Why Miracles Alone Do Not Build Faith

SEEING is believing.  That is the view of many.  Some say that they would believe in God if he were to reveal himself in some miraculous way. (Oh, please, people, that is the lamest excuse for not believing in God, that I have ever heard of, I know he exists, because he has saved my life a few times) Perhaps that is so, but would such belief lead to genuine faith?

Consider the Israelites Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.  The Bible shows that they were eyewitnesses of those awe-inspiring miracles from God: the ten plagues upon Egypt, the escape of the nation of Israel through the Red Sea, and the annihilation of the Egyptian Pharaoh and his military force.  (Exodus 7:19-11:10; 12:29-32; Psalm 136:15)  Korah, Dathan, and Abiram also heard  Jehovah speak from heaven at Mount Sinai.  (Deuteronomy 4:11, 12)  Yet, not long after these miracles occurred, the three men instigated a rebellion against Jehovah and his appointed servants. -Numbers 16:1-35; Psalm 106:16-18.

About 40 years later, a prophet named Balaam also witnessed a miracle. Even angelic intervention  did not deter him from siding with God's enemies, the Moabites.  That miracle notwithstanding, Balaam went ahead  and took a stand against Jehovah God and his people.  (Numbers  22:1-35; 2 Peter 2:15, 16)  Balaam's lack of faith, however, pales alongside that of Judas Iscariot. Despite having been a close companion of Jesus and an eyewitness to an extraordinary array of miracles, Judas betrayed Christ for thirty silver pieces. -Matthew 26:14-16, 47-50; 27:3-5.

The Jewish religious leader were als9o aware of Jesus' many miracles. After he resurrected Lazarus, they even admitted:  "This man performs many signs."  But did the sight  of the now-living Lazarus soften their hearts and give them faith?  No, indeed.  Instead, they schemed to kill both Jesus and Lazarus! - 11:47-53; 12:10.

Even direct intervention by God failed to produce faith in those wicked men.  While Jesus was in the temple precincts on one occasion, he prayed aloud:  "Father, glorify your name." Jehovah replied in a voice out of heaven:  "I both glorified it and will glorify it again."  Yet, this miraculous event did not produce faith in the hearts of those present.  Says the Bible: "Although he had performed so many signs before them, they were not putting faith in him." -John 12:28-30, 37; compare  Ephesians 3:17.  (note: they were either very, very jealous  of Jesus' powers, or very stupid. )

Next time: Why Miracles Alone Do Not Build Faith - Why Miracles Did Not Build Faith

The Watchtower,  1997

Note:  I was helped through a very traumatic relationship and was helped to get away from it, only at the time, I did not realize it was God. It took me a few years to realize this. I thought that because I was not going to church, that God would not be there for me, but he was and I realized it later and when I did, I told him how grateful I was and that I was sorry that my faith wasn't as strong as it should have been.  He knew that I did believe in him, but that my faith  had lagged a bit, but he still helped me, knowing years later that I would be there for him; that he was willing to wait until I was ready to accept the whole truth, which I finally did, when  two Jehovah's Witnesses came by one day and asked if I would like a Bible study and I said yes and  a little while later, I realized that what I was hearing, was indeed the truth/ true knowledge.  I had gone to other churches searching for something that I did not realize what it was, but that something was definitely missing from  all the sermons at each church that I had gone to throughout the many years that I had gone off and on.  I finally found the real truth of what the other preachers/pastors/ etc. were not teaching. I am glad that I did. I began to read the Bible more, but until I had, had a few days of Bible study, I had not read it word for word, the whole Bible. I started doing that and read the whole Bible word for word from Genesis to Revelation over and over, and each time I read it, God granted me the  wisdom and discernment to learn a  little at a  time, when he knew I was ready.  I am a full -fledged believer in Jehovah God and he has been there for me whenever I needed him and still is. I also still read the Bible every day and thank him for all he has done for me, no matter how little or how much it is.  Those churches I went to those years past, did not teach the whole truth/Bible.  They skipped around.  Sorry that this was so long, but everyone needs to wake up and get close or closer to Jehovah.  He is the one that will be judging in the end.  Not some imperfect/ sinful human.