Miracles and Faith in Christianity

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Miracles and Faith in Christianity

Miracles and faith are intimately linked in Christianity. The Bible is filled with accounts of God performing miracles. Jesus himself commended people who showed faith. Many Christians in Africa have strong faith in God and believe that God still works miracles. In his two-volume book Miracles, Christian historian Craig Keener outlines this relationship.

Getting baptized is an important part of becoming a Christian. Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost: “Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.” Repentance is the first step in receiving the Holy Spirit, which is the power of God. A prominent example of this is the story of the apostle Ananias, who brought Paul to Christ by calling on Christ’s name and exhorting him to be baptized.

Jesus also sent twelve apostles to spread the gospel, telling them to preach “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” They were to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons. They were also to preach the gospel to the nations. But they had to do so with love, not force.

Miracles are a controversial issue in the modern church. However, the New Testament is full of miracles. Jesus performed miracles during his lifetime, and his apostles later continued to work miracles.