‘Behold, the Lamb of God’
ide o amnos tou
theou
College Study
2nd teaching
6.28.2012
“the Acts of God: Miracles”
Prolegomena:
Part II
So, we covered the very, very foundation of theology: the Existence of God. It’s
not only the basis of theology, but the basis for everything in the universe
and the universe itself.
Now we know that a theistic God, that
is a singular, personal, infinite God exists beyond the physical universe.
We know that God exists. But
can this God act? Does He take part within the universe He made? Or
did He just make the universe and let it continue on without Him?
Remember which worldview claims that
God made the universe but takes no part in it?
Deism.
Deism
claims that God does not or can not act within the physical realm, but remains
outside of it entirely. Therefore, if you’re a deist, you do not believe in
miracles, which are the supernatural acts of God.
Now,
does this have anything to do with us today? Is there anyone who actually is a
deist today? Does anyone actually believe there was an Intelligent Creator but
that He/She/It does not take part in the universe currently?
The
answer is yes. There is a modern form of deism that many believe today:
This form of deism is known as theistic evolution.
Wikipedia
says of theistic evolution: Theistic
evolution or evolutionary creation is a concept that asserts that classical
religious teachings about God are compatible with the modern scientific
understanding about biological evolution. In short, theistic evolutionists
believe that there is a God, that God is the creator of the material universe
and (by consequence) all life within, and that biological evolution is simply a
natural process within that creation. Evolution, according to this view, is
simply a tool that God employed to develop human life… Theistic
evolution is not a scientific theory, but a particular view about how the
science of evolution relates to religious belief and interpretation.
So
same idea as deism: God created all the basic stuffs of the universe and set
them in motion, and then the processes of evolution took place in the celestial
objects, stars were born and died, space dust accumulated to form planets and
biological organisms eventually sprung up on one such planet spinning through
our galaxy which we now know as Earth, and this basic life eventually evolved
into humanity.
Theistic evolution is basically
a compromise that tries to meld religion and scientific theory. We won’t get
into theistic evolution today, because that’s not our topic, but it is safe to
say that a literal reading of the Bible certainly does not show theistic
evolution. Attempts have been made to say that the six days of Creation in the
Genesis account are not six literal days but that the days represent millions
if not billions of years, in order to account for the vast amounts of time
required for the mathematical implausibilities of evolution to actually take
place. There’s many problems with this.
One
problem is that God made the plants and trees on dry land on the third day but
the sun and stars on the fourth day. So… plants had no sunlight for thousands
of years?
It
just becomes nonsensical if you try to marry theism and evolution. So theistic
evolution, which is basically modern deism, is false, it’s balderdash, hogwash,
a whole lot of hoopla.
Does
this make the Bible unscientific and therefore contrary to what we know about
nature? Of course not. The Bible disagrees with an evolutionary theory. The Bible is actually the most
scientifically accurate of all the ancient texts known to man. But that’s
another study for another time.
So
on to our topic at hand. The first part of our introduction to theology was
the existence of God. The second
part of our introduction is the acts of
God. We know God exists, now, but does He or can He act today?
Tonight’s study on the acts of God
breaks down into 5 parts:
1. The Definition of Miracles
2. The Necessity of Miracles
3. The Possibility of Miracles
4. The Purpose of Miracles
5. Miracles and me.
Point
number one: The Definition of Miracles.
Before you talk about anything, you should know what you’re
talking about. Right? So before we talk anything about miracles happening, we
have to know what a miracle is.
First, let’s understand what a miracle is by what it is
NOT. Let me give you two views on defining a miracle: one true and one false.
One is by St Augustine and another by Thomas Aquinas.
First, St Augustine,
who was a 5th century bishop and theologian, wrote many books. One
of them is called the City of God. He
writes “A portent, therefore, happens not
contrary to nature, but contrary to what we know as nature”.
Augustine’s and
many others’ definition of a miracle, or a portent, or a sign or wonder, is
something that occurs as a part of natural processes that we simply don’t
understand yet. Therefore, miracles aren’t violations or suspensions of the
natural laws, but they are parts of the natural universe that we don’t
understand yet.
Thus miracles are
relative. For example, to the ancient Hawaiians, molten rock and fire spewing
out of the Earth seemed to be a miracle, because they did not understand it and
so created a goddess of fire as an origin for the miracle of volcanoes.
Or, an ancient
Native American tribe glimpsing a total solar eclipse, which we understand
today, would have been a miracle back then to them. And this no doubt explains
the crazy mythology and legends of the past.
But it is not an adequate definition of miracles, for
obvious reasons. This definition makes miracles explainable as part of the
natural world, not supernatural actions of a supernatural God. This definition
of miracles disagrees with the purposeful and God-enacted miracles of the
Bible, and it really makes miracles out to not exist at all, if they’re only
natural events.
In order for a miracle to be a miracle, by definition, it
cannot be explained by natural events, or it ceases to be miraculous.
So, a miracle is NOT
a natural event that we simply don’t understand. Otherwise, it would not be
miraculous.
The best definition
of miracles comes from a man named Thomas
Aquinas, who was a Roman Catholic priest who lived in from 1225 to 1274AD.
He defines a miracle as: an event that is
beyond nature’s power to produce and that only a supernatural power (such as
God) can do.
Only in this view
can miracles be defined as acts of God, since in the other view they can merely
be unexplained but purely natural events. Also, only in Thomas Aquinas’ view of
miracles do miracles have purpose, that is, they are an action accomplished
with a reason behind them, since they occur as supernatural acts of an
Intelligent God.
Thus, the true
definition of a miracle is this: a divine
intervention into the natural world. The former atheist turned theist,
Antony Flew said : “a miracle is something which would never have happened had nature…
been left to its own devices”.
So think of it this
way: natural law defines regularities,
but a miracle is an supernaturally caused singularity. A miracle is a rare,
singular and purposeful way in which God acts within the world.
One more point to further
define a miracle. A miracle is not a violation or suspension of natural law,
since these laws are definitive of how things work, but a miracle is a new
effect, or an addition, to the natural laws by a supernatural, or beyond
nature, cause. Miracles do not break unbreakable laws, which would make them
impossible, but miracles are beyond the laws of nature.
Point
number two: The Necessity of Miracles.
When I speak of the need for miracles,
I mean from the Christian point of view. Christianity needs miracles.
Remember when we
talked about deism and evolutionary creation, theistic evolution? If these
views are true, then there are no miracles, there are no acts
of God within the universe… and that is a serious blow to Biblical
Christianity. How so?
Christianity hangs upon one of
the greatest miracles of all time: the physical Resurrection of Jesus of
Nazareth.
The Christian faith stands upon this miracle. Paul the apostle illustrates this
fact perfectly.
If
I had to pick one key Scripture for our topic tonight, it’s right here. Look at
1 Corinthians 15:12-15: “Now if Christ is preached that He has been
raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection
of the dead?” Apparently, there were those in the Corinthian church who had
been deceived into believing that there is no resurrection of the dead. Paul is
about to lay it all out that denying the resurrection is denying Christianity.
“But if there is no resurrection of the
dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching
is vain (empty, worthless, futile, useless) and your faith is also vain. Yes, and we are found false witnesses (liars) of God, because we have testified of God
that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not
rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is
not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! (And thus, if
Christ is not risen, what in the world are we doing here wasting our precious
lives, since this is all there is before we die!?) Paul goes on: “Then also those who have fallen asleep in
Christ (that is, dead believers) have
perished (they’re truly dead and you have no hope of seeing them again). If in this life only we have hope in Christ,
we are of all men the most pitiable. But
now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who
have fallen asleep (meaning, Christ has become the first example and
promise of a resurrection for dead believers). For since by man (Adam) came
death, by Man (Jesus) also came the
resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all
be made alive.”
Beautiful!
But if miracles cannot occur, then Christ is not risen, and thus Paul the
apostle suffered beatings and whippings and dangerous journeys for a lie, and
if Christ is not risen then Christianity stands on nothing, it’s all a
deception and there is no resurrection of the dead, when you’re gone you’re
gone, and that’s it without any hope for eternal life.
Therefore,
theology is built upon the supernatural acts of God, as is Christianity, AND
all our hopes for heaven if you’re a believer. Miracles are a necessity of the
faith.
Now we know what miracles are and that miracles must happen for Christianity to be true,
but the big question is: can miracles actually
happen?
Point number three: The
Possibility of Miracles.
Miracles must happen, Christians, but can
they actually happen?
Last week, in effect, we already
proved that the universe had a beginning and therefore a cause, as per the
cosmological argument. This cause must be outside of itself, since a thing
cannot cause its own beginning. God’s supernatural action of causing nature to
begin is a perfect example of a miracle occurring.
It was a rare, singular and purposeful
action of a supernatural Intelligence, that is, God.
And if a miracle, has happened then it
follows that miracles can happen. The
possibility is there. We’ve already proven that a theistic God exists, and
therefore we have a causer for miracles. As C.S. Lewis said “If we admit God, must we admit miracles?
Indeed, indeed you have no security against it.”
But...
if miracles can happen, do they happen?
The biggest objection to miracles is
one widely held today, which was best stated by the former atheist I mentioned
earlier, named Antony Flew. His argument goes like this:
1. Miracles are by nature
particular, singular and unrepeatable.
2. Natural events are by nature
general, plural and repeatable.
3. In practice, the evidence for
the general and repeatable is always greater than that for the particular and
unrepeatable.
4. Therefore, the evidence will
always be greater against miracles than for them.
This argument is
quite plain. We’ve always observed volcanoes spewing lava and smoke, therefore
we cannot believe that one would spew ice cubes. We’ve always observed animals
eating to survive, therefore we cannot believe that one could survive without
eating. We’ve always observed the sun going down in the west and rising in the
east, therefore we cannot believe that it will rise tomorrow in the west and
set in the east, or that it will not rise at all.
This is really
common sense. You’re brain uses this argument all the time. For example, let’s
say someone comes running through that door right now, claiming that they saw a
purple dog with ten legs flying through the air. How many of you would believe
that?
Nobody would. Why?
Because you’ve seen a lot of dogs, but you’ve never witnessed a purple,
ten-legged flying dog. You automatically used the same principle as Antony
Flew: you used the majority evidence to
discredit the minority evidence.
This is why we
still doubt when someone tells us a story that seems exaggerated, why inside
ourselves we frown when we hear about a missionary telling a story about a
modern day resurrection, why we as cynical Americans are doubtful over every
story of healing or God giving a vision to a man in Saudi Arabia, and so on and
on.
Yet we’ve gotten
ahead of ourselves. Remember that the beginning of the universe itself is a
singular, particular and totally unrepeatable miracle, and yet there can be no
doubt, even for scientists believing in the Big Bang, that the universe had a
beginning and therefore demands a cause. And that is something that cannot be
discredited because of majority evidence, because we don’t see spontaneous
universes beginning today.
Also, one could not
believe logically in any unrepeatable singularity of history if this were true.
Strictly put, you could not believe that Egypt lost the chariot battle at
Kadesh (which was a singular unrepeatable event), you could not believe that
Alexander the Great created one of the largest empires in history by conquering
so much of the known world by the age of thirty (which was a singular
unrepeatable event) and you could not believe that Christianity began with a
small group of people and changed the world (which was a singular unrepeatable
event).
Logically following
this argument, you could not even believe your own birth took place, since all
your days you have never been physically born all over again, and you birth was
a singular and unrepeatable event: Moses Anthony Loe Norton will never be
physically born from his biological mother again. And she says thank goodness!
Finally, if this
objection to miracles is to be strictly and thus truly believed, then there can
be no progress of science. For science has moved on through the centuries on
the basis of discovering new truths about nature. Quite often, these new truths
were contrary to old scientific beliefs, that there was supposed evidence for.
But if the majority evidence outweighs the minor occurrences such as the
discoveries of new truth, then there can be no new truth and science is stuck
in the mud.
If the naturalist
or the atheist pushes his argument to its actuality, then there is no basis for
believing much of anything is there?
To
summarize,
miracles are made possible by the existence of a theistic God, the Uncaused
Cause of the universe. A miracle has occurred in the beginning of the universe
and therefore miracles can occur. And there is no real way to discredit a
miracle on the basis of majority vs. minority evidence.
Therefore, miracles
can and have occurred.
Point
number four: The Purpose of Miracles.
Biblically, miracles as the acts of an Intelligent God have
an intelligent purpose. This distinguishes miracles and magic. Magic is done to
awe or entertain. Miracles are not. Miracles come with a message.
People in Jesus’ day went around asking Him to perform for
them all the time. Luke 23:8 says “Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly
glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many
things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him.” And guess
what Christ did? Nothing. Jesus Christ was no performer. Do not mistake Him for
a conjurer of cheap tricks. Jesus didn’t do magic, He did miracles.
A miracle of God
accomplished three things:
a. The miracle glorified the
nature of God
a. Someone turn to John 2:11, another to John 11:40
b. The miracle proved that certain
persons were the spokespeople of God
a. Someone look at Acts 2:22, Heb 2:3-4, Exo 4:1-5, John 6:14
c. The miracle provided evidence
for belief in God
a. John
20:30-31, Deu 4:34-35, and I’ll read I Kings 18:20-40
The Bible uses the
words sign and wonder as synonymous with the word miracle. But the fact that a sign or a wonder accomplishes these
three things identifies it as an act of God.
It’s important to
know this, because the devil can perform false miracles, as a supernatural
entity himself. In the book of Revelation, the Antichrist possesses a right
hand man known as the false prophet, pictured in Rev 13 as a having horns like a lamb and speaking like a dragon. Revelation 13:13 says the false prophet
“performs great signs, so that he even
makes fire come down from heaven on earth in the sight of men.” And this
we’re told is all a part of the grand deception of the Antichrist.
Now while these are
signs and wonders they are not true miracles, not because they do not occur,
but because they do not provide evidence for belief in God nor do they glorify
God. They only serve to glorify the man of sin, the Antichrist.
Point
number five: Miracles and Me.
So we know that miracles are needed, are possible and have
purpose. So what purpose does that actions of God have in your life today.
The Bible is an old book, a very, very old book, written in
a very, very old language. And it happens to be about very, very old events and
people. But the Bible is the only ancient text which is application to our
lives today.
If you’re never been sure of this whole Christian thing,
you can be sure that it is not only possible, not only plausible, but it is a
necessary fact that God created the world and that God sent His only Son to die
for our sins and that His Son rose from the dead to become our hope of eternal
life.
It all hangs on that one event. If Christ is not risen, if
you’re a believer here tonight, then you’re faith is dirt, worthless and
meaningless and someday you’ll die and never know anything else and eventually
the world will forget you. But Christ is risen. And since Christ is risen, if
you’re an unbeliever here tonight, then you need to think about it, maybe for
the first time. Jesus Christ suffered an excruciating death on your behalf and
rose from the grave to give you hope of eternal life, if you will make Him your
Savior and your Lord. The Bible says “If
you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God
has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
And that’s it. Simple huh? But it all depends on miracles.
If Christ is not risen, there’s nothing to believe in and there is no way to
get to heaven. If Christ is not risen, then He was the biggest charlatan and
liar of history. If Christ is not risen, then Jesus is just another dead guy to
found a religion, a meaningless search for meaning, alongside Buddha, Joseph
Smith and Mohammed. If Christ is not risen, then life is a pointless waste.
But there is a theistic God, and there are miracles, and
Christ is risen from the dead.
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