Do Miracles Really Happen?
Every generation has had an accepted belief that miracles do indeed happen and 82% of Americans (with similar percentages worldwide) believe in the possibility. Resistance to the concept of the miraculous comes mainly from scientific and scholarly circles. As modern science is based on naturalism, all events, past and present, can be explained in terms of natural forces operating in the world, it leaves no room for the supernatural or for the God of the Bible.
An attack on the credibility of miracles is an attempt to discredit the resurrection of Christ – the supreme miracle of Scripture - and the most vital of Christian beliefs. We must ask ourselves considering we have ‘a reasonable faith’ – is it rational to believe that miracles have happened in the past as the Bible records? And on this basis, is it reasonable to believe that miracles can happen today?
First, we must define what exactly is a ‘miracle.’ It is an event that can only be explained by the extraordinary and direct intervention of God – a divine action that breaks into and changes the ordinary course of events. It must meet all three of the following elements:
it must be ‘super’ natural – unexplainable using the scientific method and outside of the immutable ‘laws of physics’ established by natural science with no possible human or natural cause; a suspension of the laws of nature, not violation of them and is never a contradiction. Miracles don’t contradict natural processes (that would make them meaningless) but adds the element of God’s power. For example: a dead man can be raised again to life, but he cannot be both dead AND alive at the same time.
it must be linked to God - by either the command of God, by the prayer of a person to God, or by the agency of a person acting authoritatively on God’s behalf.
it must be aligned with the purposes of God according to the principles of Scripture. Be careful how you might ascribe miracles. The Bible warns us that satan can appear as an angel of light.
Take for example the floating axe head of 2 Kings 6:1-7. Physics does not say it is impossible for iron to float in water, only that it cannot rise to the surface unless another agency intervenes. In the possible scenarios of the axe head being raised by a) air bubbles being released from the river bed, b) a fish, c) a time-traveling scuba diver, and d) God intervenes supernaturally, a, b and c don’t violate the laws of nature but are ridiculously unlikely. As the report in 2 Kings is held as a reasonable eyewitness account, and Occam’s Razor (The Rule of Simplest Explanation) rules out the ridiculous, the answer is d.
Read about the coin Jesus told His disciples to retrieve from the mouth of a fish in Matthew 17:24-27 needed to pay their taxes. This is not an impossible event. It has been discovered that this particular fish in this particular region has a penchant for collecting shiny things and carrying them in their mouths back to where they bed to lay eggs. It is the extraordinary timing of this event and the exact prediction of Jesus that qualifies this as extraordinary and miraculous.
It is the same with the plague of locusts (and those that followed) in the Book of Exodus. Technically, none of them were impossible (although some were unprecedented) but the timing was extraordinary as it all started with Moses extending his staff and ended with Moses interceding before God.
The Bible accounts for numerous miracles, but keep in mind that they were never arbitrary or superfluous and only happened for one of three reasons: 1) as confirmation of divine communication 2) as a seal of a divine mission or 3) as an act of divine compassion.
The Old Testament records the repeated intervention of God into human history. The pivotal miracle is the exodus of the people of Israel from Egypt (The Book of Exodus) including the plagues and parting the Red Sea. It is the basis of the covenant God made with the people of Israel and the foundation for the rest of the Old Testament. Again, let me add that there have been many theories about exactly WHERE the Israelites crossed the sea and the scientific explanation of HOW the water could have parted over a shallow ‘reed’ sea but it doesn’t entirely explain the ENTIRE account and the destruction of Pharaoh’s army when the water rushed back. As with other recorded biblical miracles, the extraordinary timing and the fulfillment of earlier prophecy make them miraculous above and beyond their physical manifestation.
In the New Testament Record, the Gospel accounts are a chronicle of the miraculous – angelic appearances, divine guidance, healings, resurrections, demonstrations of divine power and revelations of God’s glory. The pivotal miracle is the resurrection of Christ – without it the Christian faith is meaningless. Luke was a physician, the man of science for his day, and makes him one of the most credible witnesses in the whole of the ancient world. He recorded a significant portion of the New Testament miracles and made it clear he “carefully investigated” and witnessed many of them while traveling with Paul.
Since the time of Galileo, there has been a greater belief in the philosophy of Scientism. It is widely believed that the mystery of our origin, continued existence and answers to every question can and will be explained by natural science. It categorically excludes the supernatural intervention of God. And with the newest and latest version called the theory of ‘Intelligent Design,’ it doesn’t negate your belief in God, only your faith in God. When we decide the veracity of biblical miracles we are not engaging in a mere academic exercise. Since they are the basis of a biblical world view, miracles are an essential element of our faith and should be evaluated mentally AND spiritually.
Are modern-day miracles possible? There is no way to prove to a skeptic that the miracles of the Bible actually happened with supernatural influence. There are only two persuasive factors on which we can count:
• A rational view of the universe allows for the possibility of miracles.
• The witness accounts of the Bible are credible.
The issue of whether the miracles of the Bible happened or not comes down to faith. Do you believe that God exists and what is He like? Psalm 77:14 says that He is “… the God of miracles and wonders...” As with all things related to being a disciple of Christ, it is always a matter of choice and belief.
Next week we answer the question “Who is the REAL Jesus?” Until then, I invite you to study the Word freely given at online-bible-college.com where many of my teaching blogs derive. Be blessed – you have enough faith for this!!!!!
