I wonder what you might say about the seeming contradiction. I'm not trying to argue, just asking questions. Jesus talked about a wicked generation looking for a sign, but John pointed to those signs as evidence that Jesus is who He claimed to be. We use John to highlight those signs, and we use Luke to point to examining the evidence for Jesus' claims, and so on.
Your experience resonates with me, of course. I see value in the idea that seeking signs is contrary to faith. I'm just wondering aloud how that might be integrated into other areas where we encourage people to seek them. =)
Jesus performed signs to authenticate his ministry with those who already believed in him and always on his terms. The signs are important. The Pharisees demanded signs but Jesus knew that their problem wasn't a lack of signs but a hard heart. Ultimately, conversion is a regenerating work of the Spirit leading to faith and repentance.
Thanks for clarifying! I'm not sure the "already believed in Him" part matches what I see in Scripture.
I suppose my earlier question could have been better this way: do you think we should teach and preach today and use the signs and evidence pointed to in Scripture as reasons for non-believers to become convinced?
Yes. Jesus performed signs and we should testify about the signs he did when we tell others about Jesus. The issue I was writing about is demanding signs *now* before believing in Jesus. The Pharisees had heard of Jesus performing signs, they just didn't believe them and wanted him to do more signs for them. The fact that Jesus performed miracles is part of the Christian testimony to the gospel.
Thanks for writing this. It's powerful.
I wonder what you might say about the seeming contradiction. I'm not trying to argue, just asking questions. Jesus talked about a wicked generation looking for a sign, but John pointed to those signs as evidence that Jesus is who He claimed to be. We use John to highlight those signs, and we use Luke to point to examining the evidence for Jesus' claims, and so on.
Your experience resonates with me, of course. I see value in the idea that seeking signs is contrary to faith. I'm just wondering aloud how that might be integrated into other areas where we encourage people to seek them. =)
Jesus performed signs to authenticate his ministry with those who already believed in him and always on his terms. The signs are important. The Pharisees demanded signs but Jesus knew that their problem wasn't a lack of signs but a hard heart. Ultimately, conversion is a regenerating work of the Spirit leading to faith and repentance.
Thanks for clarifying! I'm not sure the "already believed in Him" part matches what I see in Scripture.
I suppose my earlier question could have been better this way: do you think we should teach and preach today and use the signs and evidence pointed to in Scripture as reasons for non-believers to become convinced?
Yes. Jesus performed signs and we should testify about the signs he did when we tell others about Jesus. The issue I was writing about is demanding signs *now* before believing in Jesus. The Pharisees had heard of Jesus performing signs, they just didn't believe them and wanted him to do more signs for them. The fact that Jesus performed miracles is part of the Christian testimony to the gospel.
Powerful!