LET US FORGET "THE GREATER WORKS"! (at least for now)
Sometimes a familiar Scripture jumps out and grabs you - almost as if you've never read it before. I believe this to be a manifestation of what Paul calls "a spirit of wisdom and revelation"(Eph 1:17). Last night this is exactly what happened to me (and subsequently my wife) listening to a Bill Johnson message entitled "A Mandate for Miracles". My whole understanding of John 14:12 changed completely.
Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. (NASB)
Many Charismatic Christians, like myself, will quote this verse often. We talk about it amongst ourselves, we preach from it, and we even use it to defend our theological convictions. I have often referenced this verse in my own preaching.
For the most part, Charismatics tend to focus on the latter part of the verse - the 'greater works'. I think one of the reasons we have done this is in response to the influence of cessationism that teaches that the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit were limited to Christ and His Apostles in the 1st Century. Many Christians won't entirely subscribe to this doctrinal perspective, but its influence is prevalent in many theological/Biblical resources.
I wanted to see what different commentators said about this verse. Where did they focus their attention? Interestingly, all four commentaries (none of them being Pentecostal/Charismatic) I looked at also focused upon the meaning of the phrase "greater works" - mostly referencing unusual miracles done by the Apostles that were apparently not done by Christ. All of these commentators seem to more or less reflect the cessationist perspective, i.e. these "works" were for Christ and His Apostles and not for us today.
So whether the verse is being explained by Charismatics, or conservative Evangelical scholarship, the focus on the verse remains the same - both are fixated on "the greater works" which I now think to be the completely wrong focus.
No one seems to be focusing on the 1st part of the verse! This is what hit me last night. What was my 'fresh revelation'? It wasn't any further insights into the "greater works" - their nature, the timing of their manifestation, etc. No - the second part of the verse had clearly distracted me (us?) from seriously considering the first part of the verse.
Jesus says that he who "believes" (the same word used in Jn. 3:16) in Him, the works (clearly referencing the miracles, see 14:10 & 11 - also see John 10:25-38 ) that He has been doing, they will do also. Translation: If you have faith in Jesus, you will be doing the very same miracles today that Jesus did. John couldn't be clearer in his meaning and yet I couldn't have been further away in my understanding.
Why am I talking about and praying & fasting for "the greater works" when I'm not even doing the "same works" that He did?????? What does this say about the quality of my "believing" in Him? I am currently not even remotely close to do doing what Jesus did while on the earth. I have seen a few miracles along the way. I have even seen a couple of blind eyes and deaf ears open. I have also seen a man crippled in an accident healed. However, that is not happening to me on a regular basis - in fact, it has been a couple of years now since I saw those miracles. What about last month? Last week? Yesterday?
Since that time, I have prayed for over 5 blind eyes that have not opened up, and several people in wheel chairs who have not walked. Forget "the greater works" for now - WHERE ARE THE NORMAL WORKS OF CHRIST in my life?
I guess because the future is referenced regarding those "greater works", we have an ability to explain away our lack of their fulfillment - "They WILL COME", we reason. Maybe next month, next year or even at the end of the age - but for now, we are strangely comfortable. We shouldn't be comfortable at all! If we aren't doing the works that Jesus did on the earth now, then there must be something defective in our "believing", which is definitely something we don't want to fess up to.
I am - I confess that my believing in some way MUST BE wanting, because, I am in no way seeing the normal works of Christ in my daily life and there I must confess like the father in Mark 9, "Lord, I believe, HELP MY UNBELIEF".
Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. (NASB)
Many Charismatic Christians, like myself, will quote this verse often. We talk about it amongst ourselves, we preach from it, and we even use it to defend our theological convictions. I have often referenced this verse in my own preaching.
For the most part, Charismatics tend to focus on the latter part of the verse - the 'greater works'. I think one of the reasons we have done this is in response to the influence of cessationism that teaches that the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit were limited to Christ and His Apostles in the 1st Century. Many Christians won't entirely subscribe to this doctrinal perspective, but its influence is prevalent in many theological/Biblical resources.
I wanted to see what different commentators said about this verse. Where did they focus their attention? Interestingly, all four commentaries (none of them being Pentecostal/Charismatic) I looked at also focused upon the meaning of the phrase "greater works" - mostly referencing unusual miracles done by the Apostles that were apparently not done by Christ. All of these commentators seem to more or less reflect the cessationist perspective, i.e. these "works" were for Christ and His Apostles and not for us today.
So whether the verse is being explained by Charismatics, or conservative Evangelical scholarship, the focus on the verse remains the same - both are fixated on "the greater works" which I now think to be the completely wrong focus.
No one seems to be focusing on the 1st part of the verse! This is what hit me last night. What was my 'fresh revelation'? It wasn't any further insights into the "greater works" - their nature, the timing of their manifestation, etc. No - the second part of the verse had clearly distracted me (us?) from seriously considering the first part of the verse.
Jesus says that he who "believes" (the same word used in Jn. 3:16) in Him, the works (clearly referencing the miracles, see 14:10 & 11 - also see John 10:25-38 ) that He has been doing, they will do also. Translation: If you have faith in Jesus, you will be doing the very same miracles today that Jesus did. John couldn't be clearer in his meaning and yet I couldn't have been further away in my understanding.
Why am I talking about and praying & fasting for "the greater works" when I'm not even doing the "same works" that He did?????? What does this say about the quality of my "believing" in Him? I am currently not even remotely close to do doing what Jesus did while on the earth. I have seen a few miracles along the way. I have even seen a couple of blind eyes and deaf ears open. I have also seen a man crippled in an accident healed. However, that is not happening to me on a regular basis - in fact, it has been a couple of years now since I saw those miracles. What about last month? Last week? Yesterday?
Since that time, I have prayed for over 5 blind eyes that have not opened up, and several people in wheel chairs who have not walked. Forget "the greater works" for now - WHERE ARE THE NORMAL WORKS OF CHRIST in my life?
I guess because the future is referenced regarding those "greater works", we have an ability to explain away our lack of their fulfillment - "They WILL COME", we reason. Maybe next month, next year or even at the end of the age - but for now, we are strangely comfortable. We shouldn't be comfortable at all! If we aren't doing the works that Jesus did on the earth now, then there must be something defective in our "believing", which is definitely something we don't want to fess up to.
I am - I confess that my believing in some way MUST BE wanting, because, I am in no way seeing the normal works of Christ in my daily life and there I must confess like the father in Mark 9, "Lord, I believe, HELP MY UNBELIEF".
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