Baptists Don’t Believe in Miracles?

THE KINGDOM ALERT (WEEKLY UPDATE)

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

IS IT TRUE THAT BAPTISTS DO NOT BELIEVE IN MIRACLES, PRAYER AND DIVINE HEALING AS DESCRIBED IN JAMES 5:14-18? (By Joey Faust)

James 5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them PRAY OVER HIM, anointing him WITH OIL in the name of the Lord:
15 And the PRAYER OF FAITH shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
16 Confess your faults one to another, and PRAY ONE FOR ANOTHER, that ye may be healed. The effectual FERVENT PRAYER of a righteous man availeth much.
17 Elias was a man subject to LIKE PASSIONS AS WE ARE, and HE PRAYED EARNESTLY that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
18 And he PRAYED again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one CONVERT him; 20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

“…truth is always two-sided….Heresy is truth; but truth pushed into undue importance to the disparagement of the truth on the other side.”
(William Lincoln)

We must certainly admit that there are some modern Baptists who have run so far and fast from the errors of the charismatic televangelists that they have fallen off the edge on the opposite side. They are practically deists (i.e. God created the universe and left it to work on its own, and He longer intervenes in the affairs of man). The Devil does not care which side of the boat of truth we fall overboard on, as long as we fall!

Therefore, we must not stand by and let it be stated that, “Historically, Baptists do not believe in such things as modern miracles, the anointing of oil according to James 5, or Divine healing.” The purpose of this article is to show that this statement is absolutely false.

Before documenting from history the belief and practice of many Baptists, the following comparison chart of the truths on BOTH sides of this issue might be helpful:

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1. A:

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We must understand that God sometimes gets more glory by manifesting His strength through our weakness than He does by using that which is strong. For this reason, sometimes He does great things THROUGH our weaknesses, instead of totally removing them:

2 Corinthians 12:8 For this thing I BESOUGHT THE LORD THRICE, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.

Therefore, in prayer, do not deny God the right to say “No,” in His wisdom, for His Own glory:

Luke 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me:
NEVERTHELESS not my will, but thine, be done.

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1. B:

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On the other hand, sometimes we remain in weakness simply because we will not ask, seek or knock:

James 4:2 …ye have not, because ye ask not.

We are therefore, at times, limited due to our apathy or unbelief in God’s power or willingness to remove our burdens, afflictions, etc.:

2 Kings 13:18 …And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed.
19 And THE MAN OF GOD WAS WROTH with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.

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2. A:

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Do not deny God the right and power to heal through the use of means (i.e. doctors, medicine, herbs, etc.):

1 Timothy 5:23 Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.

Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart doeth good like A MEDICINE: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

Matthew 9:12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not A PHYSICAN, but they that are sick.

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2. B:

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On the other hand, do not make an idol out of means (i.e. doctors, medicine, herbs, etc.), or limit God to the use of them:

2 Chronicles 16:12 …in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians.
13 And Asa slept with his fathers, and died…

Jeremiah 17:5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

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3. A:

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Based on the above truths, do not assume that ALL sickness, weakness, or trials, are due to sin or a lack of faith:

John 9:2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
3 Jesus answered, NEITHER hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

Job 2:3 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, TO DESTROY HIM WITHOUT CAUSE.

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3. B:

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On the other hand, do not fail to realize that sometimes sickness, weakness, or trials ARE due to sin or a lack of faith:

Proverbs 26:2 As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, SO THE CURSE CAUSELESS SHALL NOT COME.

1 Corinthians 11:30 For THIS CAUSE many are WEAK AND SICKLY among you, and many sleep.
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

Acts 14:9 The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and PERCEIVING THAT HE HAD FAITH TO BE HEALED, 10 Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.

Matthew 9:29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, ACCORDING TO YOUR FAITH BE IT UNTO YOU.

James 1:6 But let him ask IN FAITH, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man THINK THAT HE SHALL RECEIVE ANY THING of the Lord.

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If the truths on the “A” side are neglected (especially in this age of deception), the result will be great fanaticism, leading to discouragement or denial; and reproach will be heaped upon the name of Christ. If the truths on the “B” side are neglected, the result will be a powerless, prayerless, puffed-up, weak Christianity that differs little from dead deism.

One more preliminary note is in order to avoid any misunderstanding. The gift of tongues in the Bible is the ability to speak in real languages never before learned (Acts 2:11), in order to communicate divine truths understood by the rational mind. Like almost all early wonders, they served as a sign or proof to unbelievers (1 Corinthians 14:22), which confirmed the Gospel (Mark 16:20). The wonders were evangelistic (Acts 4:29-31, 8:6). God may grant the ability to evangelize in supernatural languages again in the Tribulation Period, when supernatural prophesying will also be manifested (Acts 2:18-19, Revelation 11:3). Some ardent cessationists have even written that sign gifts may still appear today on some mission fields, where evangelism is the focus, and where there is a true need (i.e. J. Vernon McGee, “Talking in Tongues,” p.15, 1963).

However, almost all Baptists (and other cessationists) deny that the “tongues” and manifestations at Azuza Street in 1906 were Biblical. They were produced by mysticism (silencing the intellect, or “abandonment”). And the “spiritual” manifestations were brutish (see Frank Bartleman’s own diary).

On the other hand, in the Biblical section which discusses the cessation of tongues, prophecies, and supernatural knowledge (1 Corinthians 13:8), there is nothing which states that God will cease answering prayer in a miraculous manner, or that He will never again perform miracles for His praying people. It is for this reason that we must not allow the Aimee Simple McPherson’s in history, or the rich, celebrity, televangelist-faith-healers of our day to drive us to such an extreme in the other direction that we do not seek true Holy Ghost-revival-power or miraculous answers to fervent, prevailing, fasting prayer! The Devil desires to destroy the PRAYER LIFE of modern Christians. And he is shrewd enough to know how to do it. Who will spend the time and effort to pray fervently if they believe that God will no longer do anything great for His people?

The following historical documentation will serve to reprove the common idea among many Christians today that “Baptists do not believe in miracles or Divine healing.” And it will also, hopefully, cause some of us modern Baptists to examine our own prayer life, and see whether or not we have been duped by the Devil in our age. We may not follow the excesses of the charismatic movement. But the Devil has more than one fiery dart in his arsenal. If he cannot get us to manufacture signs and wonders in the flesh, he will be just as pleased to have us profane, gluttonous, and lacking in zeal and sobriety concerning praying in faith for spiritual or physical healing/revival. If the “effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth MUCH” (James 5:16), then it surely follows that the lifeless, flippant prayer of an unrighteous man availeth LITTLE!

With this foundation before us, let us notice from the following Christian (mainly Baptist) history, that many Baptists have, for the most part, maintained a proper balance:

Tertullian (160-215 A.D.) gives us some insight into early Christian history directly after the age of the apostles. He writes:

“…Severus himself…sought out the Christian Proculus…and in gratitude for his having once CURED HIM BY ANOINTING, he kept him in his palace till the day of his death….When, indeed, have not droughts been put away by our kneelings and our fastings? (“To Scapula,” Ch. 4)

The anointing with oil (as an outward, symbolic ordinance), and fervent, prevailing prayer with fasting, were practiced in these early days – with obviously, great results. These wonderful, powerful answers to prayer served as extra evidence to unbelievers of the truth of Christianity (1 Thessalonians 1:5).

Moving forward a few centuries, we find the Confession of Faith (1431) of the Waldenses. They have been rightly referred to as early Baptists:

“Therefore, concerning this anointing of the sick, we hold it as an article of faith, and profess sincerely from the heart, that sick persons, when they ask it, may lawfully be ANOINTED WITH THE ANOINTING OIL, by one who joins with them in praying that it may be effective to the healing of the body, according to the pattern and end and effect mention by the Apostles: and we profess that such an anointing, performed according to the Apostolic pattern and practice, will be healing and profitable.”
(Recorded by Johnnias Lukawitz)

Moving forward a few centuries, we find the Welch Baptists also obeying the commands in James 5:

“Besides the uncommon blessing which attended his [Vavasor Powell, b.1617-1670] preaching it is recorded that ‘many persons were recovered from dangerous sickness through the prayer of faith which he offered.’ He took the promise in James…literally…as declared in the following article of his creed – ‘Visiting the sick and for the elders to anoint them in the name of the Lord is a gospel ordinance and not repealed.’ That his creed was to some extent adopted by the English Baptists appears from…the ceremony of anointing and prayer as performed for a blind woman at Aldgate in London.”
(Quoted in A. J. Gordon’s, “The Ministry of Healing”)

The Particular (Calvinist) Baptists also obeyed James 5:

“I resolved to take no more physic, but would apply to that holy ordinance of God, appointed by Jesus Christ, the great Physician of value, in James 5:14…and I sent for Mr. Kiffin and Mr. Vavasor Powell, who prayed over me, and ANOINTED ME WITH OIL in the name of the Lord. The Lord did hear prayer, and heal me; for there were many godly ministers and gracious saints that prayed day and night for me (WITH SUBMISSION TO THE WILL OF GOD), that the Lord would spare my life, and make me more serviceable to His Church, and to His saints, whose prayers God heard; and as an answer to their prayers I was perfectly healed, but remained weak long after.”
(Hansard Knollys, d. 1691; “Baptist History,” J.M. Cramp)

Notice the balance. They were responsible enough to pray “day and night” (as in Acts 12:5); yet they prayed with submission to the ultimate will of God!

The early General Baptists also obeyed James 5:

“This rite [anointing with oil] was very generally practiced and long retained by the General Baptists. They grounded their observance of it on the words of James….It was regarded as the peculiar privilege of God’s children in all ages.” (Goadby, “Bye-paths in Baptist History,” 1871)

“An example of divine healing among ancient Baptists is found in the ministry of Owen Thomas, who pastored the first Baptist church in Delaware. Thomas was born in Wales in 1676 and came to America in 1707…”
( David Benedict, “A General History Of Baptists in America,” 1813)

The Baptist historian, Morgan Edwards (1792), records some fascinating events among the persecuted Baptists in the early American colonies. They also obeyed James 5 and believed that God can heal miraculously in answer to prayer:

“About the 25th year of her age she got a fall from her horse, which so hurt her back she was bowed down and could in no wise lift up herself…..she was a perfect cripple, not able to walk….One day the young woman who had the care of her…seated her in an elbow chair, and went to the garden. She had not been long in the garden before she heard a rumbling noise in the house. She hastened in…but how was she surprised and frightened to see the cripple in the far end of the room praising God who had made her whole every whit….[by reading Acts 9:34 and praying for healing]…the cripple was all the while in an ecstasy, taking no notice of the company, but running about the house, moving chairs and tables from place to place…and every now and then falling on her knees to praise God, who had made whole a daughter of Abraham, who had been bowed down for ten or a dozen years….I doubt not but some witlings will find pleasantry in this story….But whoever believes in the power of ejaculatory prayer will be benefited by it.”
(Morgan Edwards, “Materials for History of the Baptists in New Jersey,”
1792)

“Mr. Thomas left behind him the following remarkable note: ‘I have been called upon three times to anoint the sick with oil for recovery. The effect was surprising in every case; but in none more so than in that of our brother, Rynallt Howell. He was so sore with the bruises of the wagon when he was anointed that he could not bear to be turned in bed otherwise than with the sheet; the next day he was so well that he went to meeting. I have often wondered that this rite is so much neglected, as the precept in so plain and the effects have been so salutary.” (M. Edwards, “Materials Towards a History of American Baptists”)

“Some years before his death he [pastor Hugh Davis] had a severe pain in his arm, which gradually wasted the limb and made life a burden. After trying many remedies he sent for the elders of the church to anoint him with oil, according to James v:14-17. The effect was a perfect cure, so far that the pain never returned….The present generation of Baptists in Pennsylvania and the several other colonies (German Baptists excepted) have somehow reasoned themselves out of this practice of anointing the sick for recovery, not believing that the same kind of reasoning would lead them to discontinue every positive rite….Our pious [Baptist] forefathers in this province practiced the rite frequently and successfully, as might be shown….The same may be said of the Baptists of Great Britain and Ireland.” (M. Edwards, “Materials Towards a History of American Baptists”)

In the 19th century, “the Baptist of American Baptists,” J. R. Graves (1820-1893)maintained a holy balance concerning prayer. In a “revival sermon,” Graves preached:

“Is there a richer promise within the lids of the Bible? [Matthew 18:19] And can we have ‘any thing,’ concerning which we may agree to ask? What a boundless grant! Have we had no desires? Have we never seized upon this promise, and been agreed to ask? And our prayers not answered? Why? We either have not complied with the conditions of PREVAILING PRAYER, or God is not true….Our motive in desiring a revival should be because God’s name would be honoured and glorified in the conversion of sinners….When we begin to love souls, rather than persons, then we may hope that our motives please God….We must agree to ask in faith….Unbelief is a sin….The term ‘re-vival’ implies excitement. There never was a revival without more or less excitement….Many of our good brethren like revivals, but will seriously object to any excitement….’Take it calm,’ say they…so much noise and crying and praising aloud do no good. God is not deaf, or a great way off, that He cannot hear….’ These are like those persons who were near blind Bartimeus when he heard that Jesus was passing by, and began to cry out…’Don’t cry so loud!….be calm and quiet about it.’ ‘And many charged him that he should hold his peace [keep peaceable], but he cried out the more the great deal.’ Those tender-eared brethren will be greatly troubled in heaven, unless they void their present notions, for there will be a great noise, though ‘it don’t do any good,’…We do not advocate more sound than sense, i.e. more excitement than religion, but many of our brethren have more fastidiousness than religion….We must agree in regard to the importance of a revival. We must feel it so as to desire and seek it with unutterable agony – more THAN OUR MEAT OR DRINK….Would you not pronounce that man a hypocrite who professed to desire a crop, yet did nothing to secure one?….We learn when GLORIOUS THINGS may be expected…whenever churches are agreed to accomplish the work, when the people have ‘a mind to work.’” (J.R. Graves, “Agreement in Prayer”)

Also, in the 19th century, A. J. Gordon (1836-1895), the great Baptist preacher of Boston, wrote “The Ministry of Healing.” Henry Frost (in “Miraculous Healing”) later attempted a refutation of Gordon’s book by showing that it is not ALWAYS God’s immediate will to heal. Yet, Frost appears to have made no distinction between the teaching of A. J. Gordon and the teachings of others who lacked his balance. While I do not embrace every teaching in Gordon’s book, it is important to point out that A. J.

Gordon did NOT teach that every Christian who exercises faith, in obedience, will always be healed. Gordon writes:

“Heresy, as a thoughtful Christian writer has pointed out, means a dividing or a choosing; it is the accepting and advocacy of one hemisphere of truth to the rejection of the other….In the matter before us [healing], as in the whole doctrine of prayer, human freedom and the divine sovereignty are inseparably joined. Here are the two sides: ‘Ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you.’ – John xv.7. ‘If ye ask anything according to his will he heareth us.’ – 1 John v.14….we must be sure that beneath every prayer the strong, clear undertone of ‘thy will be done’ is distinctly heard….because we find both sides of this truth distinctly expressed in scripture, we must be sure to emphasize both….If we are told that a brother in the Church is sick, let us not make undue haste to declare that he will CERTAINLY be restored if we carry his case to God. We must keep in mind both Melita and Miletum: remembering that at one place Paul healed the father of Publius by his prayers, and that at the other place he left Trophimus sick….The all wise and gracious Lord, who is shaping our lives, must be allowed to choose such detentions for us, if He sees that He can thereby best forward our usefulness and advance His own glory….[On the other hand, some others] have pushed the sovereignty of God almost into an iron fixedness, where even the Almighty is not at liberty to work miracles any longer….Let us on our part, therefore, avoid heresy by keeping these two great elements of prayer in equilibrium, believing strongly but asking submissively, holding up in one hand of our supplication a ‘Thus saith the Lord,’ and in the other a ‘The will of the Lord be done.’” (“The Ministry of Healing”)

As we move into the 20th century, we find John R. Rice and many other fundamental Baptists applying James 5, and anointing the sick with oil, in faith. Jack Hyles writes:

“A lady in Garland, Texas, called me. Bill Harvey was then on the staff…’Pastor, the doctor now says the other kidney is eaten up with cancer, and that my baby girl has only a few days to live…’…Bill Harvey and I went over to the house. We formed a circle around that little girl’s body. We confessed our sins and asked God to meet with us. I took a little touch of olive oil, put it on that little girl’s head, told God I knew the oil had no power and I in my own strength had no power but claimed the healing mercies of our God in the body of that little girl. I was in Texas a year ago this last summer. A lovely young lady, twenty-two years of age, walked up to me. ‘Do you know who I am? I am getting married in a few days. Guess who I am.’ I did not know. I’ll give you a hint. I only have one kidney.’ Of course I knew then who she was!…I am not a charismatic, and I believe the charismatic movement is a detriment to this nation…” (Jack Hyles, “Where Be All the Miracles?” 1976)

Another modern Baptist, David W. Cloud, writes:

“Let me say up front that I do believe in divine healing. I believe in James 5:14-15….This passage gives clear instruction for the sick in this church age. We believe in this, and we practice this, and we have seen God heal in answer to prayer. I have experienced healing in this way….The Bible does not instruct us to hold healing crusades. Further, the Bible does not allow women to preach and usurp authority over men, but that is exactly what has been happening in the Pentecostal-Charismatic movement for more than a century.” (David W. Cloud, “Is Healing in the Atonement?”)

Every Baptist writer or preacher (past or present) does not divide the subject of miracles and healing in the exact same manner. However, the previous quotes are enough to show that it is wrong to say that Baptists do not believe in miracles or Divine healing. And these quotes reveal that God still ANSWERS PREVAILING PRAYER. And it is hoped that this study will move many to pray for revival (spiritual and physical) in a more diligent, fervent manner.

In conclusion, James (in the Bible) recognizes that this healing, while a general promise if the conditions are met, is nevertheless subject to the will of God (as in 2 Corinthians 12). Before James writes chapter 5, he
writes:

James 4:15 For that ye ought to say, IF THE LORD WILL, we SHALL LIVE, and do this, or that.

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THE ROD: WILL GOD SPARE IT? By J.D. Faust

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