Do Miracles Produce Faith?

To better understand the question, Do Miracles Produce Faith? we need to know what faith is. According to the bible faith is "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen". Hebrews 11:1 In verse 3 it says, "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear".

Do miracles produce faith? Not according to the biblical definition of faith. Miracles can be seen but faith is "the evidence of things not seen".

According to the Associated Press this occurred on July 3rd: A preacher (a guest evangelist in an Ohio church) was asking God for a sign while a thunderstorm approached. Lightning struck the steeple, traveled through the microphone, blew out the sound system and enveloped the preacher, who was not hurt.Services continued for 20 minutes until someone realized that the steeple of the church was on fire which ended the services as the church was evacuated. Was this preacher being biblical when asking God for a sign? The answer is no.

What did Jesus say about those who ask for signs or miracles? Matthew 12:39 An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas (Jonah) Jesus is saying that as Jonah spentthree days and three nights in the belly of death (the fish that swallowed Jonah) so he would spend three days and three nights in the belly of death. This was the only sign that would be given.

Again, do miracles produce faith? No. According to the bible, how do we get faith? Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God Do miracles produce faith? No. You get faith by reading your bible and hearing the word preached. Any preacher who is asking God for a sign needs to read his Bible, because he obviously doesn't know it very well.

Let's look at some biblical examples that clearly show that miracles do not produce faith. Going back to the day of Moses when he was standing on the edge of the Red (Reed) Sea with 2 to 3 million Israelites and the Egyptian army on their heels with every intention of slaughtering the people of Moses. What had God done prior to this moment?

God had sent 10 plagues upon the Egyptians with the last 2 plagues being especially severe with total darkness upon the land and the deaths of the Egyptian first born. When the Israelites were standing by the Red Sea with an army intent on destroying them on the way, did they cry out, "Jehovah will save us. We've seen what he can do. The Egyptians should have stayed at home!"

No...this was their reaction: And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, has thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore has thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness. Did God's plagues produce faith? No. The Israelites were scared to death and had no faith at all.

It is quite some feat to part a body of water wide enough so 2 to 3 million people can get across it before a horde of blood thirsty soldiers can get there. See MOSES for just how miraculous this feat was.

As you read the box of Exodus, you later learn that when Moses went up to Mt. Sinai to receive the 10 commandments, his people grew restless and began to say that God had abandoned them. They needed a God they could see. Remember, true faith is "the evidence of things not seen". Since the Israelites could not see God, they decided to build one.

When Moses came down from the Mt. Sinai with the 10 commandments chiseled by God onto tablets, he saw the golden calf his people had built. Moses got so angry that he smashed the 10 commandments on the ground. Later, he had to personally carve the 10 commandments himself.

Does faith produce miracles? No. The bible warns us that one pretending to be Christ will come upon the world scene. 2 Thess. 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders If you are putting your faith in signs, like the preacher in Ohio seemed to be doing, then you have no faith. Your faith is only good until the next miracle.True faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Copyright 2003 by Gary Goodworth

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