The Problem of Miracles

1. The Problem of Miracles What are miracles? Why are they so limited in occurrence? What role does science play in miracles?

2. Miracles in the Bible Particular to the Old Testament Creation Gen. 1-2 The flood Gen. 7, 82. Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah Gen. 19:243. Lot's wife turned into a "pillar of salt" Gen. 19:264. Birth of Isaac at Gerar Gen. 21:15. The burning bush not consumed Ex. 3:36. Aaron's rod changed into a serpent Ex. 7:10-127. The ten plagues of Egypt--(1) waters become blood, (2) frogs, (3) lice, (4) flies, (5) murrain, (6) boils, (7) thunder and hail, (8) locusts, (9) darkness, (10) death of the first-born Ex. 7:20-12:308. The Red Sea divided; Israel passes through Ex. 14:21-319. The waters of Marah sweetened Ex. 15:23-2510. Manna sent daily, except on Sabbath Ex. 16:14-3511. Water from the rock at Rephidim Ex. 17:5-712. Nadab and Abihu consumed for offering "strange fire" Lev. 10:1, 213. Some of the people consumed by fire at Taberah Num. 11:1-314. The earth opens and swallows up Korah and his company; fire and plague follow at Kadesh Num. 16:3215. Aaron's rod budding at Kadesh Num. 17:816. Water from the rock, smitten twice by Moses, Desert of Zin Num. 20:7-1117. The brazen serpent in the Desert of Zin Num. 21:8, 918. Balaam's ass speaks Num. 22:21-3519. The Jordan divided, so that Israel passed over dryshod Josh. 3:14-1720. The walls of Jericho fall down Josh. 6:6-2021. The sun and moon stayed. Hailstorm Josh. 10:12-1422. The strength of Samson Judg. 14-1623. Water from a hollow place "that is in Lehi" Judg. 15:1924. Dagon falls twice before the ark. Emerods on the Philistines 1 Sam. 5:1-1225. Men of Beth-shemesh smitten for looking into the ark 1 Sam. 6:1926. Thunderstorm causes a panic among the Philistines at Eben-ezer 1 Sam. 7:10-1227. Thunder and rain in harvest at Gilgal 1 Sam. 12:1828. Sound in the mulberry trees at Rephaim 2 Sam. 5:23-2529. Uzzah smitten for touching the ark at Perez-uzzah 2 Sam. 6:6, 730. Jeroboam's hand withered. His new altar destroyed at Bethel 1 Kings 13:4-631. Widow of Zarephath's meal and oil increased 1 Kings 17:14-1632. Widow's son raised from the dead 1 Kings 17:17-2433. Drought, fire, and rain at Elijah's prayers, and Elijah fed by ravens 1 Kings 17, 1834. Ahaziah's captains consumed by fire near Samaria 2 Kings 1:10-1235. Jordan divided by Elijah and Elisha near Jericho 2 Kings 2:7, 8, 1436. Elijah carried up into heaven 2 Kings 2:1137. Waters of Jericho healed by Elisha's casting salt into them 2 Kings 2:21, 2238. Bears out of the wood destroy forty-two "young men" 2 Kings 2:2439. Water provided for Jehoshaphat and the allied army 2 Kings 3:16-2040. The widow's oil multiplied 2 Kings 4:2-741. The Shunammite's son given, and raised from the dead at Shunem 2 Kings 4:32-3742. The deadly pottage cured with meal at Gilgal 2 Kings 4:38-4143. An hundred men fed with twenty loaves at Gilgal 2 Kings 4:42-44. Naaman cured of leprosy, Gehazi afflicted with it 2 Kings 5:10-2745. The iron axe-head made to swim, river Jordan 2 Kings 6:5-746. Ben hadad's plans discovered. Hazael's thoughts, etc. 2 Kings 6:1247. The Syrian army smitten with blindness at Dothan 2 Kings 6:1848. The Syrian army cured of blindness at Samaria 2 Kings 6:2049. Elisha's bones revive the dead 2 Kings 13:2150. Sennacherib's army destroyed, Jerusalem 2 Kings 19:3551. Shadow of sun goes back ten degrees on the sun-dial of Ahaz, Jerusalem 2 Kings 20:9-1152. Uzziah struck with leprosy, Jerusalem 2 Chr. 26:16-2153. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego delivered from the fiery furnace, Babylon Dan. 3:10-2754. Daniel saved in the lions' den Dan. 6:16-2355. Jonah in the whale's belly. Safely landed Jonah 2:1-10 Particular to the New Testament Cure of two blind men Matt 9:27-312. Piece of money in the fish's mouth Matt 17:24-27 The deaf and dumb man Mark 7:31-372. The blind man of Bethsaida Mark 8:22-26 Jesus passes unseen through the crowd Luke 4:28-302. The miraculous draught of fishes Luke 5:4-113. The raising of the widow's son at Nain Luke 7:11-184. The woman with the spirit of infirmity Luke 13:11-175. The man with the dropsy Luke 14:1-66. The ten lepers Luke 17:11-197. The healing of Malchus Luke 22:50, 51 Water made wine John 2:1-112. Cure of nobleman's son, Capernaum John 4:46-543. Impotent man at Bethsaida cured John 5:1-94. Man born blind cured John 9:1-75. Lazarus raised from the dead John 11:38-446. Draught of fishes John 21:1-14 The conception by the Holy Ghost Luke 1:352. The transfiguration Matt 17:1-83. The resurrection John 21:1-144. The ascension Luke 2:42-51

3. Definition of a Miracle • A divine intervention into, or an interruption of, the regular course of the world that produces a purposeful but unusual event that would not have occurred otherwise. • Wondrous natural events do not qualify as miracles. • Supernatural events that do not interrupt the regular course of the world do not qualify as miracles. • “Laws of Nature” are not fixed laws; they are descriptive, not prescriptive. • Miracles are not violations of laws of causality, but are simply unusual effects produced by the introduction of a supernatural cause.

4. Philosophical Objections David Hume in An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding “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 as can be imagined… It is no miracle that a man, seemingly in good health, should die on a sudden: because such a kind of death, though more unusual than any other, has yet been frequently observed to happen. But it is a miracle that a dead man should come to life; because that has never been observed, in any age or country. There must, therefore, be a uniform experience against every miraculous event, otherwise the event would not merit that appellation.” According to Hume, miracles are violations of the "laws of nature" that "firm and unalterable" experience has solidly established.1 Only a superior testimony of experience may override this proposition, but, unfortunately, there cannot be such a testimony, for if there were, miracles would no longer merit their name.2

5. Philosophical Objections Clarifying David Hume • Hume is not arguing that miracles are impossible, just that there can never be enough evidence to believe in them. • The entire fund of human experience has established the laws of nature and one would need a greater amount of evidence than all of mankind’s experience to believe in miracles. • Hume’s argument is based on probability: It will always be more probable that a person will be in error (deceiving or being deceived) than that entire experience of mankind is wrong.

6. Philosophical Objections: Witness Credibility • The contention that the disciples were guilty of fraud. • “Easter is not primarily a comfort, but a challenge. Its message is either the supreme fact in history or else a gigantic hoax… If it is true, then it is the supreme fact of history; and to fail to adjust one’s life to its implications means irreparable loss. But if it is not true, if Christ be not risen, then the whole of Christianity is a fraud, foisted on the world by a company of consummate liars, or, at best, deluded simpletons. St. Paul himself realized this when he wrote: If Christ be not risen, then our preaching is meaningless, and your faith worthless. More, we are found to be false witnesses.”3 • The cause of the rise of Christianity. • “If the coming into existence of the Nazarenes, a phenomenon undeniably attested by the New Testament, rips a great hole in history, a hole the size and shape of the Resurrection, what does the secular historian propose to stop it up with? … the birth and rapid rise of the Christian Church… remain an unsolved enigma for any historian who refuses to take seriously the only explanation offered by the Church itself.”4

7. Philosophical Objections Answering David Hume • Hume begs the question: “Firm and unalterable experience”; He assumes that miracles have never occurred in order to prove that miracles have never occurred. • Hume presupposes naturalism. Yet if God exists then surely miracles are possible. • Hume misuses probability: 1) Highly improbable events do occur; 2) Probability cannot tell what actually happened in the past. • Miracles appear as sense perception and therefore can be supported by testimony; if miracles are possible then claims should be investigated rather than just ruled our a priori.

8. The Scientific Challenge "Man's knowledge and mastery of the world have advanced to such an extent through science and technology that it is no longer possible for anyone seriously to hold the New Testament view of the world… the modern conception of human nature as a self-subsistent unity immune from the interference of supernatural powers must take its place.“ -Rudolph Bultmann

9. Scientific Objections • The closed-universe view, which says that the universe contains all of reality, is now being either questioned or flat out rejected by many scientists. • Physical science cannot account for all events purely on natural laws. • Probability applies even to the field of physics. • Some physical events are unpredictable and do not conform to laws. • Causal agents [agents with free will] create several events which are unpredictable and cannot be ruled out. • Investigating an event to see if it actually occurred is valid apart from science and is regularly practiced in other fields. • All we need to establish by this method is that miracles cannot be ruled out a priori. • Not everything can be scientifically proven.

10. The Historical Challenge • Ernst Troelstsch’s objection to miracles: principle of historical analogy. • In essence this principle states the historian has no right to accept as historical fact the account of a past event for which he has no analogy in the present. • Ex.: If one were to read of a great battle in ancient times in which one army massacres another without suffering a single casualty itself, one would be suspect of its authenticity. • “God never does miracles today, at least I’ve never seen one. Therefore, I have no reason to believe that He did them in the past.”

11. The Historical Challenge Answering Troeltsch • There are positive reasons to believe that the miraculous may be occurring today. There is a growing awareness in the world of the paranormal—events that cannot be explained by natural causes (NDE). • It is impossible a priori to argue that miracles do not occur merely because one has not experience as miracle. Miracles may be occurring beyond the scope of ones awareness. This is confusing an epistemological issue [knowledge based] with an ontological issue [a nature of being]. • There is no reason a priori to reject the testimony of others who have experienced the miraculous. As stated above, while one may be justified in requiring evidence for miracle claims, miracles are objective events that can be verified like any other event.

12. Multireligious Miracles • Claim: All religions have their miracles, what makes Christianity’s miracles true and other religions’ false? • Not all religions teach miracles and the Jewish-Christian religions are the only religions that claim to prove its teachings through miracles. • In all cases of miracles, no miracles have the historical evidence like the gospel miracles. • Christianity’s miracles are religiously significant. Jesus’ miracles occurred at the climax of His unparalleled life. • Religio-historical context distinguishes miracles from physical anomalies.

13. Conclusion to Authenticity • We have shown that miracles are not irrational, unscientific or non-historical. They can rationally shown to be possible, are completely compatible with science, and, because they are events in history, can be argued as historically have taken place. • If God exists then miracles are not only certainly possible, but one would expect them to take place as a sign of God’s presence. This is a common demand to those who claim to be from God: “Show us a sign.” • Miracles are not beyond logic, logical absurdities, or contradictory. • No one is punting to the “God of the gaps.”

14. Application • Miracles shape the crux of the Christian worldview. • Miracles are a stumbling block for some people who are naturalists. • The use of miracles is a apologetic method known as Evidential Apologetics. • A fideist beginning has now turned evidential. • Psalm 105.5; 1 Cor. 15.17 • “This world, after all our science and sciences, is still a miracle.” –A.W. Tozer