Who is stronger, you or Superman?
Who is richer, you or King Solomon?
Who is smarter, you or Einstein?
These are easy questions to answer. You are.
Superman is fictional. Solomon and Einstein have come to the end of their lives on earth. You, on the other hand, are real. You are here.
Similarly, while there were miracles*, they have ceased.
“Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
- 1 Cor 13:8-13 (Unless otherwise stated: Scripture is taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Used by permission. All rights reserved)
Here are a couple of reasons that what we have now is better than miracles.
We’ve Got the Bible.
Often, we make decisions about how we act based on what we do not have rather than what we have. This is especially true regarding religion. We may ask, “What if God just told me what to do?” or say, “If I could just know what to say, or miraculously heal someone, perhaps they would listen to me.” But God considered miracles to be inferior to His completed revelation, the Bible. “We know in part” relates to what they already had revealed through Scripture. “We prophesy in part” refers to how they had to learn what hadn’t been revealed until “that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.” Paul presented the miracles they depended upon until God’s revelation was complete as childish compared to having all of the Scripture.
This is one way that what we have is better than miracles. We’ve been given all we need (2 Tim 3:16-17; Jude 3).
We’ve Got Love.
First Corinthians 13 is often called “the love chapter of the Bible” for its beautiful elaboration on qualities that characterize love.
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.
1 Cor 13:1-8
Not only do we learn what love looks like, but we also learn that it is “a more excellent way” than any miraculous gift (1 Cor 12:31).
Are we living by the faith derived from God’s revealed will? Are we filled with hope from the promises in it? Do we exhibit love like this chapter describes?
Then what we have is better than miracles.
And now abide these three,
Van
*The miracles we are considering are those supernatural signs that were performed by humans, by the power of God, for the verification of God’s will as it was being revealed. They were promised to certain people for a certain purpose and that has been completed. So, those miracles have faded away. (See: John 14:25-29; 16:1-12; Acts 1:1-8; 2:1-4, 16, 22, 23, 29-33; Mark 16:19, 20; John 20:28, 29; Hebrews 2:3, 4; I Corinthians 13:8-13) If you have studied these and still have questions or objections about the cessation of miracles, let me know.
