In modern times, among believers, there is an ever increasing number of arguments and teachings, according to which believers would be capable of doing qualitatively greater works than the Lord Jesus did. When we study this in regard to what the Bible in full says and witnesses about this topic, we can see that the disciples of the Lord Jesus are not capable of doing greater works, i.e. greater in power (the Holy Spirit) than what Jesus did. Instead, the word "greater" refers to powerful works that are done through the Holy Spirit and that are greater in number and done by a bigger number of people. Spend time in prayer and compare the present text to what the Bible teaches us.

Greater Works

John 14:12 ¶ Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater (meidzon) works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

The Greek original text has the word meidzon which means "greater", "more extensive" and "greater in number". Jesus said that after He has gone to His Father, those believing into Him will do more extensive works than what He did. When we look at what the Bible in full says about this subject, we can understand that this is the case because when the Lord Jesus died and ascended to Heaven at the right hand of God, God would do a greater number of works than Jesus did, and the works are more extensive because they are done through thousands and thousands of believers.

This means that "greater works" do not refer to works that are greater in power, i.e. qualitatively greater, but works that are more extensive, i.e. greater in number because when the Holy Spirit of God takes action through the disciples of the Lord Jesus at all times, the number and extent of God's works are greater than those of Jesus when Jesus walked here on Earth. In the Book of John, Chapter 13, Verse 16, Jesus says: "Verily,verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him." This means that the disciples of the Lord Jesus cannot be greater than Father God and the Lord Jesus and they are not capable of doing greater works than God does, not even in the Holy Spirit, because the faith of people cannot be greater than that of God.

Luke 19:
8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Luke 23:
39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Some people say that when a person is saved, that deed is greater than the works Jesus did when He walked on Earth in the flesh. The Bible witnesses that when Jesus was here on Earth in the flesh, he saved Zacchaeus and the malefactor on the cross, among others. The saving of a person is not a deed that is greater than what the Lord Jesus did when He was on Earth in the flesh.

Greater in number and extent, not in power

In the Greek original text, John 14:12 has the word meidzon, which means greater, more extensive and greater in number. Which of these meanings is correct and means what Jesus meant? The solution is really simple: Jesus healed the sick, cast out evil spirits, raised the dead back to life, performed food miracles, and the forces of nature were subordinate to Him. When we study the New Testament, all the way from Acts to the Book of Revelation, we can see that not a single Apostle or anyone else in the Early Church did works greater in power than what Jesus did, but they were greater in number and extent than those done by Jesus. Jesus did His works for three years, but the Apostles and other believers did their work for a much longer period of time. People were healed through the believers in the Early Church, and evil spirits were cast out and dead people were raised back to life; these are exactly the same works that were done through Jesus, they only were greater in number and extent. The Bible does not witness of any works through the disciples, which would have been greater in power than what Jesus did. Therefore, it is obvious that greater in number or extent is correct, not greater in power.

Bible teaching is not only words and sentences or meanings of the original text, but it of course is all that, too. We should understand Bible teaching in a spiritually correct way and understand what the Bible in full teaches about a subject, and we also need to understand the context of the teaching. In regard to what the Bible in full teaches about the present subject, it is crystal clear that people are not capable of doing works that are greater in power than those done by Almighty God.

Isa 14:
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

The Bible teaches us that people want to be like God because they are affected by satan's sin. When someone teaches that they are capable of doing greater works than Jesus, they are spreading a satanic lie and they are mocking God because sin and satan would like to be greater than God and to make people believe that they are capable of doing greater works than God.

John 13:
14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.
15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
17 If ye know these things, happy (makarios - blessed, happy) are ye if ye do them.

The Bible teaches us that no servant can be greater than their master. By washing the feet of the disciples, the Lord Jesus set an example to us of how we should serve others. After washing the feet, Jesus said that no servant is greater than his master, and no messenger is greater than the one who sent him. After that, Jesus said that if you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. By this, Jesus meant that everything that we do in service to God must be done so that we know and understand that we cannot be greater than our Lord Jesus Christ. If we understand this and serve God, knowing that we cannot be greater than our Lord Jesus Christ, we are blessed.

Our Lord Jesus Christ knew that in the church, a false teaching would exist, arguing that we are capable of doing works that are greater than those of Jesus, and that is why Jesus also taught that we cannot be greater than our Master. If we think that we can do works that are greater than those of Jesus, we have placed ourselves in a position which is equal of assuming that we can be greater than our Lord, and if that happens, we are not blessed because Jesus says so in the verse above.

John 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

Hebr 5:
7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

Many people say that when God does - through us - greater works than Jesus did, it is God who does the greater works than we, and therefore we are capable of doing greater works than Jesus because God does the works through us. This argument, too, is proven wrong by the truth manifested in the Bible.

The Bible teaches us that Jesus did not do anything by His own power. Instead, Father God did all the works through Him, and Jesus' prayers were heard because of His fear (respect) of God, and Jesus learned obedience from His suffering. Because Jesus was obedient to the Father, the Father did the Father's works through Jesus. If someone believes that he or she is capable of doing greater works than Jesus, they also declare - often unknowingly and due to their lack of understanding - that they are more obedient than Jesus and that their faith and confidence in God is greater than that of Jesus. God does God's works through faith and obedience, and if someone believes that they are capable of doing works that are greater than those by Jesus, they place themselves in a position where they would be more obedient than Jesus and where their faith and confidence in God would be greater than those of Jesus; God does God's works through faith and obedience created by God.

Not a single believer cannot have greater faith than Jesus had, and not a single believer can have greater confidence in God than Jesus had, and not a single believer can be more obedient than Jesus, and not a single believer can have faith that is greater than God (Jesus). Works of faith are works that take place through faith, and the truth is clear as day; not a single believer can have greater faith than Our Lord Jesus Christ. In regard to everything mentioned above, and to the truth shared with us through the Bible in full, it is evident that greater works cannot be greater in regard to quality (greater in power), but greater in number because not a single believer can have greater faith and obedience than Jesus. Some believers may have naively believed the false teaching of works greater than those by Jesus because they have relied on their own wisdom when reading about this subject in the Bible, only focusing on one verse, and have not read the Bible spiritually and compared the verse to what the Bible in full teaches about this subject.

The false teaching of us being capable of doing greater works than Jesus paves the way for the activity of a spirit of deceit because the goal of the teaching is to aim for works that are greater in power (qualitatively greater) than those done by Jesus, and because that is not possible, and when people try to do that, they have entered a zone where the spirits of deceit work miracles and wonders through the force of deceit. Naive young believers, or old believers, too, can be deceived by this lie. However, if they do not repent of it, the force of impact will change from the power of God to the power a spirit of deceit, and I can already see this happening in an activity where those involved stubbornly continue to believe this horrible false doctrine.

Believe to the Lord Jesus like the Bible teaches us

References:
33/38 Raamattu
Biblia 1776
King James Version 1769