In Christian theology

Christian theology

- Divisions of Christian theology :There are many methods of categorizing different approaches to Christian theology. For a historical analysis, see the main article on the History of Christian theology.- Sub-disciplines :...

, the gift of miracles is among the spiritual gift

Spiritual gift

In Christianity, spiritual gifts are endowments given by the Holy Spirit. These are the supernatural graces which individual Christians need to fulfill the mission of the church. They are described in the New Testament, primarily in , , and . also touches on the spiritual gifts...

s (charismata) mentioned by St. Paul in his First Epistle to the Corinthians

First Epistle to the Corinthians

The first epistle of Paul the apostle to the Corinthians, often referred to as First Corinthians , is the seventh book of the New Testament of the Bible...

. As a charism

Charism

In Christian theology, a charism in general denotes any good gift that flows from God's love to man. The word can also mean any of the spiritual graces and qualifications granted to every Christian to perform his or her task in the Church...

, the gift is imparted to individuals by the power of the Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit (Christianity)

For the majority of Christians, the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and is Almighty God...

. The view of Cessationism

Cessationism

In Christian theology, Cessationism is the view that the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as tongues, prophecy and healing, ceased being practiced early on in Church history. The opposite of Cessationism is Continuationism...

 held that the charismata were exclusively for Apostolic times, and therefore the gift of miracles ceased with the writing of the last book of the Bible or the death of St. John the Apostle. In Continuationism

Continuationism

Continuationism is a Christian theological belief that the gifts of the Holy Spirit have continued to this present age, specifically the sign gifts such as tongues and prophecy...

, on the other hand, the gifts are held to be possible throughout the history of Christianity, and to have occurred since Apostolic times.

Catholicism

In Catholicism

Catholicism

Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....

, the gift is one of the extraordinary graces of the Holy Spirit imparted to certain individuals so that Christ's doctrine may become credible and Christians confirmed in their faith. Although miracle

Miracle

A miracle often denotes an event attributed to divine intervention. Alternatively, it may be an event attributed to a miracle worker, saint, or religious leader. A miracle is sometimes thought of as a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature. Others suggest that a god may work with the laws...

s are necessarily the work of God, men and angels may be said to work miracles in a threefold way

• by their prayers invoking a miraculous effect;
• by disposing or accommodating the materials, as it is said of the angels that they will in the resurrection collect the dust of the dead bodies that these may be re-animated by the Divine power,
• by performing some other act in co-operation with the Divine agency, as in the case of the application of relics, or of visits to holy places which God has marked out for special and extraordinary favours of this kind.

Like other charismata, these are special and extraordinary powers vouchsafed by God only to a few, and primarily for the spiritual good of others rather than of the recipient.

Pentecostals and charismatics

In Pentecostal and charismatic

Charismatic movement

The term charismatic movement is used in varying senses to describe 20th century developments in various Christian denominations. It describes an ongoing international, cross-denominational/non-denominational Christian movement in which individual, historically mainstream congregations adopt...

 Christianity, it is believed that God continues to operate this gift through believers with the gift of faith. This gift does not, however, make one a miracle worker since it is God who performs the miracle. The emphasis is on "the power of God operating by the Spirit of God in and through the Church of God". God always signifies or teaches something with miraculous manifestations.

Further reading

• Grudem, Wayne A.
  Wayne Grudem
  Wayne A. Grudem is a Protestant theologian and author. He was born in 1948 in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin and married Margaret White on June 6, 1969 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin...
  
   (editor). Are Miraculous Gifts for Today? Zondervan, 1996. ISBN 978-0310201557. Four authors each provide four viewpoints concerning spiritual gifts: Cessationist, "Open But Cautious", Third Wave
  Third Wave of the Holy Spirit
  The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit is a Christian theological theory first introduced by C. Peter Wagner to describe what he believed to be three historical periods of the activity of the Holy Spirit in the 20th century and beyond...
  
  , and Pentecostal/Charismatic.
• Deere, Jack
  Jack Deere
  Jack Deere is a charismatic pastor and theologian from the USA.He was an associate professor of Old Testament at Dallas Seminary, a bastion of cessationism, the doctrine that the charismatic gifts of the Spirit, such as tongues, prophecy and healing, ended at the close of the 1st century...
  
  . Surprised by the Power of the Spirit. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1993. ISBN 978-0310211273.
• Graves, Jr., Wilfred
  Wilfred Graves, Jr.
  Wilfred Graves, Jr. is a scholar, minister, mathematician, and published author. He is the first African American to graduate from Fuller Theological Seminary with a Ph.D. in Historical Theology. His doctoral dissertation was entitled “Popular and Elite Understandings of Miracles in Enlightened...
  
  . In Pursuit of Wholeness: Experiencing God's Salvation for the Total Person. Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image, 2011. ISBN 978-0768437942.
• Lim, David. "Spiritual Gifts" in Systematic Theology, A Pentecostal Perspective revised edition, edited by Stanley M. Horton
  Stanley M. Horton
  Stanley M. Horton, Th.D., is a theologian within the Pentecostal movement and the author of numerous books. He is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Bible and Theology at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, Springfield, Missouri....
  
  . Springfield, MO: Logion Press, 1994. ISBN 0882438557.
• Wagner, C. Peter
  C. Peter Wagner
  Charles Peter Wagner Christian missionary, writer, teacher, and church growth specialist, notable for his controversial spiritual warfare practices and beliefs...
  
  . Discover Your Spiritual Gifts: The Easy-To-Use, Self-Guided Questionnaire That Helps You Identify and Understand Your Various God-Given Spiritual Gifts, expanded edition. Regal, 2010. ISBN 978-0830736782.
• Wimber, John
  John Wimber
  John Richard Wimber was a musician, charismatic pastor and one of the founding leaders of the Vineyard Movement, a neocharismatic Evangelical Christian denomination which began in the USA and has now spread to many countries world-wide.-Life and ministry:John Richard Wimber was the son of Basil...
  
  and Springer, Kevin. Power Evangelism, revised and enlarged edition. Regal, 2009 (originally 1986). ISBN 978-0830747962.