Gary Derickson: The Cessation of Healing Miracles in Paul’s Ministry
Elisha the prophet was dead when a dead man came back to life having merely touched the bones of the dead prophet (2 Kings 13:21). Acts 5:12 says that “many signs and wonders” were done “through” or “by” the hands of the apostles, yet v. 15 implies strongly that Peter’s shadow falling on some he passed by was a means by which they were healed. Peter’s words do not indicate an ability to heal at will when he said, in Acts 9:34, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed.”
Paul was the instrument by which “unusual miracles” took place. On the occasion of which Acts 19:11-12 takes place, it was God who did the work of these healings. There is no indication that these specific miracles and healings took place at the will of the apostle Paul. “Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.” Rather, this passage seems to indicate that it was all God who did the work and that it was done according to His purpose and plan.
In Luke 5:17 there is a phrase that brings forward another difficulty in saying that miracles and healings at the hands of anointed individuals are performed by them at will. It says, “the power of the Lord was present to heal them.” This passage is fascinating when one realizes that the human instrument here used was God incarnate, the Anointed One Himself.
There are other incidents in Jesus’ ministry that would further call into question the concept of a miracle worker healing at will, if a “miracle worker” or “faith healer” were to minister following the pattern of Jesus. Many Pentecostals and charismatics believe that the ministry of Jesus is a model not only for the life of the believer, but also for the supernatural ministry. Of course, not all theologians, especially not cessationists, believe that God the Son ministered as if He were anointed by God the Holy Spirit. If this is how he operated, being led by the Spirit (see Matt. 4:1, Lk. 4:214), then passages such as Him putting spittle in the eyes of a blind man (John 9:6-7, Mk. 8:22-26), putting His fingers in the ears of a deaf man (Mk. 7:33), and His ministry at Nazareth when He could not heal many1 (Mk. 6:1-6; Matt. 13:53-58) leave some problems for the concept of miracle workers healing at will. Why would He need to use spittle or His fingers if He could heal at will? Likewise, Jesus did not say that He cast out demons by authority that He possessed as Messiah and God, He said it was by the Spirit of God (Mt. 12:28).
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 states that the vast diversities of spiritual gifts are distributed not for the benefit of one, but the edification of the entire body of Christ. God is the one who works through the individual, distributing gifts and manifestations according to his good pleasure.
There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
Commenting on this, Assemblies of God Theological Seminary professor Stanley Horton says, “It is evident from this also that God does not give out His grace and gifts in one big deposit. There is no reservoir of these gifts in the Church or in the individual. For each gracious gift we must look to the source anew. … it is evident that the Holy Spirit is sovereign in bestowing gifts. They are apportioned according to His will, which is the will of God. We can seek the best gifts, but He is the only One who knows what is really the best in any particular situation. It is evident also that the gifts remain under His power.”3
Category: Pneuma Review, Spirit, Winter 1999
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