#TalkingThursday – If you don’t talk about Jesus who will?

Hey guys! If you’ve been a regular follower of this blog, then you know Thursdays are about the tough/touchy stuff and today we’ll be tackling the question: How does christianity explain miracles that happen in other religions?

This topic is the first in a new instalment on the blog titled #ChristianityExplains. If there’s a topic or question you would like to see featured in this series (it won’t be weekly though) I would really appreciate it if you could kindly let us know via our twitter or facebook pages using the hashtag #ChristianityExplains.

Now, let’s dive right into this!

I’ll start off the same way I do every other thursday. We must approach this question from an eternal perspective. Miracles are things of God, and things of God are spiritually discerned. They are less explained than they are witnessed and experienced. However, God always works in the eternal so it would be pointless to approach this question from any other angle. Using eternal logic: God is the King of kings and the God of all gods.

— Deuteronomy 10:17 (NASB)

So how do we explain the power to do miracles that occur outside christianity?

Let’s start with this, there is a god of this world who also has power, therefore not every miracle is done with the power of God.

In whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

— 2 Corinthians 4:4 (NASB)

From this verse, we understand that the god of this world is satan, and satan has power to do miracles, but the works of satan cannot be compared to the works of God. I’ll illustrate with the passage below:

And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent. And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

Exodus 7:8 — 13 (KJV)

A few answers pertaining the question at hand can be found in this passage:

• The god of this world, satan, also does miracles to blind the minds of the unbelieving that they may not see the light of the gospel.
• The miracles of God are greater than the miracles of satan, we see clearly that Aaron’s rod swallowed up the rods of the sorcerers. So the enchantments of sorcerers cannot stand before the works of God.

Any miracle that happens outside the framework of christianity is attributed to the god of this world — satan. It’s actually just as simple as that. People often dive into other “spiritual things” thinking they’ve found a good, peaceful solution, when it’s really just a demon deceiving them.

The miracles of satan are not permanent, neither are they free. They come with clauses and conditions. Many a barren woman in haste to have a child have sought after pagan remedies rather than wait for God’s appointed time, only for the child to repeatedly fall sick or be unable to accomplish anything good in life because demons have blocked his/her success; in fact some die after a few years or are later sacrificed to the idol who provided the child.

In the pagan framework, many are often given their miracle on the condition that they no longer eat a certain type of food or on the condition that they come back every few months/years to make a sacrifice or payment to that god or idol from whom they obtained the miracle.

On the other hand, God’s gifts are perfect and without repentance.

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. 

— James 1:17 (NASB)

For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

— Romans 11:28 (NASB)

When God does a miracle, it’s PERMANENT. God doesn’t change, He won’t take His miracles back. Jesus, never gave a condition to anyone before He did a miracle for them. He never asked them for anything — not food, money or clothing — before He did a miracle for them. So also, the prophets in the bible (OT) never asked for anything from the people before they performed miracles. Unlike other religions where the priests often demand sacrifices from the people before they can receive a miracle. The miracles received under such a framework eventually develop issues because they are tied to sacrificial things or offerings given to that idol or god but that’s not so in christianity. Miracles in christianity are tied to God’s inherent nature of lovingkindness. To receive a miracle in the christian framework, the only ingredient needed is faith!

In conclusion, christianity attributes “miracles” or “wondrous works” done in other religions to satan and the powers of darkness on the earth. We also know that these works are done to blind people from believing in the gospel and receiving their freedom/salvation.

Kindly tell us through our social media pages what you think about this topic or if you have an experience you would like to share regarding this topic using the hashtag → #ChristianityExplainsMiracles

Selah!