Oaks of Righteousness: Holy Spirit -- Role in Miracles, Gifts, and Tongues

The Holy Spirit – Role in Miracles, Gifts, and Tongues– Romans 1:1-32

Previously, we used the Scriptures to see how the Holy Spirit works in salvation. Now we turn to look at the miraculous gifts from the Spirit and their purpose. We will see how they were for confirmation of the Spirit-revealed word, therefore temporary and for the early leaders to spread the gospel message.

Before discussing the various individual passages dealing with miracles, gifts, and tongues, let us remind ourselves that there is a clear and definite distinction to be made between the Holy Spirit as a gift and the gifts from the Holy Spirit. Christ is the sender and giver of the Spirit — to the apostles and to all who obey (John 7:38-39; 14:16-17; Acts 2:38-39; 5:32; Galatians 3:14; 4:6). The Spirit gave miraculous power as He willed (1 Corinthians 12:4-11).

A working definition of a miracle would help too, so “that which occurs which is beyond the scope of natural laws and processes.” Providence may be described as God working within the framework of natural law to provide for and guide His children. Miracles involve God at work beyond the limits of natural law.

Opening Question — Get Us Thinking:

When we read 1 Corinthians 12-14, what do we learn about God? What do we learn about ourselves?

What are some of the words we need to understand? In scripture, three words occur frequently to illustrate God at work beyond the “natural.”

Dunamis in the NT its basic meaning is “power” or inherent ability. It refers to supernatural things which could not have been produced by natural agents or means.
Semeion in the NT means “sign,” mark, or token of Devine authority. A miracle that could be seen with the physical eye.
Teras in the NT suggests “wonder” or something strange or unusual which would cause the beholder to marvel. It always occurs in the plural in the NT

In the Old Testament miracles are most frequently translated “wonder” while in the New Testament the word “sign” is mostly used. The combined meaning of the 3 words above is this: power that can be seen which is beyond natural law and processes and which causes individuals to marvel.

Research Questions — “Dig Deeper” to find God’s Word & Will.

What are some of the miraculous gifts from the Spirit? The early church was supplied with miraculous gifts from the Spirit is evident from such passages as Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12-14; Acts 8:14-18; Ephesians 4:11-13 and others. In the first two of these references some gifts are mentioned which are not at all miraculous; for example, in Romans 12:8 we read of the gift of “giving.” This is a very needed gift today, but our primary focus in this study is going to be on the miraculous gifts and their purpose.

Why were miraculous gifts given? The 3 “primary” purposes of miracles were to confirm Jesus as the Messiah (John 20:30-31) to confirm the apostles and prophets as His spokesmen (Hebrews 2:1-4), and to confirm the revealed word from God (Mark 16:20). The “secondary” purposes were to incite belief in Jesus as the Messiah, to increase belief in those who had previously become believers (John 11:42), and to show compassion toward the needy (Luke 9:13-17).

The above scriptures give us some of the more common gifts in a list. We will look at a few.

Prophets — What is the role of God’s prophet? God chose prophets during both the OT and NT periods to be His primary communicators. The best idea is a “forth-teller” or proclaimer. They were selected by God to speak His message. Abraham was the first prophet, but there were many in the OT. NT prophets are not as well known because God’s mission led to calling for apostles who were selected by Jesus. Today we have communication from the Holy Spirit in the Bible; therefore, there is no need for any modern or latter-day prophecy (Galatians 1:6-9; Jude 3). We have teachers who proclaim God’s word — the Bible. What were the qualities of the New Testament prophet?
(1) He received God's message by some form of special revelation (Ephesians 3:5).
(2) He was given divine guidance in declaring this message, corresponding to the inspiration of the written word.
(3) He had to bear the stamp of divine approval and authority. The prophet, if a true prophet, must deliver a message free from error, a product not of his own mind, but a revelation of God's mind. The importance of the prophetic gift is declared in 1 Corinthians 14, where it is set forth as the greatest of gifts. This was because it dealt with edifying, exhorting and comforting the church (1 Corinthians 14:3). Probably related to the prophetic gift is the "word of wisdom" and the "word of knowledge" given to some by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:28).
Apostles — What is the purpose of apostles? They are those uniquely selected and “sent forth” by Jesus to assist Him during the earthly ministry (Matthew 10:1-2). They were also asked to carry out the mission of Jesus as He returned to the Father’s side. The qualifications of the apostles of Christ Jesus are as follows:
(1) They were chosen by the Lord Himself (Matthew 10:1-2; Mark 3:13-14; Luke 6:13; Acts 9:6, 15; Galatians 1:1).
(2) They were supplied with miraculous powers which were to serve as credentials for their office (2 Corinthians 12:12; Acts 1:6; 2:43; 5:12; 16:16-18; 28:3, 9).
(3) The indispensable qualification was that they should be eyewitnesses of the resurrected Lord (Acts 1:22; 2 Corinthians 9:1).
(4) Their function was to lay the foundation of Jesus (1 Corinthians 3:11) and be the judges of the church (Matthew 19:28). Apostles are distinguished from prophets, teachers, and workers of miracles, etc. (1 Corinthians 12:28). The apostles had also the prophetic gift and worked miracles (2 Corinthians 12:12), but not all who had these two gifts were apostles. The apostolic office died with the first generation of Christians, there being no provision for successors. The fact that apostles were chosen from those who were eyewitnesses of Jesus' glory eliminates the possibility of later generations participating in the call of apostleship.
Miracles — What greater sign could the Holy Spirit do to show someone was from the creator? This is the first in the list of lesser gifts. The use of "then" in 1 Corinthians 12:28 makes it clear that the order is deliberate. First things are being put first. In 2 Corinthians 12:12 it is grouped with signs, wonders and mighty works as the proof of an apostle. Miracles were, therefore, a display of divine power with a view of authenticating the apostolic or prophetic gift. Therefore, when the apostles no longer existed, the power to perform these miracles ceased.
Healing — How does this differ from miracles? This is a specific aspect of the gift of miracles. Miracles might pertain to matters of judgment (Acts 13:11), but healing always pertained to the restoring of health to the body, or mind, or both. While the gift of healing is no longer bestowed, God is able to, and does, heal in answer to prayer and faith. No one today, however filled with faith and powerful in prayer, is able to heal in virtue of an abiding gift.
Tongues — What does “tongues” mean in the New Testament? There is more controversy today over this one gift than over the rest of them combined. A complete and thorough refutation of the modern heresies surrounding tongue-speaking would take a long time. Many have written books on this topic. Tongues is a word to describe the miraculous speaking in another language that one has not studied. We have no record of Jesus speaking in tongues during His ministry, yet the Holy Spirit gave some this ability to take the gospel into all the world.
The place to start is Acts chapter two. Here is the first instance in all the history of the world of men receiving from the Spirit of God the power to speak in other languages. This phenomenon amazed unbelievers who came to the scene. They readily admitted that they all heard in their own language (Acts 2:8-11) the wonderful works of God being extolled. In Acts 10:46, in connection with the conversion of Cornelius and his household, a second instance of speaking in tongues is seen. The formal extending of salvation to the Gentiles was attended by this miracle, linking it to Pentecost. Peter refers to this in Acts 11:15-17. A third occasion of tongue-speaking is Acts 19:1-6. Paul had discovered some disciples of John the Baptist who had never heard the gospel of grace and, accordingly, had not turned in faith to Christ. Following their baptism, Paul laid his hands upon them and the Spirit empowered them to speak in tongues and prophesy. In these passages from Acts there is no explanation at all concerning the purpose of this gift. This will be discussed in the only other passage in the New Testament that mentions "tongues" (1 Corinthians 12-14).
In 1 Corinthians 12:28, in a list clearly arranged in order of importance, speaking in tongues is mentioned last. Then in 1 Corinthians 13 it is stated to be useless unless accompanied by love (v. 1) and temporary (v. 8). The entire fourteenth chapter deals more or less with the problem of tongues and prophecy in the church at Corinth.
Interpreting of Tongues — Why would there be a need for interpreting tongues? The gift of interpreting tongues (1 Corinthians 13:10; 14:26-28) was simply the divine ability to translate the speech of those speaking in other human languages. Since speaking in tongues is no longer existent in the church today, it is clear that the gift of interpreting tongues has likewise passed from the present purpose of God.
Discerning Spirits — Satan tries to mislead, so how would you expect God to help the early church? Wherever there is the true, you will find the counterfeit. The devil would incite humanity to imitate what the Spirit was inspiring His people to do in the gifts we have already studied. There was the need to distinguish between what was Spirit-inspired and what was devil-incited. The gift of discerning spirits (1 Corinthians 12:10) was the ability given by the Holy Spirit to discern the true from the false sources of supernatural revelation given in oral form.

What is God doing for humanity today? God is still actively working in His church and our world, that is called providence. Miracles according to our working definition from the beginning are not continuous. With the completion of the New Testament, and its almost universal acceptance by those true to God, the need for further display of miraculous works ceased. Today there is no need for preachers to back up what they say by an appeal to the miraculous. John 20:30-31 teaches that the recorded miracles are sufficient to accomplish what the actual performance of miracles did. It is evident that those today who are claiming these temporary gifts have shown a gross indifference to the Bible. Some have stated in public, "I don't care what the Bible says; God speaks to my heart." The history of these sects is most convincing testimony that the undue seeking of miraculous powers often results only in excesses of the most unholy kind.

Non Miraculous Gifts — Now let us look to the temporary, provincial, miraculous graces distributed by the Spirit in apostolic times, using 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4 as our guide.
Teaching, ministering, or helping
Administering, leading, pastoring, etc.

Conclusion — It was by the power of the Spirit that miracles, signs, and wonders were done. They served a definite purpose in God’s order. Prophets and apostles had specific responsibilities in making disciples. The nine miraculous gifts which Paul mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 served a purpose. Evidence is strong that God never intended for them to be permanent. God is active today. The difference is how He goes about the task of fulfilling His eternal purpose. He does it through providence.

Reflective Questions for a Response — Live it today.

The Holy Spirit has a goal for the Christians today. He continues to ask us to go and make disciples? Practically what does that mean for you?
I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to you in this study? How will you apply it to your life this week?
How does this equip us to be better disciples and help empower us to “make disciples”?
You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this?

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20