We all want God to reveal Himself with a sign. So that we can be sure that God is real and what He has promised He will fulfill. That is the human side of us, but what does the Bible have to say about signs?
The dictionary defines the noun form of the word Sign as: An object, quality, or event whose presence or occurrence indicates the probable presence or occurrence of something else. For instance, “flowers are often given as a sign of affection”. A Stop sign indicates possible danger at a road crossing. In either of these two cases, the sign is an indicator of something not seen. Show More
A song popular in the ’70s was, “They shall know we are Christians by our love” it was also known as “We are one in the Spirit”. By Peter Scholtes. This song makes the point that the sign of Christ in us is Love.
- Chorus: And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,
yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.
This song is based upon Jesus’ words in John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another”.
- They shall know you are Christians by your love…. Is the name of a song.
- They shall know you are my disciples by your love… Is what the scripture actually says.
A very important distinction in lines 1 and 2 are the words Christian and Disciple. In today’s world, there are many, what I call, Generic Christians. These are Christians who wear the label, Christian. A generational Christian is an example of this. A generational Christian is one who was raised in a “Christian” family but doesn’t understand what it means to be a Christian. If they had to fill out a form with the choices, are you a Jew, Buddhist, Muslim, or Christian, they would mark Christian. Only because they know they are not the others.
Jesus said, “… you are my Disciples if you love one another”. A disciple is not one who simply identifies with Christianity. A disciple is a follower, committed to the teachings of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The term Savior describes what Jesus has done. He has saved us from Hell and given us Heaven. The term Lord describes the relationship. Jesus is King and that means we are obedient to His commandments. His commandments are not burdensome but are for our good.
Throughout the new testament, the Jews asked and even demanded that Jesus show a sign. The sign they were looking for was something that showed He was from God the Father. The Apostle Paul said in John 1:22-24, “For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God”.
Clearly there are three groups of people mentioned hereds.
- The Jews believed that God would move by Signs because that was how God moved throughout the Old Testament. However, the Old Covenant was replaced by the “Better” New Covenant. (Hebrews 8-10). The New Covenant is a covenant of faith not of signs.
- On the other hand, the Greeks worshipped the mind, the intellect of man. They were the great philosophers of the age. They were so focused on natural logic that they missed the supernatural.
- To the Christian, it is the simple message of the Cross, Jesus died in our place and granted us love, forgiveness, and acceptance into the family of God. Paul admits that it seems foolish to those who want God to prove Himself with a sign or an intellectual argument that can’t be refuted. Again, for the Believer, we walk by faith and not by sight. A Believer doesn’t need to be convinced by outward signs or arguments because he or she has experienced and been touched by God!
In the Gospel of John there are seven signs that Jesus performed that prove that He is God. I can only touch briefly on them, but I encourage you to take a deeper look on your own.
- Cana Wedding; water into wine… John 2:11 “This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him”.
- Jesus heals the nobleman’s son… John 4:48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.”
- Jesus heals the paralytic… The paralytic had been trusting in man! John 5:7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”
- Jesus feeds the 5000… As a sign testing Phillip’s faith. John 6:14, “Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
- Jesus walks on water… 6:15 Jesus conquers the natural laws of physics!
- Jesus heals the blind man… John 9:36 He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” 37 And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.” 38 Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him.
- Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead… John 11:15, “And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless, let us go to him”.
On a personal level the Signs of God’s work in you are that you experience love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. What I have just listed, the fruit of the Holy Spirit, are visible to those around you (Galatians 5:22-23). The gifts of the Holy Spirit are also available to you which are described in 1 Corinthians 12 beginning in verse 4. These gifts also work through you to point people to Jesus. These are the nine gifts: word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healings, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, different kinds of tongues, and interpretation of tongues.
It is the Spirit of the Father or the Holy Spirit that “helps” a Christian become the person God has called him to be. You are called to be a “sign” that Jesus is real and lives in you. Let your unconditional love be evident in your family, friends, and the world.
