There are times in our lives when we have difficult decisions to make. In considering major decisions such as choosing a spouse, deciding where to live, what course to pursue in college, what job to take, and so on, we wonder what choice is best and are often anxious about our decision because of the major impact it will have on our life and even the lives of others.
For Christians that believe in a loving and powerful God, it is natural to want to seek guidance from Him when we have to make decisions like these. But what sort of guidance are we seeking? And are we truly seeking His guidance or are we merely attributing things to Him and then making ourselves believe that the Lord led us to make a certain decision?
It is not uncommon to hear people talk about receiving signs from God. These “signs” come in many different forms – weather events, phone calls, scheduling conflicts, job promotions, being passed over for a promotion, or even being laid off, etc. The list is virtually endless. People take events like these as if they are signs from God and, therefore, the reason to make one decision over another. Does the Bible have anything to say about this?
Those Who Seek Signs
The desire for signs is not something unique to our generation. While Jesus was on the earth, some of the Jews asked Him to show them a sign: “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, ‘Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.’ But He answered and said to them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth’” (Matthew 12:38-40).
Why does Jesus say that an “evil and adulterous generation” seeks a sign? And what does He mean that “no sign would be given” except “the sign of Jonah”? It is important to consider the context. Jesus certainly performed signs that these men could have observed. Earlier in this chapter He cast a demon out of a man and read the minds of the Pharisees in order to answer their objections (Matthew 12:22-25). These men were rejecting what Jesus was doing plainly and openly. They wanted some other proof. Jesus said they would receive no other proof except the fulfillment of the prophecy foreshadowed in Jonah’s encounter with the great fish – His resurrection.
These men were evil because they rejected the proof that God had given them. Jesus was performing miracles. They discounted them. He was teaching the gospel of the kingdom. They refused to believe. They would later receive proof in the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies – most notably in the resurrection of Christ from the dead. But their bias would not allow them to accept divine truth. This is why they were called an “evil and adulterous generation.” God’s revelation was not enough for them. Could it be that we are guilty of the same today by seeking certain signs from God? Let us not dismiss the possibility too quickly.
Signs Are Unnecessary
When the scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus to show them a sign, He told them the only sign they would receive would be the sign of Jonah. This was fulfilled in Jesus’ resurrection. However, this did not satisfy many of the Jews. They wanted more signs. Writing twenty years or so after Jesus’ resurrection, Paul told the Corinthians, “Indeed Jews ask for signs” (1 Corinthians 1:22). Despite this great miracle, the Jews wanted more.
Responding to this, Paul declared, “We preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block…” (1 Corinthians 1:23). The Jews were seeking for something they did not need. They wanted a sign from God, but God did not give them any new signs. He gave them the gospel which contained all the information and evidence they needed – the life, teaching, and miracles of Jesus; the testimony about Him; and, ultimately, His resurrection from the dead. Signs for these Jews were unnecessary.
Is it any different for us today? Do we need some sign or special revelation to know what God’s will is? He has already given us “everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us” (2 Peter 1:3). In the word of God we have been told about Christ and the salvation He offers, we know what God expects of us, and we have been given instructions advising us how to conduct our lives here among men. What more information are we seeking?
Signs Will Not Be Given
The scribes and Pharisees were told that they would receive no sign but that of the prophet Jonah – that Jesus would arise from the dead after three days. Yet, after this was fulfilled, the Jews sought for more signs. Again, notice Paul’s words to the Corinthians: “For indeed Jews ask for signs…but we preach Christ crucified” (1 Corinthians 1:22-23). In essence, Paul said that no signs will be given. Why?
As we noticed under the previous point, additional signs were unnecessary. God did everything He needed to do in revealing His will to man. He sent Jesus to the earth and testified of Him through words and miracles. Jesus preached a divine message, performed miracles, was crucified, and was raised from the dead. God gave them signs. He demonstrated that Jesus was the Christ. Just because the Jews believed the given evidence was insufficient did not mean God was going to give them more signs. The Scriptures are clear that He would not. It was up to them to believe what God chose to reveal to them.
What about today? People are looking for signs to receive direction from God. In many cases, they believe that certain events in their lives serve as signs that show them what God’s will for their life is. In the case of the scribes and Pharisees, they were rebuked because they wanted to receive a sign beyond what God chose to reveal.
We can know God’s will today only so far as He has chosen to reveal His will. His will has been revealed to us by the Spirit and can be found in His word (1 Corinthians 2:7-10). Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 13 that miraculous spiritual gifts would cease. The context was particularly addressing gifts relating to the revelation of God’s will – prophecy, tongue-speaking, and miraculously bestowed knowledge (1 Corinthians 13:8). Once God’s will had been fully revealed, the partial bits of revelation the early Christians miraculously received would stop (1 Corinthians 13:9-10). We have God’s complete will – at least as much as He has chosen to disclose to us – revealed in His word.
But many today want more, just as the “natural man [who] does not accept the things of the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:14). They want signs. They want further revelation. They want specific direction in their lives. So they are looking for some sign from God beyond what He has chosen to reveal. The Jews were rebuked for this, yet many Christians today consider this normal. They pray and ask God to show them the course they should take. They seek for signs from Him to lead them in a wise path. They interpret events in their lives as being more than just coincidence, but that God had a hand in them to guide them in a certain direction. Are many Christians guilty of the same thing as the Jews in the first century who were not content with what God chose to reveal?
Jesus said, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet.” We do not need to be seeking any sign from God beyond what He has revealed. In the Bible, we have everything we need to direct us in our lives. God has told us what we need to do to please Him and be saved. He has also given us guidance for all areas of our life (relationships, work, education, politics, recreation, etc.). Let us not seek after something more. Let us look to the word that God has left for us and let that be our guide for the choices we must make in this life.
