Could more miraculous works bring more persons to faith?

The definition of faith: To believe in something that is not seen but is true.

Miracles were provided after faith to confirm ones faith. So many wonderful things happened during the time of Moses and yet... The children of Israel wondered in the desert for 40 years, worshiped idols and would not look upon the raised up snake to save themselves. Why? Because they didn't have faith so no mater how many miracles they saw it was not enough to 'give' them faith.

So to answer your question no miracles are not to give faith. They never have been and they never will be. Things that are seen are forgotten (above example of the Israelite's coming out of Egypt) which is why faith is confirmed by the Holy Ghost.

Aside: I find the idea that faith is only possible with a lack of evidence to be unconvincing. There are plenty of places that that falls down within Christian ideology. Consider the apostles' faith, for example.

No, faith is simply a conviction that something is or will be. The faith can be blind or it can be guided, but it's still faith. Even Doubting Thomas had faith. So he was "less blessed", whatever that means, but that doesn't matter in the long run.

Anyway, to answer the question: many of the miracles of the times of Moses are trivial to reproduce in modern day with modern illusion, trickery, and technology. We are a much more learned people today. The miracles would have to be much greater in scope. Or perhaps more personal in scope. An identical revelation to all people on Earth simultaneously would be convincing to many, I'm sure.

So I'm going to give this a tentative yes.

If you believe what people say, the answer is clearly "yes, some more would believe". One can with little trouble find discussions just like this on various forums. (Here's one regarding conversion of atheists.) If you believe what people say, the answer is again clearly "yes" given that some people say they did convert because of miracles. (Another example, this time converting from Islam.)

Then the question is: can you believe what people say?

There are at least three reasons for miracles.

1. So that the works of God may be displayed.

   John 9:1-3

   1As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.

2. To reward faith.

   Luke 8:48

   Then he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace."

3. To catalyze the formation of faith.

   Matt 11:23

   "And you people of Capernaum, will you be honored in heaven? No, you will go down to the place of the dead. For if the miracles I did for you had been done in wicked Sodom, it would still be here today."

Therefore, yes, miraculous works can help bring more people to the faith.

Jesus said (John14:11)

"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."

Does it matter whether someone believes because of a testimony vs. a miracle? A sheep is a sheep whether it walks through the gate or is carried.

P.S. Jesus miraculously appeared to doubting Thomas with the stated goal of producing faith.

Good question, but

• not only would miracles not cause people to believe
• but also miracles would not accomplish what God wants

Miracles do not cause people to believe

Luke 16 contains the story often called "The Rich Man and Lazarus" or "Dives and Lazarus" in older times.

The gist of the story is that a rich guy (rich is 'Dives' in Latin, pronounced Div' - ees) dies and goes to hell. Once there, he really, really doesn't like the place, and begs Abraham to be able to go back and tell his brothers to change course, lest they end up there with him. His reasoning is simple - surely a miracle would prove to them that they need to repent!

“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

“‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

In other words, Dives is making the case that if a miracle were given, then clearly people would believe and repent. Abraham is, however, proved exactly right every day, however, in that Jesus did come back from the dead [I know somebody is going to disagree with me on that!] and yet people didn't listen to him either.

As God cries out in Isaiah 65:2,

"All day long I have stretched out my hands to a stubborn and obstinate people."

Miracles do not accomplish what God wants

In the end, however, if "seeing is believing," then seeing would ultimately be counter-productive, because God explicitly desires faith. And faith, as we know is the evidence of things hoped for - the rebuke / the real proof (my translation) of things not seen. (Heb 11:1) Jesus says as much to Thomas, after the miracle of the resurrection, in John 20:29 when he says:

"Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

And as it says in Hebrews 11:6

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him

In other words, miracles might "prove" something, but God doesn't want to overwhelm us - he wants us to believe on our own.

So then, why are miracles given at all?

Miracles are given in order that we might believe (Mark 2:9-10). They are signs that God is in fact behind a thing. Jesus forgave a lame man's sin, and the Pharisees grumbled. So, Jesus says, "in order that you might know that I have authority to forgive sin..." he performs a miracle.

The problem, of course, is that then people want miracles not as evidence but rather for gain. Herod wanted Jesus to perform tricks in order to prove his god-hood, but Jesus would not.

Ultimately the best indictment, however, comes from Luke 11:28 -32

29 When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.