Are Miracles Beyond Belief?
Miracles by their very nature are unique events. Joshua Chatraw and Mark Allen affirm this fact, “Miracles are not normal events. If they were normal, no one would consider them miracles.”[1] Common events could never be considered miraculous because the volume would render them too frequent to be viewed as miraculous. For something to be miraculous it must defy the current consensus of the human understanding of the physics and natural processes of reality. Therefore, these events seem larger than life and often unbelievable, and yet the documented history of Judaism is filled with miracles. Likewise, the most central claim of Christianity, namely the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is itself one of the greatest miracles that humanity has ever witnessed and is so important that participation in Christianity hinges on the acceptance of this grand miracle. Miracles are unique and extraordinary but there are good reasons to believe that miracles are possible.
According to Joshua Chatraw and Mark Allen, there are an incalculable number of testimonies of miraculous events stretched over different periods in many different locations.[2] This fact begs a question: are miracles possible? Merriam-Webster defines the word miracle as “an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs.”[3] Miracles, by definition, are extraordinary events. Extraordinary events are a part of the human experience.
For an alternate look at the definition of a miracle, David Hume writes, “A miracle is a violation of the laws of nature; and as a firm and unalterable experience has established these laws, the proof against a miracle, from the very nature of the fact, is as entire as any argument from experience can possibly be imagined.”[4] Hume’s argument attempts to convince readers to concede a simple equation: Miracles cannot happen; therefore, anything that violates natural law is not a miracle. This seems a tall order for one to concede especially considering the definition of a miracle. The argument itself is circular, finding its conclusion (miracles don’t happen) by way of a preconceived notion (miracles can’t happen) that must be accepted on faith to complete the analogy. A miracle is simply an extraordinary event. Extraordinary events do happen; however, care must be exercised to ensure an equal and opposite error to Hume’s is not accidentally acknowledged. Every extraordinary event is not necessarily a miracle. There are perhaps many instances where a natural process hasn’t been observed in a particular setting which can present an event as common or having a natural explanation. Nonetheless, there is room in between these two paradigms to find within the incalculable number of testimonies regarding miracles some that truly do fit the definition of a miracle.
There are many miracles recorded in the Bible. Assuming the validity of the miraculous accounts in the Bible, the point of many of these miracles was not to leave the reader in shock and awe of the extraordinary event. The goal for the record of these miraculous events was to show that God was with the prophet, apostle, or Messiah who was performing these miracles. To the ancient Jews, miracles were a form of identity verification for those who were acting on God’s behalf on Earth. The Bible is filled with accounts of Jews seeking a sign as a form of test, “The Pharisees came and began to argue with him [Jesus], demanding of him a sign from heaven to test him. Sighing deeply in his spirit, he said, ‘Why does this generation demand a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.’” (Mark 8:11-12, Christian Standard Bible) Commenting on this verse, Lou Barbieri writes, “They [the scribes and pharisees] wanted a miraculous display to prove his claims.”[5] The Greeks, whom Paul would encounter later, would seek verification in the form of wisdom or philosophy. This led Paul to write, “For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles.” (1 Corinthians 1:22-23, CSB) The miracle was generally not the point of the miraculous event, the miracle served a greater purpose. The miracle verified God’s endorsement of the person committing the act by allowing them the ability temporarily to alter and defy the natural order that God wrote into his creation.
The central claim of Christianity is centered around a historical and frankly, miraculous event, known generally as the resurrection of Jesus. Resurrections are not common events and defy the consensus regarding the nature and physics of death. Therefore, the resurrection of Jesus is a miracle. This means that the greatest claim of Christianity is a miracle. Salvation and restoration with God hinge on acceptance of this claim. Important almost seems an unsatisfactory adjective for the serious consideration that should be given to the decision of belief or disbelief in something with eternal ramifications. At the end of the day, only one question really must be answered: What evidence is there to believe in the resurrection? The Bible makes direct claims about the resurrection, and they should be considered; however, to the skeptic, the Bible will likely not be considered a reliable source. While this is true, with some context the Bible can become a more reliable source for skeptical consideration. The Bible, in all four gospels, describes women as being the first to locate the empty tomb of Jesus. This is interesting because this took place during a time when women’s testimony was not regarded as valid in court.[6] Because of this, the female testimony would not have added credibility to a fabricated story. It seems more likely that a fabricated story would include male witnesses. Another reason to believe that the resurrection of Jesus is true is because of the sudden change in the apostle’s willingness to face persecution and even death for the Messiah. There is a very tangible change in the way the disciples conducted themselves before and after the resurrection. Peter may provide the best illustration of this change. Before the resurrection, Peter denies Jesus three times (Matthew 26:60-75) but after the resurrection, Peter tells the same council that sentenced Jesus to death that he “can only testify to what he has seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19-20) Paul had a similar experience. On the road to Damascus to persecute Christians, Paul encounters the resurrected Jesus (Acts 9:1-19) and by the time he reaches the synagogue in Damascus he proclaims that “he [Jesus] is the Son of God.” (Acts 9:20) Lastly, Paul presents a list of witnesses to the resurrection in his letter to the Corinthians. Paul writes, “For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. (I Corinthians 15:3-6, CSB) This idea that many are still alive served as an instruction to the contemporary skeptic to seek out those who witnessed the resurrection to verify it for themselves.
Miracles, by definition, are extraordinary events. These events defy natural laws and physics; however, intellectual suicide does not have to be committed to believe in miracles. Miracles historically, have served a greater purpose than mere presentation. They have been viewed and used as an endorsement of God for prophets and apostles. The greatest claim of Christianity is itself a wonderful miracle. Participation in the Christian faith hinges on belief or rejection of this grand miracle.
[1] Joshua Chatraw and Mark Allen, Apologetics at the Cross, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2018), 304
[2] Ibid, 304
[3] Merriam-Webster, s.v. “miracle (n.),” accessed December 7, 2023, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/miracle
[4] David Hume, “Of Miracles,” in An Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding, (London: J. B. Bebbington, 1879), 81
[5] Lou Barbieri, “Mark” in The Moody Bible Commentary, edited by Michael Vanlaningham and Michael Rydelnik, (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2014), 3794
[6] W. David Beck and Michael R. Licona, Raised on the Third Day: Defending the Historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus, (Bellingham: Lexham Press, 2020), 179
According to Joshua Chatraw and Mark Allen, there are an incalculable number of testimonies of miraculous events stretched over different periods in many different locations.[2] This fact begs a question: are miracles possible? Merriam-Webster defines the word miracle as “an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs.”[3] Miracles, by definition, are extraordinary events. Extraordinary events are a part of the human experience.
For an alternate look at the definition of a miracle, David Hume writes, “A miracle is a violation of the laws of nature; and as a firm and unalterable experience has established these laws, the proof against a miracle, from the very nature of the fact, is as entire as any argument from experience can possibly be imagined.”[4] Hume’s argument attempts to convince readers to concede a simple equation: Miracles cannot happen; therefore, anything that violates natural law is not a miracle. This seems a tall order for one to concede especially considering the definition of a miracle. The argument itself is circular, finding its conclusion (miracles don’t happen) by way of a preconceived notion (miracles can’t happen) that must be accepted on faith to complete the analogy. A miracle is simply an extraordinary event. Extraordinary events do happen; however, care must be exercised to ensure an equal and opposite error to Hume’s is not accidentally acknowledged. Every extraordinary event is not necessarily a miracle. There are perhaps many instances where a natural process hasn’t been observed in a particular setting which can present an event as common or having a natural explanation. Nonetheless, there is room in between these two paradigms to find within the incalculable number of testimonies regarding miracles some that truly do fit the definition of a miracle.
There are many miracles recorded in the Bible. Assuming the validity of the miraculous accounts in the Bible, the point of many of these miracles was not to leave the reader in shock and awe of the extraordinary event. The goal for the record of these miraculous events was to show that God was with the prophet, apostle, or Messiah who was performing these miracles. To the ancient Jews, miracles were a form of identity verification for those who were acting on God’s behalf on Earth. The Bible is filled with accounts of Jews seeking a sign as a form of test, “The Pharisees came and began to argue with him [Jesus], demanding of him a sign from heaven to test him. Sighing deeply in his spirit, he said, ‘Why does this generation demand a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.’” (Mark 8:11-12, Christian Standard Bible) Commenting on this verse, Lou Barbieri writes, “They [the scribes and pharisees] wanted a miraculous display to prove his claims.”[5] The Greeks, whom Paul would encounter later, would seek verification in the form of wisdom or philosophy. This led Paul to write, “For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles.” (1 Corinthians 1:22-23, CSB) The miracle was generally not the point of the miraculous event, the miracle served a greater purpose. The miracle verified God’s endorsement of the person committing the act by allowing them the ability temporarily to alter and defy the natural order that God wrote into his creation.
The central claim of Christianity is centered around a historical and frankly, miraculous event, known generally as the resurrection of Jesus. Resurrections are not common events and defy the consensus regarding the nature and physics of death. Therefore, the resurrection of Jesus is a miracle. This means that the greatest claim of Christianity is a miracle. Salvation and restoration with God hinge on acceptance of this claim. Important almost seems an unsatisfactory adjective for the serious consideration that should be given to the decision of belief or disbelief in something with eternal ramifications. At the end of the day, only one question really must be answered: What evidence is there to believe in the resurrection? The Bible makes direct claims about the resurrection, and they should be considered; however, to the skeptic, the Bible will likely not be considered a reliable source. While this is true, with some context the Bible can become a more reliable source for skeptical consideration. The Bible, in all four gospels, describes women as being the first to locate the empty tomb of Jesus. This is interesting because this took place during a time when women’s testimony was not regarded as valid in court.[6] Because of this, the female testimony would not have added credibility to a fabricated story. It seems more likely that a fabricated story would include male witnesses. Another reason to believe that the resurrection of Jesus is true is because of the sudden change in the apostle’s willingness to face persecution and even death for the Messiah. There is a very tangible change in the way the disciples conducted themselves before and after the resurrection. Peter may provide the best illustration of this change. Before the resurrection, Peter denies Jesus three times (Matthew 26:60-75) but after the resurrection, Peter tells the same council that sentenced Jesus to death that he “can only testify to what he has seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19-20) Paul had a similar experience. On the road to Damascus to persecute Christians, Paul encounters the resurrected Jesus (Acts 9:1-19) and by the time he reaches the synagogue in Damascus he proclaims that “he [Jesus] is the Son of God.” (Acts 9:20) Lastly, Paul presents a list of witnesses to the resurrection in his letter to the Corinthians. Paul writes, “For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. (I Corinthians 15:3-6, CSB) This idea that many are still alive served as an instruction to the contemporary skeptic to seek out those who witnessed the resurrection to verify it for themselves.
Miracles, by definition, are extraordinary events. These events defy natural laws and physics; however, intellectual suicide does not have to be committed to believe in miracles. Miracles historically, have served a greater purpose than mere presentation. They have been viewed and used as an endorsement of God for prophets and apostles. The greatest claim of Christianity is itself a wonderful miracle. Participation in the Christian faith hinges on belief or rejection of this grand miracle.
[1] Joshua Chatraw and Mark Allen, Apologetics at the Cross, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2018), 304
[2] Ibid, 304
[3] Merriam-Webster, s.v. “miracle (n.),” accessed December 7, 2023, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/miracle
[4] David Hume, “Of Miracles,” in An Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding, (London: J. B. Bebbington, 1879), 81
[5] Lou Barbieri, “Mark” in The Moody Bible Commentary, edited by Michael Vanlaningham and Michael Rydelnik, (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2014), 3794
[6] W. David Beck and Michael R. Licona, Raised on the Third Day: Defending the Historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus, (Bellingham: Lexham Press, 2020), 179