What Are the "Greater Works" for Believers? - by Jeremiah Johnson

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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Other than the subject text, the author will not quote the Bible. This is our continuing complaint with these so-called Bible teachers. They don't bother with the Bible.

He will manage to quote some people who have the opposite opinion, which is a welcome thing, but unfortunately, he will not directly address their points.

The premise under which the author operates is that the miraculous was uniquely apostolic. He does not explain how he arrived at this premise, but that is upon what he bases his presentation. So if miracles were the sole province of the apostles (and perhaps their designees), then present-day miracles are definitionally not possible. We discuss why this is incorrect here.

The author is trying to reconcile his experience and the powerlessness of the historical Church with the truth of the Bible, and cannot eliminate the dissonance. Rather than let the Bible speak for itself and allow faith to arise in his soul, he is content to simply explain away the truth of this promise.

Before we get to the article, let's define "greater." The word is megas, which means, big (literally or figuratively, in a very wide application). The word does not mean "superior" or "better." The verse says, and greater works than these he will do..., so Jesus was telling his disciples that anyone who believes will do what He does in greater magnitude. He was not telling them that we would do better miracles than He did.

We will have additional commentary at the end.

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The following post originally appeared on September 18, 2015. -ed.

In the quiet intimacy of the upper room, just hours before His arrest, Christ gave His disciples some final encouragement and instruction. He revealed again His unity with the Father, comforted His disciples with the promise of heaven, and told them about the Helper who would empower them for the work ahead (John 14:1-17). But as usual, the disciples failed to fully understand what He was saying.

Some of their confusion lives on in the church today. In particular, one of Christ’s statements in this passage has confounded and divided many believers, with some using the Lord’s promise as proof of the continuation of the apostolic gifts throughout the history of the church. (There is no such thing as "the apostolic gifts.")

In John 14:12, Jesus promises His followers: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.”

In his book The Upper Room, John MacArthur explains why there is persistent confusion in the church today about the nature of Christ’s promise.

Christians over the centuries have wondered at the richness of such a promise. What does it mean? How could anyone do greater works than Jesus had done? He had healed people blind from birth, cast out the most powerful demons, and even raised Lazarus from the dead after four days in the grave. What could possibly be greater than those miracles? 

For charismatic authors who believe in the continuation of the apostolic gifts, the answer is simple. In his book Authentic Fire, Michael Brown explains it this way:

Jesus gave a universal promise in John 14:12 that implies that all believers can ask God to demonstrate His healing and miracle-working power through them, since the statement in John 14:12 is programmatic, as Jesus said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.” How is this not universal in scope, given that the identical Greek phrase ho pisteuon eis eme, whoever believes in Me, is always universal in application in John? (See John 6:35; 7:38; 11:25; 12:44, 46.) And while we can debate exactly what Jesus intended by the “greater works,” it is difficult to escape from the conclusion that whoever believes in the Son will also perform miraculous signs, based on: 1) the immediate context (14:9-11, with the emphasis on miracles as the works done by Jesus); 2) the universality of the language used; and 3) the assurance which follows, guaranteeing the efficacy of prayer to the Father in Jesus’ name. . . .

This promise cannot be limited to the apostle based on the language of “whoever believes in Me,” nor can it [sic] limited to non-supernatural acts of service. The reverse is actually true.

Writing for Charisma Magazine, charismatic author Larry Sparks makes the same assertion that Christ’s words to His disciples are “a powerful blanket statement” for all believers, throughout church history.

Whoever means whoever. This is beyond the 12 apostles and the 72 called-out ones in Luke 10. Whoever spans all generations. Whoever invites us, in the 21st century, to once again contend for an outpouring of supernatural power in our midst.

Bill Johnson, pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, California, (one of the most influential charismatic churches in the world) and instructor at the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, teaches a similar interpretation of the “greater works.” In his book When Heaven Invades Earth, he writes, “The miraculous is a large part of the plan of God for this world. And it is to come through the Church.” Johnson teaches that in His incarnation, Christ emptied Himself of all divine attributes, and in His humanity is the model for our lives.

Jesus became the model for all who would embrace the invitation to invade the impossible in His name. He performed miracles, wonders, and signs, as a man in right relationship to God . . . not as God. If He performed miracles because He was God, then they would be unattainable for us. But if He did them as a man, I am responsible to pursue His lifestyle. 

Through that lens of Christ’s humanity, Johnson understands John 14:12 as a challenge to surpass His miraculous works.

Jesus’ prophecy of us doing greater works than He did has stirred the Church to look for some abstract meaning to this very simple statement. Many theologians seek to honor the works of Jesus as unattainable, which is religion, fathered by unbelief. It does not impress God to ignore what He promised under the guise of honoring the work of Jesus on the earth. Jesus’ statement is not that hard to understand. Greater means “greater.” And the works he referred to are signs and wonders. It will not be a disservice to Him to have a generation obey Him, and go beyond His own high-water mark. He showed us what one person could do who has the Spirit without measure. What could millions do? That was His point, and it became His prophecy.

We could go on and on with examples of that kind of teaching from charismatic sources, but you get the point. For those arguing for the continuation of the apostolic gifts, (There is no such thing as "the apostolic gifts.")

John 14:12 is a battleground text. (No, it's a text that serious Bible students have debated about for centuries.)

But was it really meant to be a promise of miraculous power to every believer? The testimony of church history suggests it was not, (An Appeal To History. What did or did not happen in history has nothing to do with the biblical case.)

as many generations of saints have come and gone without any evidence of apostolic power. (There is no such thing as "apostolic power.")

And while charismatics will argue that there is evidence of miracles today, it’s always anecdotal, rarely documented or objectively substantiated, ("Rarely?" Then what about the cases that are documented? 

Now the author has made an Appeal To Contemporary Experience. This also is not the biblical case.)

and often comes from the far-flung corners of the globe. (Is there something untoward about God performing a miracle somewhere else besides the US?)

Even by that flawed standard, the Spirit’s supposed miraculous work today (Again the author appeals to what is or is not happening today. But even if there isn't a single instance of the miraculous happening today, that does not speak to what should be happening.)

is significantly different than His ministry through the apostles in the first-century church. Far from healing the crippled, curing the ravages of disease, and raising the dead, it seems the focus of the Holy Spirit’s healing ministry today is limited to rheumatoid arthritis, nagging back pain, and other subjective ailments. No longer is His work dramatic, obvious, and undeniable—today it’s mysterious, indiscriminate, and surprisingly absent when and where it’s most needed. (A cynical assessment. The author previously gave tacit assent to "rarely documented" miracles. Perhaps he should explain to us how various miracles are to be judged as being up to his standard.)

There is no arguing against the fact that Christ bestowed His supernatural power to His disciples (Acts 5:12-16). But there is no reason to characterize their miracles as “greater” than Christ’s, either in magnitude or degree. Furthermore, there is scant evidence that His promise of power extends to the subsequent generations of the church. In other words, not only have we not seen the charismatic interpretation validated by nearly 19 centuries of Christian history, (He again makes an Appeal To History.)

it can’t even be validated by the miraculous works of the twelve apostles! (For further exegetical explanation of the limits of Christ’s promise in John 14:12, I recommend this article from Matt Waymeyer.)

So if Christ wasn’t promising miraculous power that exceeded His own, what did He mean by “greater works?” As John MacArthur explains, Jesus was indicating that the disciples works would be greater not in power, but in extent.

The key to understanding this promise is in the last phrase of verse 12: “because I go to the Father.” When Jesus went to the Father, He sent the Holy Spirit. The Spirit’s power completely transformed the disciples from a group of fearful, timid individuals into a cohesive force that reached the world with the gospel. The impact of their preaching exceeded even the impact of Jesus’ public teaching ministry during His lifetime. Jesus never preached outside a 175-mile radius extending from His birthplace. Within His lifetime, Europe never received word of the gospel. But under the ministry of the disciples the good news began to spread, and it’s still spreading today. Their works were greater than His, not in power, but in scope. Through the indwelling Holy Spirit, each one of those disciples had access to power in dimensions they did not previously have, even with the physical presence of Christ.

The disciples undoubtedly thought that without Christ they would be reduced to nothing. He was the source of their strength; how could they have power without Him? His promise was meant to ease those fears. If they felt secure in His presence, they would be even more secure, more powerful, able to do more, if He returned to the Father and sent the Holy Spirit. 

Christ did not hand-pick His disciples merely to perform signs and wonders in His name. They were chosen to extend the good news of His sacrificial, atoning death beyond the reaches of Israel and Palestine, to the far reaches of the globe. They were preaching the completed work of Christ on behalf of sinners, spawning spiritual revival throughout the known world. In that sense, their work was greater than Christ’s, as they bore witness to the truth of His life and death, and saw firsthand the transforming work of the Holy Spirit.

As John MacArthur explains, the work of the gospel is the greatest ministry work of all.

After all, the greatest miracle God can perform is salvation. Every time we introduce someone to faith in Jesus Christ, we are observers of the new birth; we are supporting the most important spiritual work in the world. How exciting it is to be involved in what God is doing spiritually and to do things greater than even Jesus saw in His day.

Waaait. Jesus was talking about salvation? But Jesus was already saving people during His earthly ministry. And people are getting saved now. How does that make salvation greater than His miracles if the same thing (salvation) was happening then as it is now? Is it a matter of numbers? Statistical analysis constitutes "greater?"

Let's remind the reader of the verse, which we have quoted in extended context:

Jn. 14:8-14  Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” 9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, `Show us the Father’?

10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. 

12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Now, what is the context? Philip had just asked Jesus to show them the Father (vs. 8), and what follows is Jesus' response. Jesus made the point that the Father and He are the in each other (vs. 10), which is a claim to identity. That ought to be enough, but then He falls back to or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves (vs. 11). His miracles form the basis of what comes next.

Jesus then says, I tell you the truth. The Greek is amḗn, amḗn. This word is an "emphasis marker," introduces a statement of pivotal importance... Thus Jesus heavily emphasized the importance of what is was about to say. Let's get literal: 

This is of pivotal importance - the one who believes in me will do the works I do.

Now we have arrived at the subject verse, where Jesus doubles down: He will do even greater things than these... So not only will the ones who believes do the works He did, they will do even greater ones. Two things, the things He did and also even greater things.

It is interesting that both Jeremiah Johnson and Dr. MacArthur slip right past the first half of vs. 12 and focus on the second half in order to bolster their doctrine. But in actual fact, the first half of the verse is even more problematic for them, because they would have to explain away Jesus' statement that "anyone" would do the same works.

This is why they appeal to history and also to contemporary experience. The Bible doesn't back them up, so they need to find other reasons to not believe.