MIRACLES AND CHARACTER
By G. W. Reaser
MANY are looking for miracles as infallible evidence of heaven-sent doctrine. They seek, like the self-righteous Pharisees, for “a sign from heaven.” The reply of the Saviour to their caviling inquiry was, “A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign.” The Lord has not always deemed it best to invest His people with miracle-working power, for of John Baptist it is said that “he wrought no miracles;” and yet of those born of women, there was no greater prophet than he. Neither does the Lord express delight in miracle workers as such, but He is well pleased with the humble and contrite of heart, and with the man who manifests faith by trembling at, and obeying, His word. With these He will dwell. The Lord takes delight in the development of righteous character in His people, and longs to see the fruits of the Spirit appear and abound in their lives. When this is true in our experience, we need not be overanxious about the gifts of the Spirit; for they will not be long deferred, but will be distributed “to every man severally as He will.” The One who has the gifts of the Spirit to bestow, places a different estimate upon their relative value than we are naturally inclined to fix. As the gifts are classified, the list does not begin with miracles; but three gifts, which are even now manifested in the remnant Church, are given pre-eminence, as it is written: “God hath82set some in the Church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.” It is significant that with all the gifts of the Spirit, Christianity, and even the plan of salvation itself, would be a failure without the first of the fruits of the Spirit, which is love. Read 1 Corinthians 13. Let us see to it, then, that by His grace the fruits of the Spirit appear and abound in our lives, and the One who longs to clothe His commandment-keeping people with power will bestow the gifts. Divinely wrought miracles serve a purpose in the plan of salvation. But the popular idea of what constitutes a miracle, does not make character; for ten lepers were cleansed, but only one responded to the influence of the Holy Spirit, and thereby experienced the change of heart called conversion—the great miracle that God desires to have wrought in every man. It was doubtless in this sense that the apostles fulfilled the prophecy of the Saviour, “The works that I do shall he do also; and greater;” for during their ministry, many more souls were converted in a single day than during the entire period of the Saviour’s earthly life. Signs and wonders do not make character: the only thing that will give the passport to heaven is character in Jesus Christ. Principles of truth, inwrought in heart and life, and flowing out in words and deeds of goodness, are what God honors. Those who depend on miraculous manifestations for salvation and for identifying the truth and people of God, are not prepared for heaven, but rather for deception; for Satan will work “with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth; that they might be saved.”