TOUGH credibility to His sovereign nature since these supernatural events usually occur in conjunction with proclamation of God’s message. In the Old Testament, miracles were inextricably linked to the ministry of the prophets, serving as their credentials for it demonstrated to the people that they were divinely commissioned to reveal God’s Word and thus, taken seriously. Similarly, New Testament miracles performed by Jesus, the apostles, and the early church were often accompanied by proclamation of the Gospel (e.g., the healing of Aeneas and resurrection Dorcas in Acts 9:32-42), adding credibility to their message about the living God. The second reason for miracles is to reveal the nature of God: His love (e.g., preserving Sadrach, Meshach, and Abendnego in the fiery furnace in Daniel 3); holiness and justice (e.g., Gehazi’s leprosy in 2 Kings 5:20-27); and faithfulness (e.g., enabling Sarah to conceive in Genesis 21:1-7).
CHARACTERISTICS OF BIBLICAL MIRACLES
turn water into blood (Exodus 7:22), they could not transform dust into gnats (i.e., bring forth life) and, thus, acknowledged the power of Abraham’s God (Exodus 8:16-19). Characteristic 2: Biblical miracles are associated with His goodness and truth Biblical miracles have one purpose: to glorify a good and holy God. In the New Testament, the miracles of Jesus, His disciples, and members of the early church served to validate the Gospel. Paul warns that there are those who seek to divert believers from the Truth (2 Peter 2). Therefore, those who perform miracles but do not display Christlikeness (1 Timothy 3:1-13) or whose teachings are not in agreement with the Word of God (2 Timothy 2:15, 3:16-17, 4:2; Hebrews 4:12) should be approached with caution.
BIBLICAL MIRACLES VERSUS OTHER TYPES OF PHENOMENA
What does a biblical miracle look like? To discern the things of God, there are at two key characteristics.
While supernatural events are always unusual or abnormal, not every unusual or abnormal event is supernatural. In this article, we will focus on two types of phenomena.
Characteristic 1: Biblical miracles are supernatural Biblical miracles are generally phenomenon that cannot be explained by the laws of nature, and thus, cannot be replicated. For example, through the pharaoh’s magicians were able to transform a staff into a snake (Exodus 7:11) and
Anomalies that occur in nature Natural law is the way God acts indirectly in and through the world He created. For example, water will naturally (albeit very gradually) turn into wine as the rain falls in the soil, the rain absorbed by the grapevine, and the ripe grapes plucked and processed into a fermented beverage.
QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Biblical miracles are often associated with the work of God for His people’s salvation, and with the understanding and acceptance of His message.
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