Are miracles mainly for believers--or for unbelievers? Would a miracle convince a hardened unbeliever?

Answer 1

Good question and very thought provoking. I thought of an interesting example from the Bible involving Paul's conversion. I don't know if his experience would be considered a miracle, but it was definitely a supernatural experience that got his attention when he was an unbeliever. Before his name was changed to Paul, he was known as Saul. God struck him down and blinded him for three days, and asked Saul why he was persecuting Christians. The end result was that his sight was restored, and Saul/Paul became one of the most important Christians in history.

Answer 2

For both.
He gives miracles and heaps in every moment of the day.
Too often many go unrecognized.
Expect a miracle by all means, if you come to Him humbly and believe Hi is. Sometimes for His reason they happen instantly, other times more gradual.
Some never happen and we won't know why until we get there.
But I believe God answers every single pray, not always in the fashion of our how, whens and whys we may like or put to Him to do.
Do not put the Lord your God to the test!
He is God!*
And if someone would allow God to work on their hardened heart, anything is possible.
Always remember the biggest, and by far the best miracle of all is for someone to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior
It is the utmost miracle without the eye seeing the transformation necessarily is that of the Heart.

Answer 3

Both parties can witness a miracle. As for it convincing an unbeliever. Look at the Pharisees and Sadducees of the bible. They witnessed most of Jesus' miracles but still they rejected him. They witnessed it from the Author Himself and they refused to believe.

Answer 4

Probably I would not be convinced by a miracle to become a religious person:
first, even if I knew god was real I would still not be a christian because of lots of things I don't agree with in christianity and because I think a god that allows all of this pain should be worth of spite, not of adoration.
Second, no miracle is really demonstrable. Science does not pretend to have all the answers, but at least it doesn't go around screaming "god did it" when it cannot yet explain it.

Answer 5

Actually miracles are for both.

For believers, it would strengthen and deepen their faith. I have experienced miracles, and it did so to mine.

For unbelievers, it is proof of the Bible's teachings, and does make believers out of some. I have personally seen it happen several times. :)

Answer 6

Elisha cured the captain of the army of the King of Aram by telling him to bath in a stinky river 7 times. (go figure, he had to find Gods prophet in Samaria)

Naaham didn't know God when he came to Elisha, but he came to believe after he left cured.

We know this because of the words he said as he left

"But may the LORD forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I bow there also—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the LORD forgive your servant for this.""

I believe miracles will occur for the believer more often simply and only because believers tend to ask more of God in a personal way.

Perhaps often treat God as a cosmic Santa when they ask for something.

I gotta get some sleep, i'm talking about Santa Claus now. (note to the athiests - let it go - its' been said before - it was funny 200 hundred years ago)

Answer 7

Well, it depends what you consider a miracle to be, if you think its a gift from god, then you can have em. If miracles are just something that happens even though all signs point to it not happening, then sign me up.


http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-03-30-prayer-study_x.htm <---- see? prayer is bad for people after all.

Answer 8

Hardened believers.

Answer 9

Well Jesus' miracles convinced many unbelievers in His own day. But many others would not relent (Pharisees, etc). I guess it's just those who have the greatest potentials for faith that eventually see the light.

God uses the world to separate the FAITHFUL from the FAITHLESS.

2Sa 22:28 And the afflicted people thou wilt save: but thine eyes [are] upon the haughty, [that] thou mayest bring [them] down.

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Psa 18:27 For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.

Answer 10

no everything has a logical explanation now if i seen a little kid about to get hit by a bus and if that kid miraculously flew 10 feet up in the air avoiding getting hit by the bus then gently floated down to the earth unhurt then i would believe in miracles