophie religieuses, vol. 62, Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1966), pp. 75-80; J. S. Lawton, Miracles and Revelation, 1959; H. van der Loos, The Miracles of Jesus (Supplements to Novum Testamentum, vol. 8) Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1965; L. Monden, Le miracle, signe de salut, Desclée, 1960.

¹³F. F. Bruce, The Hard Sayings of Jesus (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1983), pp. 96-97.

¹⁴A. Feuillet, “Le ‘Commencement’ de l’Economie Chrétienne d’après Heb. ii.3-4, Mar. i.1 et Acts 1.1-2,” NTS 24 (1978): 171-173: “En Marc ii.2 et iv.33 on voit Jésus ‘proclamer la Parole’. . . . En Mc. xvi.19-20, une fois Jésus monté au ciel, les apôtres à leur tour ‘proclament la Parole.’ Et comme la Parole proclamée par Jésus était accompagnée d’oeuvres de puissance, il en va exactement de même d’après Marc xvi.20 pour la Parole proclamée par les apôtres. . . . ce que Jésus a commencé à dire (la Parole) et à faire (les miracles), tout cela est continué après l’Ascension par les apôtres. . . . Mus par l’Esprit, les apôtres reprennent l’appel de Jésus à la repentance (ii. 38, iii.26, v.31, xviii.30) et son annonce du ‘Royaume de Dieu’ (viii.12, xix.8, xx.25, xxviii.31). . . . ils attestent la résurrection de Jésus. . . . Ils s’appuient sur l’invocation du Nom de Jésus. . . .C’est pour ce Nom que les apôtres souffrent (v.21, xxi.13; cf. I Pet. iv.14); c’est ce Nom qu’ils prêchent (iv.10-12, 17-18; v.28-40). Et l’invocation de ce Nom met en action la puissance divine détenue par Jésus. Il en résulte que, par cette invocation, les apôtres accomplissent des prodiges semblables à ceux du ministère public de Jésus, guérissent les malades, chassent les démons et même ressuscitent des morts: iii.1-10, viii.6-7, ix.32-43, xiv.8-18, xx.7-12… v.16… xix.12.”

¹⁵A. Richardson, The Miracle-Stories of the Gospels (London: SCM Press, 1941), pp. 44-45.

¹⁶B. Klappert, in C. Brown, ed., The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology [hereafter NIDNTT] (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1986), vol. 3, p. 1108.

¹⁷G. Friedrich, in G. Kittel, ed., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament [hereafter TDNT] (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964-74), vol. II, p. 720.

¹⁸D. S. Cairns, The Faith That Rebels. A Re-examination of the Miracles of Jesus (London, 1929), p. 93.

¹⁹Ibid., p. 29.

²⁰Van der Loos, The Miracles of Jesus, p. 220.

²¹â€œ[Die heilungen] sind . . . Zeichen, die den Sieg des Christus über Sünde und Tod anzeigen und damit die Macht seines Wortes bekräftigen,” E. Thurneysen, Die Lehre von der Seelsorge (Zürich, 1946), p. 230.

²²W. Grundmann, TDNT, vol. 2, p.303.

²³H. van der Loos, The Miracles of Jesus , pp. 252f.

²⁴A. Richardson, The Miracle-Stories of the Gospels, p. 61f.

²⁵O. Hofius, NIDNTT, vol. 2, pp. 632-633.

²⁶Horton, Power Religion, p. 348.

²⁷Carson in Horton, ed. Power Religion, p. 117.

²⁸Ibid.

²⁹Billy Graham, The Holy Spirit: Activating God’s Power in Your Life (Waco: Word, 1978), chapter 13.

³⁰G. W. H. Lampe, in C. F. D. Moule, ed., Miracles. Cambridge Studies in Their Philosophy and History (London: A. R. Mowbray & Co., 1965), p. 171: “By the divine power the gospel is preached, converts are made, the Church is established in unity and brotherhood, the opposing powers, whether human or demonic, are conquered, persecution, of which certainly, much has to be endured, is turned to good account for the furtherance of the gospel, and judgment overtakes the persecutors”; C. H. Powell, The Biblical Concept of Power (London: Epworth Press, 1963), pp. 78-79.

³¹E.g., Mat. 4:23; 9:35-36; 10:1, 7-8; 11:5; 12:15, 18; 15:30; 19:2(cf. Mk. 10:1); 21:14(cf. Lk. 21:37) Mk. 1: 38-39; 2:2, 11; 3:14-15; 6:12-13; 10:1(cf. Mat. 19:2) Lk. 4:18; 5:17, 24; 6:6-11, 17-18; 7:22; 9:1-2; 10:9, 13; 13:10-13, 22, 32; 14:4, 7ff.; 21:37(cf. Mat. 21:14); 16:15-18, 20 Jn. 3:2; 7:14-15, 21-23, 31, 38; 10:25, 32, 38; 12:37, 49; 14:10, 12; Acts 1:1; 2:22; 10:38.

³²E.g., Acts 3:6, 12; 4:29-30; 5:12-16, 20-21, 28, 42; 6:8, 10; 8:4-7, 12; 9:17-18 (cf. 22:13), 34-35; 14:3, 8-10, 15ff.; 15:12, 36; 18:5, 11(cf. II Cor. 12:12; I Cor. 2:4-5); 19:8-12. Rom. 15:18-19; I Cor. 2:4-5; 11:1; 12:1-11, 28-31; II Cor. 12:12; Gal. 3:5; Phil. 4:9; I Thes. 1:5-6; Heb. 2:3-4; 6:1-2; Jas. 5:13-16.

³³In Eph. 5:18 Paul commands us to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (cf. I Thes. 5:17; Col. 4:2). Yet, Paul was ill in Galatia for a long enough period that it “was a trial” to the Galatians (Gal. 4:14); Epaphroditus did not experience immediate healing from illness and almost died according to Phil. 2:27; Timothy had chronic illnesses involving his stomach which were not completely healed according to I Tim. 5:23; and Paul had to leave Trophimus sick in Miletus, apparently seeing no healing in response to prayer (II Tim. 4:20).

³⁴On experiencing healing of illness as a “gift of grace” (I Cor. 12:9, 28, 29) experienced only in part in the Early Church according to the New Testament, see A. Oepke, “iaomai,” TDNT, vol. 3, p. 214; on experiencing spiritual gifts in this age only “in part (ek merous I Cor. 13:9),” see Gordon D. Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians (NICNT, ed., F. F. Bruce; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987), p. 644 and n. 21; J. Schneider, TDNT, vol. 4, p. 596.

³⁵J. Wimber, Kingdom Suffering: Facing Difficulty and Trial in the Christian Life (Ann Arbor: Servant, 1988), pp. 27-28; cf. id., Power Healing, pp. 147-166 (chp. 8), 184.

³⁶Richardson, Miracle-Stories of the Gospels, p. 68, quoting the German historian of Christianity, A. von Harnack, The Mission and Expansion of Christianity in the First Three Centuries (2nd ed., London, 1908; originally published in German, 1902), vol. 2, pp. 121f.

³⁷Richardson, Miracle-Stories of the Gospels, p. 11; cf. Powell, The Biblical Concept of Power, p. 142.

³⁸M. Green, Evangelism through the Local Church (Nashville: Nelson, 1992), p. 408.

³⁹Foster, Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home, p. 203.

⁴⁰Foster, “Introduction” in Wimber and Springer, Power Healing, p. xi.

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.

At the time of original publication (1993):

Gary S. Greig is senior editor of Gospel Light Publications, Ventura, California, USA, and is Adjunct Assistant Professor of Hebrew, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California. He received a B.A. (Archaeology and Egyptology, 1983) from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel, did graduate study in the School of Theology at Fuller Seminary (1982-1983), Pasadena, California, USA, and received an M.A. and Ph.D. (Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, 1990) from the University of Chicago, Oriental Institute. He has published articles in scholarly publications and journals and is an elder at Community Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), Ventura, California.

Kevin N. Springer is associate pastor of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship, Anaheim, California, USA. He received an M.A. (Church History and Theology, 1976) from Ashland Theological Seminary, Ashland, Ohio, and did graduate work (Reformation History) at the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. He has authored numerous articles and books, including Power Evangelism (with John Wimber; HarperCollins), Power Healing (with John Wimber; HarperCollins); and Power Encounters (HarperCollins).