Miracles

First Corinthians 12:10 lists "the working of miracles," literally in the Greek energemata dynameon — "workings of power." This gift is broader and more dramatic than healing specifically, encompassing extraordinary acts attributable only to direct divine intervention: casting out demons, as Philip and others did in Acts 8, and in the apostolic era, acts like Paul's survival of a venomous snakebite (Acts 28:3-6) or even raising the dead (Acts 9:36-42, Peter raising Tabitha). Paul himself points to "signs, wonders and miracles" as evidence of his apostolic authority (2 Corinthians 12:12), tying this gift closely to the foundational, authenticating work of the apostles.

This is another of the five sign gifts where the church holds two sincere, long-standing positions, and both agree completely on one foundational point: God still works miracles today. The disagreement is specifically about the ongoing operation of this gift as a repeatable, Spirit-given ability resident in certain believers.

The two views, stated fairly

Cessationists generally argue that the specific spiritual gift of miracles was tied to the apostolic office and the foundation-laying period of the church — authenticating the apostles' message while Scripture was still being given. Since that office and period are complete, this view holds the particular gift has ceased, even while affirming without hesitation that God remains fully capable of and does still act miraculously in answer to prayer and in His providence.

Continuationists hold this gift continues in the church, exercised by some believers as the Spirit grants it, pointing out that Scripture never explicitly states this gift ceased and that the New Testament's broader pattern of gifts "for the common good" (1 Corinthians 12:7) doesn't carry a built-in expiration date tied to the apostles alone.

Both sides affirm that not everyone had this gift even in the apostolic church (1 Corinthians 12:29-30, "do all work miracles?" expects the answer no), and both resist any version of the gift that treats God as obligated to perform on command.

What practicing this gift well looks like

Where this gift is affirmed as ongoing, it typically looks like a believer or ministry praying with unusual boldness for situations that seem genuinely impossible by ordinary means, and giving clear, sober testimony — not showmanship — when something happens that defies natural explanation. Across both views, the healthier practice is marked by restraint: refusing to manufacture or exaggerate claims, being honest when prayers aren't answered as hoped, and keeping the focus on God's character rather than on the dramatic event itself.

It's also worth noting that this gift, even where affirmed as ongoing, is understood by nearly all continuationist teachers as something the Spirit grants in specific moments rather than a standing ability a person can switch on. This matters pastorally: a believer who prays boldly for a miracle and doesn't see one has not necessarily failed or lacked faith; Scripture itself shows faithful people, including Paul, living with unresolved hardship despite genuine faith and prayer.

Common misconceptions

A frequent misconception is that claiming this gift means claiming power to perform miracles at will, like a magician with a reliable trick — no serious continuationist teacher claims this; the gift is understood as the Spirit working through a person's prayer, not a personal ability a person controls. On the other side, some assume cessationists deny miracles happen at all today; in reality, most simply distinguish between God's miraculous providence (which they fully affirm) and a specific, repeatable spiritual gift vested in a person (which they believe has ceased).

A related and important point both views hold in common: a miracle, even a genuine one, is never self-authenticating proof of truth on its own. Scripture repeatedly ties miracles to the message they accompany, not to power displayed in isolation, which is why Paul could warn about false signs performed by deceivers (2 Thessalonians 2:9) in the very same letters that affirm God's own miraculous power. Any claimed miracle still has to be weighed against the truth of the gospel it supposedly confirms.

Growing in and stewarding this gift

Anyone who senses a call toward this kind of bold, specific prayer should do so in community rather than isolation, inviting the accountability of mature believers who can help discern genuine conviction from presumption. Keep the emphasis on God's glory rather than personal reputation, and resist any pressure — internal or external — to produce results on a schedule. Honesty about unanswered prayers, rather than selective reporting of successes, keeps this gift trustworthy.

The shadow side

This gift's shadow is spectacle — chasing the dramatic and miraculous as an end in itself, or building personal fame and platform around claimed miracles. It can tempt toward exaggeration, selective storytelling, or manipulating desperate people's hope. Scripture's own warning is sober: even false prophets can perform "great signs and wonders" (Matthew 24:24), which is exactly why both cessationists and continuationists insist that any claimed miracle be evaluated honestly rather than accepted at face value.

A closing thought: even the apostles' most dramatic miracles always pointed past themselves to Christ, never settling as monuments to the person through whom they occurred.

The body needs this gift

Whatever a congregation's position, the underlying truth both sides share — that God is not limited by natural explanation and remains free to act beyond it — keeps the whole body's hope anchored in something bigger than its own resources or expertise. A body that has quietly stopped expecting God to act at all has lost something essential, regardless of which theological camp it belongs to.