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Galatians

  1. Lesson One
    Epistles (First Few Verses Of Each Pauline Epistle)
    25 Activities
  2. Lesson Two
    Overview of Galatians
    19 Activities
  3. Lesson Three
    Works-Righteousness as Slavery
    19 Activities
    |
    2 Assessments
  4. Lesson Four
    Faith, Life, and the Spirit
    13 Activities
    |
    1 Assessment
  5. Lesson Five
    Author and Audience
    17 Activities
    |
    2 Assessments
  6. Course Wrap-Up
    Course Completion
    1 Activity
    |
    1 Assessment

Participants 21

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Galatians Overview of Galatians In | Workbook: Miracles in Paul’s Letters
Lesson 2, Activity 7

In | Workbook: Miracles in Paul’s Letters

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Grab your Workbook Journal!

[Record your answers in the workbook provided at the beginning of this course.]

In Galatians 3:59 (ESV), Paul refers to miracles that have occurred in their midst:

Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith? 

Galatians 3:5 (ESV)

In his letters, Paul rarely references his miracles or any signs and wonders he may have performed. When he does mention them he does so in a general way, as in the passage above. His reluctance to mention these acts, which may have impressed his hearers, is especially notable considering how often they are mentioned in the book of Acts. 

  1. Why do you think Paul was so reluctant to mention signs and wonders in his ministry, or to reference miracles he performed?
Miracles in Paul’s Letters

The likeliest reason for Paul’s avoidance of miracles in his letters is that he didn’t want to confuse the gospel with the teachings of other miracle workers that would have been common at the time.

There’s an old adage among evangelists: “What you attract people with is what you attract them to.” Paul was careful to emphasize the eternal value of the gospel in contrast with temporal signs or miracles. In his view, the life of the church is cruciform, patterned after Jesus’ life—a way of life that leads to the cross.

As we’ll see, especially in the Corinthian letters, he’s much more inclined to talk about suffering and loss than he is about material benefits. He’s not selling a quick fix or a more prosperity-promising fertility god, but the gospel of Jesus, which proclaims that the kingdom of God and eternal life come through losing your life.