For years I steered away from even studying the subject of miracles, much less teaching on them. I think that deep down I was afraid of what I might find. What I am going to present in the following lessons is how I was personally able to reconcile miracles with my scientific background (PhD in organic chemistry). These are my personal thoughts so please feel free to disagree with what I am going to say. And if you want to learn from some real experts, here are some suggested resources.
Recommended books
The Christian View of Science and Scripture by Bernard Ramm
Dictionary of Christianity and Science, P. Copan, et al, ed.
The God of Miracles by C. John Collins
Miracles and the Critical Mind by Colin Brown
Science Held Captive by Van Till, Young and Menninga
Miracles by C. S. Lewis
The Big Question: Why We Can't Stop Talking About Science, Faith and God by Alister McGrath
Notes on the Miracles of Our Lord by R. C. Trench
The Miracles by Simon Kistemaker
We will first deal with some basic issues, but other posts will cover more specific aspects of biblical miracles.
Definition of Miracle
an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs
an extremely outstanding or unusual event, thing, or accomplishment.
Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary
The first definition is the one we generally associate with biblical miracles. We sometimes cheapen the concept if we talk to others as if everything we experience is a direct miracle from God. But on the other hand, even the second definition, which is a lot looser and could apply to everything from the miracle of birth to a miracle drug, may ultimately point back to a divine cause. So there is somewhat of an overlap between the two definitions since everything stems from God.
What about a biblical definition of miracles? Here are the Hebrew and Greek words used in the Bible to describe them, along with their root meanings.
mopet – marvel, sign, omen
meleka – works
pl' – extraordinary, difficult
thaumazo – astonishment and amazement
teras – extraordinary
semeion – sign
dunamis – power
Notice that these words point either to the effect on the viewer (awe), the message it relays (signpost), the ultimate cause of the miracle (God's work or power), or a deviation from what people are accustomed to. By contrast, today we usually define a miracle as a violation of the scientific laws of the universe. That is perhaps not really how we should view them at all, as I will try to explain.
I think that we sometimes limit God to only certain ways in which he can act. Skeptics deny anything that falls outside the realm of natural laws, and conversely, some Christians only see God acting when something totally out of the ordinary happens.
GOD'S MODES OF ACTION Here are three ways God can theoretically work within the universe, from a theistic (that is, a Christian) viewpoint.
God -------------> laws -----------> Nature
creates
God ---------------------------------> Nature
transforms
God ---------------------------------> Nature
The last two modes are the ones we usually call miracles.
We don't have to go any further in the Bible than Genesis 1-3 to illustrate these three types of action.
God's Creation of Natural Laws
God said, “Let the earth bring forth vegetation: plants yielding seed and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with seed according to its kind.” (1:11) (Laws of Genetic Inheritance)
God said, “let there be lights in the sky...and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years.” (1:15) In order for us to use the heavenly bodies to tell time, they have to move in an orderly and predictable pattern. (such as described in Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion)
The curse on nature in Genesis 3 is alluded to by Paul when he says
“...the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay...” (Romans 8:21) In our fallen world, entropy increases, i.e. the universe is running down. (2rd Law of Thermodynamics)
These natural laws are also alluded to in Jeremiah 33:25-26:
“Only if I had not established my covenant with day and night and the ordinances of heaven and earth, would I reject the offspring of Jacob and of my servant David...” (NRSV)
“If I had not made my law for day and night nor established a fixed order in heaven and earth...” (NEB)
God's Direct Creation in Genesis from Nothing
God said, “Let there be...” And it was so.
Light (1:3)
Firmament (1:6-7)
Heavenly Bodies (1:14-15)
God's Indirect Creation in Genesis
God said,
“Let the earth bring forth vegetation.” (1:11-12)
“Let the waters bring forth living creatures.” (1:20)
“Let the earth bring forth living creatures.” (1:24)
Here creation is pictured in terms of processes instituted by God by which the earth and seas were equipped with the necessary energy and matter to bring forth life. But there is really no strict division between God's Direct and Indirect Creations.
Thus, God said,
“Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures.” (1:20)
“So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm...” (1:21)
Verse 20 explains how God created the sea creatures.
One of the two words translated “create” or “make” in Genesis 1-2 is 'asa.
“In Hebrew, a word such as 'asa...simply indicates a role in causation without clarifying whether that role was direct or indirect.” (John H. Walton, “Ancient Cosmology” in Dictionary of Christianity and Science, p. 116)
God's Direct Action on Creation in Genesis
And thirdly, there is God's manipulation of energy and matter that had already been created by Him.
God separated the light from the darkness (1:4)
And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” (1:9)
Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. (2:7)
Years ago it was quite common to hear a Christian confronting a Darwinist by saying, “Well, you might be descended from an ape, but I'm certainly not,” as if that would somehow be beneath us. We sometimes forget how the Bible pictures our origins -- descended from a handful of dirt.
Laws
God -----------------------------> nature
Going back to the various ways God can act on the universe, there is one additional way that a true theistic view considers: that is the possibility that the triune God can continue to direct the workings of the universe on a day-to-day basis in a very personal way, but somehow do it without going around any laws of nature. As Jesus said, “My Father is working still, and I am working.” (John 5:17)
Here are some additional New Testament quotes which indicate God is still actively involved in keeping the universe going.
"He (Christ) is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word." (Hebrews 1:3)
"He (Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible...He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together." (Colossians 1:15-17)
"By the word of God heavens existed long ago and an earth was formed out of water...But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire, being kept and maintained until the day of judgment and destruction of the godless." (II Peter 3:6-7)
Some prominent Bible scholars have commented on these verses as follows:
“Nature is not enough to support and maintain the world, but rather it contains the material for its own ruin whenever it may so please God.” (John Calvin)
“The Creator has not forgotten the creation. He daily maintains a balance in the universe.” (Richard Melick, Jr.)
“Through him the world is sustained, prevented from falling into chaos.” (N. T. Wright)
“Christ is the unifying and cohering factor in creation.” (Donald Guthrie)
“In the divine ordering of the universe He is its Creator, Sustainer and End.” (A. M. Stibbs)
The question again is, how can God be actively involved on a day-to-day basis in sustaining the universe without it somehow showing up as a constant violation of the laws of nature?
Actions of a Hidden God
1. Quantum Mechanical Explanation
2. Inadequacy of the Laws of Nature
3. God's Omnipresence
I think we can deal with this question in at least three different ways. The first explanation is an outgrowth of quantum mechanics, which deals with the chaotic non-Newtonian behavior of individual atomic and sub-atomic particles.
Chaos Theory “leaves open a possible avenue for God's providential action, for the future is not necessarily rigidly predetermined, but rather its development is contained only within finite limits. This results in the possibility of...top-down causation by which God can guide the course of events in a somewhat hidden way by working through chaotic (or even microscopic quantum) events.” (Richard F. Carlson, “Chaos Theory,” Dictionary of Christianity and Science, p. 83) I am not quite convinced by this approach, but since I am no expert in quantum mechanics, I'll just leave it at that.
The next two explanations are more helpful to me personally in preserving the idea of God as a God of order and yet one who still responds to our needs today. I will explain the next concept in a rather roundabout way beginning back in the 14th century with a Franciscan monk named William of Ockham, who formulated the principle known as Ockham's Razor: “All things being equal, the simplest solution tends to be the best one.” Scientists have latched on to this principle in order to pare down their theories and laws to their absolute bare minimum. Note several things here: (1) it is interesting that today's scientists are taking their cue from a long-dead Christian monk, (2) there is no proof that Ockham's statement is true, and (3) even he points out several caveats. Thus, there is always the real possibility that the simplest formulation of a law may leave out unknown factors that are present but can't be perceived by any direct observation or experimentation.
For example, take Newton's Second Law of Motion, which states that the force exerted by an object equals its mass times its acceleration [F=ma]. Ockham would be happy, but does this truly represent reality? Physicists have a penchant for explaining difficult concepts through the use of somewhat fanciful thought experiments. I'll briefly describe two of these so that you will better understand my own thought experiment, which I like to call Isaac's Angels (named after Isaac Newton).
Schrodinger's Cat – This was a thought experiment proposed by physicist Erwin Schrodinger to explain a paradox arising from one particular interpretation of quantum mechanics. A cat is placed in a box with a single radioactive source such as an atom. When this atom emits radiation, which it does unpredictably, it will trigger a hammer breaking a glass container of hydrogen cyanide, killing the cat. According to the principles of quantum mechanics, up to the point that the box is actually opened to observe it, the cat will be dead and alive at the same time. This has given rise to a number of jokes and tee shirt designs such as “Schrodinger's Cat Wanted: Dead and Alive.”
Maxwell's Demon –Physicist James Maxwell proposed another thought experiment that seemed to violate the Second Law of Thermodynamics in which a tiny demon controls a small opening between two containers of gas at the same temperature. He only lets faster than average molecules into the left side, resulting in the box on the left becoming hotter than the one on the right.
Here is my own thought experiment. Don't take what I am going to say as the literal truth any more than Schrodinger's cat or Maxwell's demon, but I think it is a good way to illustrate an important principle. We have hints in the Bible that individuals and even nations have angels assigned to them, so why not angels assigned by God to each law of nature (Something similar was actually proposed by some rabbis centuries ago). Imagine two angels of equal strength but working in opposite directions in charge of Newton's Second Law of Motion. The true scientific law can then be represented by this equation. F= ma + F(1) – F(2), where F(1) and F(2) represent the force exerted by each respective angel.
When God directs these angels to maintain the status quo, which is most of the time, their daily supernatural actions are totally undetectable by any physical means since they always cancel each other out. However, if God tells one or the other of them to slack off a little in a given instance, then something we call a miracle occurs, which looks like it is violating a law of nature. But it actually doesn't since this is the real law, not the stripped down formulation F=ma that Ockham's principle has influenced us to believe in. And if God ever stops sustaining the universe by calling in some or all of his angels, then the universe as we know it rolls up as a scroll and is destroyed.
St. Augustine summarized this concept the best: “Miracles are not contrary to nature, but only contrary to what we know about nature.” God may have laws that we don't understand. Laws of science are only our best attempts to describe how things act, as far as we know.
C. S. Lewis presented an alternative explanation for how God can be actively involved in the daily workings of the universe (for example in answering our prayers), but do so without violating the laws of nature in any observable way. He cited the Miracle of Dunkirk, the subject of a recent movie, in which thousands of people were praying for good weather in the English Channel so that all the commandeered boats could safely cross and rescue allied troops who were trapped at the beach with the Nazis closing in on them. The weather turned out to be perfect for the rescue, but today's meteorologists could have predicted that well in advance of the people praying. So how could that be called a miraculous answer to prayer? C. S. Lewis explains:
“When we are praying about the result, say, of a battle or a medical consultation the thought will often cross our minds that (if only we knew it) the event is already decided one way or the other. I believe this to be no good reason for ceasing our prayers. The event certainly has been decided – in a sense it was decided 'before all worlds'. But one of the things taken into account in deciding it, and therefore one of the things that really cause it to happen, may be this very prayer that we are now offering. Thus, shocking as it may sound, I conclude that we can at noon become part of causes of an event occurring at ten o'clock [AM].” (Miracles, p. 214)
This is not a new idea. “...there was no question for the early rabbis that God could perform miracles...There was nevertheless a concern to minimize the disruption of the usual workings of the world. This resulted in the claim on the part of some that miracles were preordained as an integral part of the matrix of creation, so that (for example) the Red Sea would split at the appropriate time when the Israelites were in need.” (S. A. Meier, “Signs and Wonders” in Dictionary of the Pentateuch, pp. 758-9)
Remember that for God to be truly omnipresent, that means that he is not only present everywhere in space but also everywhere in time. The answer is simply that God is outside of time and we aren't. Not that we are to picture him continually jumping back and forth in time in response to our needs, constantly readjusting conditions so that our prayers will be answered. Instead, since he simultaneously exists in all time, he took into account, takes into account, and will take into account all events and responses of man when he caused the first atoms to spin into space. This is almost impossible for us to grasp since we are limited to living in the present moment only.
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