“Jews Demand Signs.” Paul’s Rebuke of Miracle-Chasing and the Sufficiency of Christ
A Letter to the Corinthian Church.
The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church was addressed to a church deeply divided over doctrine, teaching, and practice. Christians were following after teachers who made them appear more spiritual, boasted of their giftings, were frequently in lawsuits, and some even denied the resurrection! This was a very troubled church, and Paul sought to undo the systematic falsities and erroneous practices that plagued them. As Paul penned his letter to the Corinthians, he established early that, “we preach Christ crucified…” Not a phrase earlier, however, he records in 1 Corinthians 1:22 that “Jews demand signs.” Paul is blatantly exposing a universal spiritual malady. Fallen humanity craves spectacles—proofs, wonders, and visible power, because the cross appears too weak, too ordinary, and too humbling for the religious ego. It is a common phrase today that “What you win them with is what you keep them with.” Today, in hyper-charismatic churches, while claiming to “win” people with the Gospel, they actually pull off the greatest bait-and-switch. They say they preach Christ, but are Miracle chasers like that of unbelieving Jews and the Corinthian people.
Corinth struggled with the fixation of being seen, known, and powerful, and modern hyper-Pentecostalism mirrors it closely. Paul and all true Christians do not deny the possibility of miracles; rather, we insist that God has already given the supreme miracle in the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. Calvin, in his Prefatory letter to Francis I, records a profound statement on miracles writing, “ In asking us for miracles, they are being quite unreasonable. For we are not devising some new gospel: we hold fast to the one whose truth is confirmed by all the miracles that Jesus Christ and his apostles ever did…” and again, “…the Evangelist says, examine what is taught first of all, since it takes precedence over miracles.” And finally, “We therefore give our opponents the same answer as Augustine earlier gave the Donatists: our Lord amply armed us against these miracle-workers by forewarning that false prophets would appear who, with great wonders and prodigies, would lead if they could the very elect into error (Matt. 24:24) Plainly explained, we do not deny the workings, miracles, and role of the Spirit – We affirm, over against hyper-Pentecostalism, that the gospel stands already fully and finally confirmed – the crucified and risen Messiah was validated by his holy apostles, and that is proof enough.
Hyper-Pentecostals, however, frequently build their foundations on the assumption (and lack of biblical clarity) that Christianity must be authenticated by ongoing supernatural manifestations—prophecies, healings, ecstatic impressions, or visible phenomena—rather than by the finished work of Christ. This assumption is spiritually dangerous because it undermines the sufficiency of Scripture and the true power of the gospel. Paul records in Romans that the gospel is God’s power unto salvation, not the Church’s ability to perform or amaze the pagan world. In fact, demonstrations of miracles like the gift of tongues, like today, were frequently abused by the Corinthian church. This is why Paul writes, “If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds?” (1 Cor. 14:23) The answer, undoubtedly, is yes.
Scripture & Authoritative Abuses
Where does this abuse flow from? Such charismatic movements will claim that their miracle-working (i.e., healings) are the result of the Spirit empowering them. This claim is fueled in part by an extreme abuse of the text from John 20:30, where John writes that Jesus performed “many other signs.” Hyper-Pentecostals routinely cite this to argue that signs must continue endlessly today. John, though, immediately clarifies the purpose in the next verse: “These are written so that you may believe” (John 20:31). John does not say signs will continue indefinitely; he says the written record now carries the revelatory weight, not the modern sayings of the preacher. The purpose of signs was to lead to faith in Christ, not to create an eternal appetite for fresh spectacles. To wrench this verse out of its context is not interpretation; it is wish-fulfillment at best.
Another claim that stems from the Scriptural abuse is the claim of apostolic and prophetic authority. As to prophetic prowess, the strict biblical standard is ignored: prophecies must be true, precise, and come to pass without fail (Deut. 18:20–22). Scripture provides no category for vague predictions, symbolic guesses, or spiritualized impressions – even as one recent Bethel pastor said that they required their prophecy students to get prophecies wrong. The true prophets of God spoke truthfully, accurately, and infallibly—because they spoke with divine authority as the Holy Spirit carried them along. Any prophecy that fails, even slightly, marks the speaker as a false prophet.
The hyper-Pentecostal claim of apostolic authority is no different, as hyper-Pentecostal pastors falsely proclaim that believers possess miraculous abilities that are identical to those of the apostles. But the apostles exercised miracle-working power as part of their unique and unrepeatable office. Raising the dead, for instance, was tied directly to apostolic authority (Acts 9; Acts 20). When a pastor insists that all Christians can truly resurrect the dead, such is not a matter of faith – it is a falsehood that causes great injury. The continual and abusive treatment of the Scriptures leads congregations to extremes never found in either Testament. Hyper-Pentecostal meetings often claim manifestations such as gold dust, diamonds, or oils appearing on people’s hands. Not only are these unverifiable claims, but there is no example—none—in the Old or New Testament—of God authenticating Himself by producing gemstones on human skin. Not even the Lord Jesus himself, in whom the fullness of God is pleased to dwell, was ever recorded by any of the New Testament authors as appearing like this or having such miracles happen around him. Scripture does record miracles of healing, judgment, deliverance, and resurrection—but never theatrical wonders.
A Pastoral Response.
I want to be clear, even as someone who affirms that the apostolic signs and gifts have ceased, none of this denies God’s sovereign ability to perform miracles. Christians gladly confess that the Lord is omnipotent and free. God may heal according to His will, God may intervene in the world, but God has revealed himself in a trustworthy and reliable way: the Scriptures. To argue that God is free-wheeling miracles never before recorded with no way to verify them, is to go beyond what is written (1 Cor. 4:6). What we reject is not God’s power, but man’s claim to possess or control it – like one who bears a sword. The question is not, “Can God do miracles?” The question is, “Has God authorized believers today to perform apostolic signs?” Scripture answers decisively: no. The authority belonged to the apostles, and the revelations they confirmed are now complete in Scripture.
The remedy for sign/miracle chasing, according to Paul, is the focus the gaze of all believers on the already powerfully verified Gospel: We Preach Christ Crucified. The gospel does not require dressing up, embellishment, rhinestones, or gold for it to save sinners. The more the church looks for wonders, the less it looks to Christ. But the more the church beholds Christ in His Word, the less it needs the fleeting intoxication of signs.
The word of the Cross is our only boast, the resurrection of Christ is our assurance, and Christ Himself is our greatest miracle.
