Some ask for signs, others believe in God
Faustino de Jesús Zamora Vargas
SUMMARY: In a world where visuals dominate, Christians often ask for signs and miracles to prove God's goodness and power. However, we should trust in the promises of God's Word and not solely rely on tangible results. The gospel cannot be restricted to showcasing miracles, but rather, we should look to the Word of God for revelation and believe that the living God is with us and in us. We do not need to see to believe, and asking for signs to justify unbelief shows a lack of true faith. The greatest miracle is the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and we must offer God to unbelievers as he truly is.
In the contemporary world, in a good group of Christian faithful, something like a need has been awakened to ask God for signs that show his goodness and give credit to his power and fidelity. In a marked culture because of "what is seen", because of the predominance of the visuals against the spiritual, there is a type of Christian who asks for signs and miracles in a frank challenge to a God who longs to please us when we ask in faith for the revelation of his power, if we ask well and as appropriate. We deeply believe that God works miracles today as He did yesterday. There is a tendency to ponder the things that God does, as long as the tangible results are seen. We often try to convince and charm the minds of unbelievers by requesting signs and wonders to bring them to the feet of Christ.
"… Because we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor 5: 7), the Word of God reminds us. Often the testimonies we give are only based on that or another supernatural event, on the signs (and miracles) that God did at a certain moment and that changed the course of our lives or that of others. People ask for signs and in this attempt they get frustrated when they "do not see" or are not able to realize with spiritual eyes and mind that God has already answered their prayer with a sign that they could not see. And why not look for the signs that God has already given in the Scriptures and trust in the pleasing and perfect will for his children? Still and forever, God will continue to reveal himself in his Word.
The world is marked by the visual. The unbeliever wants to see in order to believe and the believer uses the same argument many times and forgets the promises of God. Jesus is the Logos, the Word, the Word incarnate. If the world says that "a picture is worth a thousand words", the Christian says: the Word of God remains forever! In the beginning God spoke and God Himself reminds us that His Word defeats all visual argument. We live by faith. We do not need to "see" or experience a miracle of God to believe in his faithfulness. The church of the living Christ possesses the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit to enjoy God's work in the life of his church, in the hearts of believers. The gospel cannot be restricted to the "visualization" of spiritual experiences to display in the showcase of our religiosity, a miracle-working Christ on occasion; rather, let us look in the Word of God for the revelation written by faith that works in his son Jesus Christ and believe that the living God is with us and in us.
We have to firmly believe in the ministry of the written word that the Lord left us: the Bible, the book of books that will never die, the word that places men in a living relationship with the Spirit of God. To ask God for signs and miracles to justify our unbelief is to show inadvertently that we lack true and saving faith. In the Gospel according to Matthew some Pharisees approach the Lord and say: “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you. He answered and said to them: The wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign; but a sign will not be given to him, but the sign of the prophet Jonah. (Mt. 12:38). (Author's emphasis)
We are a generation of faith, we do not need to see to believe. The Lord was telling the Pharisees that the most august sign for all mankind would come with his three-day death and eternal resurrection. The greatest miracle that has given us life and life in abundance is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Bible is full of signs from God to his people; from Genesis to Revelation. We must offer the God of our history and offer unbelievers just as he is. He is a specialist in touching hearts and rendering them at his feet.
God bless you!
"… Because we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor 5: 7), the Word of God reminds us. Often the testimonies we give are only based on that or another supernatural event, on the signs (and miracles) that God did at a certain moment and that changed the course of our lives or that of others. People ask for signs and in this attempt they get frustrated when they "do not see" or are not able to realize with spiritual eyes and mind that God has already answered their prayer with a sign that they could not see. And why not look for the signs that God has already given in the Scriptures and trust in the pleasing and perfect will for his children? Still and forever, God will continue to reveal himself in his Word.
The world is marked by the visual. The unbeliever wants to see in order to believe and the believer uses the same argument many times and forgets the promises of God. Jesus is the Logos, the Word, the Word incarnate. If the world says that "a picture is worth a thousand words", the Christian says: the Word of God remains forever! In the beginning God spoke and God Himself reminds us that His Word defeats all visual argument. We live by faith. We do not need to "see" or experience a miracle of God to believe in his faithfulness. The church of the living Christ possesses the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit to enjoy God's work in the life of his church, in the hearts of believers. The gospel cannot be restricted to the "visualization" of spiritual experiences to display in the showcase of our religiosity, a miracle-working Christ on occasion; rather, let us look in the Word of God for the revelation written by faith that works in his son Jesus Christ and believe that the living God is with us and in us.
We have to firmly believe in the ministry of the written word that the Lord left us: the Bible, the book of books that will never die, the word that places men in a living relationship with the Spirit of God. To ask God for signs and miracles to justify our unbelief is to show inadvertently that we lack true and saving faith. In the Gospel according to Matthew some Pharisees approach the Lord and say: “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you. He answered and said to them: The wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign; but a sign will not be given to him, but the sign of the prophet Jonah. (Mt. 12:38). (Author's emphasis)
We are a generation of faith, we do not need to see to believe. The Lord was telling the Pharisees that the most august sign for all mankind would come with his three-day death and eternal resurrection. The greatest miracle that has given us life and life in abundance is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Bible is full of signs from God to his people; from Genesis to Revelation. We must offer the God of our history and offer unbelievers just as he is. He is a specialist in touching hearts and rendering them at his feet.
God bless you!
