Objection: If Everyone Could Perform Miracles, Paul’s Signs of an Apostle Would Be Meaningless – He’d Be Just Like Everyone Else
True apostles can be expected to flow in “signs, wonders and mighty deeds” (2 Corinthians 12:12) to a greater extent than normal believers. (A true apostle is identified by these signs, not by business cards that say Apostle on them, which are often carried by fake apostles.) Indeed, otherwise they WOULD be like everyone else.
Where the objector is missing it is that he assumes that an ONLY an apostle could perform miracles. We would expect healings and miracles to be more prevalent in an apostle’s ministry than in a typical believer’s life given that there are “signs of an apostle” (2 Corinthians 12:12). However, that doesn’t mean that a normal believer can’t do the works of Jesus, which Jesus said that anyone who believes could do (John 14:12). He may not do them as often, but he probably will not encounter the same number of needs on a regular basis that would appear before an apostle either.
Jesus made it clear that “he who believes” would cast out demons and lay hands on the sick, who would then recover (Mark 16:17-18). While an apostle would do this more, it does not negate that fact that any believer can do it. I don’t believe that Jesus lied about this matter.
Actually, even unbelievers can do “miracles in Jesus’ name” (Matthew 7:21-23) although at the judgement Jesus will tell them to depart from Him because they never knew Him. Moreover, the disciples were not even born again yet when they did miracles when Jesus commissioned them to heal the sick when He sent them out during His earthly ministry.
Likewise, some believers will be used in “gifts of healings” and “miracles” in a special way, as Paul told the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 12:8-11). Apostles would typically be in this category. That doesn’t mean that a normal believer can’t lay hands on the sick and see them recover. However, when the “gifts” manifest, it is not unusual to see weak believers and unbelievers receive miracles without their faith being involved. Under normal circumstances, the person being ministered to needs to cooperate and believe, but special manifestations are basically “freebies” that don’t have to involve the faith of the recipient. Indeed, the miracles done through the gift of “faith” will exceed the normal operating faith of the person doing the ministry as well! One need not an apostle to be used in the gifts, but an apostle would be used that way more often, as well as anyone else whom God uses in the “power gifts” (healings, miracles, faith).
One could ask, because “apostle” is separate from “gifts of healings” and “miracles” in 1 Corinthians 12:28-30, doesn’t that mean that an apostle would be a DIFFERENT person from the ones flowing in healings and miracles? No, the ministries of the apostles in Scripture show that they flowed in both of these areas.
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