CIM Briefing Papers

C.I.M. Outline #22
                            Miracles

I.  Introduction

    A.  The miraculous assumptions of Christianity are a major
        stumbling block to its critics.  This anti-supernatural
        view was pretty well summarized by the philosopher,
        Spinoza in the 17th century:

        Miracles are violations of natural laws.
        Natural laws are immutable.
        It is impossible for immutable laws to be violated.
        Therefore, miracles are impossible.

    B.  Seven Major Questions

        1.  What is a miracle?
        2.  How can a miracle be recognized or documented?
        3.  Does God perform miracles today?
        4.  Can Satan perform miracles?
        5.  Can a person be a good scientist and believe in
            miracles?
        6.  What is the purpose of miracles?
        7.  What is the nature of the natural?

II.  The Problem of definition

     A.  The pantheistic view:  Everything is miraculous. 
         "birth" "flower", etc.

         If everything is a miracle than in essence nothing is a
         miracle.

     B.  The deistic view:  Miracles occur when a wholly
         transcendent god violates a law of nature.  The laws of
         nature are seen as thing independent of God.  God
         created them, but they run on their own.

         This view is very difficult to defend both logically
         (See Spinoza's argument) and Biblically.  It is also
         contrary to the Bible's teaching on providence.  It has
         God disrupting His created order.

     C.  Miracles are effects of little known, or misunderstood
         laws of nature.  "Jesus Christ rose from the dead and
         someday science will be able to account for it."  This
         is a "God of the gaps" argument.  God is whatever I
         don't understand.

     D.  Unusual coincidences which are interpreted as God's
         answer to prayer.

         Illustration: A man jumps from an airplane and his
         parachute fails to open properly.  His parachute,
         however, catches in the limbs of a tree, the only tree
         in the area!  The man is spared injury.

         This can certainly be called a miracle, but it is not
         in the same category as the events in the New
         Testament, e.g. John's gospel. 

         All of the above fall short of Biblically satisfying
         answer.

III.  The Biblical description of miracles.  Three Greek words
      are used:

      (Note the OT also uses three words which are, for the most
      part an exact parallel of the Greek words in the NT)

      A.  "semeion."  A "Sign".  (78 times).  Jesus speaks of
          his resurrection as a "sign".  ..."But none will be
          given it except for the sign of the prophet Jonah." 
          Matt. 12:39.  See also Matt. 16:1,4.  A "semeion" was
          an event with divine significance.

      B.  "teras".  A "wonder".  (16 times).  It is also used in
          combination with "semeion".  Used of Jesus' miracles in
          John 4:48.  "teras" means something very unusual, out
          of the ordinary, amazing, or astonishing.

      C.  "dunamis".  A "power".  It is sometimes used of
          ordinary power, but is often translated "miracle".  It
          is often used in combination with "semeion" and
          "teras".  It emphasizes the source of the event.
       
IV.  The Biblical Definition of Miracles

     A Biblical definition must be drawn from a systematic study
     of the aforementioned words.  Geisler seems to meet this
     criteria in his definition:

     "...a miracle, then, is an unusual event ("wonder") that
     conveys and confirms an unusual (divine) message ("sign") by
     means of unusual power ("power").  From God's perspective a
     miracle is an act of God ("power") to attract the attention
     of the people of God ("wonder") to the Word of God ("sign").

     from Miracles and Modern Thought, p.116.

     A miracle is:
     
     A.  Unusual.  They stand in contrast to that which is
         natural.  They are unpredictable and uncontrollable.  

     B.  A demonstration of awesome power, the power of the
         Creator.  It is not a power that suspends or violates
         natural law.

     C.  A sign.  Biblical miracles are teleological; they have
         a purpose.  They are signs.  They are never to
         entertain. 

         Reasons for miracles:

         1.  To Glorify God.  Jn. 2:11; 11:40.
         2.  To accredit certain persons as messengers of God. 
             The miracle authenticates the message and the
             messenger.  Heb. 2:3-4.
         3.  To meet human need.  Feeding the 5000.
         3.  As evidence for the deity of Christ.  Jn. 6:2,14;
             20:30-31.
         4.  Summary:  Miracles get our attention.  They
             instruct us.  They are theological in nature (God
             centered).  They are moral, and they have a
             distinct purpose.

V.  Miracles and the Providence of God.

    The Biblical doctrine of Providence teaches that the Creator
    is working our His plan through His created works.  With
    regard to miracles it is essential to understand that God is
    working in the natural flow of events as much as He is when
    He performs a miracle.  Nature is simply God's customary way
    of acting.  There is therefore, a uniformity to nature which
    makes science possible.  However, a Biblically committed
    Christian does not believe the universe is a "self-
    contained" or "closed system".  God, because He is God, can
    act contrary to ordinary events.  When He does we classify
    these acts as miraculous.

VI.  Miracles and the Supernatural

     Not all supernatural acts originate from God.  Satan
     apparently has the power to cause events which cannot be
     explained on a purely natural basis.  In otherwords, they
     are not just deceptive acts, i.e. sleigh of hand tricks. 
     See IIThess. 2:9, Rev. 13:14; 16:14.  The same Greek words
     are used to describe these events.  They are, however, of a
     noticeably different caliber.  Satan's power if finite.  His
     acts are meant to deceive.  They are supernatural events but
     not miracles in the Biblical sense.

VII.  Miracles Today

      A question on the minds of many Christians today is: 
      "Does God perform miracles today?"  We know that God can. 
      The question is, does He?  If we follow closely our
      definition of a Biblical miracle, and what the Bible
      teaches about the purpose of miracles, we must conclude
      that for the most part, this kind of miracle ceased
      shortly after the New Testament was completed.  In order
      for God's Messiah and His Apostles to be accredited,
      spectacular signs were necessary, and were part of God's
      plan just as they were to accredit Moses in the OT.

      The superstructure of the Church was built upon a
      foundation of Christ and His Apostles.  See Eph. 2:20; I
      Cor.310-11; Rev. 21:14.  Since the foundation of a
      building only needs to be laid once, we may be sure that
      God has not given any new revelation to His people since
      the Apostles died.  The fact that only His Apostles
      belonged in the foundation is seen clearly in our Lord's
      high priestly prayer, when He prayed for those who would
      believe on Him "through their word," namely the word of
      the Apostles to whom "all the truth" would be given by the
      Holy Spirit.  See John 17:20; 16:13.

      If God is indeed allowing certain men the gift to perform
      miracles today. the following questions need to be asked: 
      why are there so few of them?  Why are their powers so
      limited?  And why are the results so doubtful?  When Jesus
      performed miracles they were abundant; they were
      spectacular, and they were totally undeniable!

      This does not mean that God does not answer prayer today. 
      He certainly does, and when He does often believers are
      certain of God's intervention.  God does heal today, but
      the process (in most cases) is very different than the
      miraculous approach that we see in the NT.

VIII.  Summary  

       The problem in the belief of miracles goes back to one's
       primary assumptions.  If one believes in the infinite,
       creator-god of the Bible then miracles are something we
       would expect.  In contrast, if a person assumes that the
       universe is closed system of natural laws that have
       existed for eternity, then miracles would be absurd.  To
       deny miracles on this basis is roughly akin to saying: 
       "What my net does not catch ain't fish."

IX.  For Further Study
    
    We highly recommend the following books in the study of
    miracles:

    MIRACLES AND MODERN THOGHT.  by Norman L. Geisler

    MIRACLES, DEMONS, AND SPIRITUAL WARFARE.  By Edward N. Gross

    MIRACLES:  A PRELIMINARY STUDY.  By C.S. Lewis

    HEALING AND HOLINESS.  C. Samuel Storms   
 
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