14:12-14 Does this promise still apply or was it only for the first century church?
14:12-14 Does this promise still apply or was it only for the first century church?
Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (CP Mt 24:35; 2Cor 1:19-20; He 1:11-12; 13:8; Jas 1:17).
Jesus never changes. What He promised in Jn 14:12-14 still applies, and He qualifies this by His statement in Mt 28 "…and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." (CP Mt 28:20).
This proves that what Jesus said then did not only apply to His disciples of that era, but also to His disciples throughout the whole of the church age. Jesus promises each and every one of us in Jn 14:12-14 unlimited power to do everything He did: heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, give sight to the blind, make the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak, cast out demons, control the elements, and even turn water into wine. Everyone without exception is promised everything they ask in prayer, providing they qualify for an answer (CP Psa 66:18; Mt 17:20; 21:21; Mk 11:22-26; Jn 15:7; 1Jn 5:14-15).
The "greater works" that Jesus said we would do in Jn 14:12 are not in power, but in extent. What Jesus in essence is saying in Jn 14:12-14, is that because His earthly ministry was ended and He had to go to the Father, His disciples - every Christian - would receive the same empowering He had, to enable them to carry on His work in the earth building His church.
This empowering is the gift of the Holy Spirit which is promised to every believer throughout the church age from the day of Pentecost onward (CP V15-17 with Mk 16:17; Lu 24:49; Jn 7:37-39; Ac 1:1-8; 2:1-4; 38-39).
See also comments on Mt 3:11; Mk 16:17-18; Lu 24:49; Jn 3:3, 3:5, 3:8, 7:37-38, 14:15-7, 20:22; Ac 1:8, 2:1-4 (A), 2:1-4 (B), 19:11-12; Ro 6:3-5, 8:26-27; 1Cor 12:1-11 (A), 12:1-11 (B), 13:8-12, and author's studies Confessing God's Word in his book Foundational Truths of the Christian Faith, Signs and Wonders in God's Redemptive Plan in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 1),
The Work of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament Church and Making the Impossible Possible in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 2).