By: Jonathan Mensah Bonsu

The word ‘miracle’ has been stretched to mean anything wonderful under heaven. It is used to refer to an expected event, such as passing a difficult exam. Most times, it is used to refer to events that are wonderful, such as surviving a brutal car accident or recovering from a deadly disease. Some even go a step further, describing waking up from bed to begin the day as a miracle. The question that should be on a sincere mind should be: What is a miracle according to the Bible? It is consistent with studies and communication to clearly define terms to remove ambiguity of thought.

The word ‘miracle’ traces from the Latin word ‘miraculum’ which means that which causes to wonder. When a serious student of Holy Scripture looks closely at the word employed by the Bible, it quickly surfaces that the Bible frequently uses three words in describing miracles. The first word frequently used in the New Testament is ‘teras’. Vines explains that it means ‘something strange, causing the beholder to marvel’ (p. 1240). The next word frequently used is the word ‘dunamis’, which is translated as mighty work pointing to the supernatural cause of the event. The last word under consideration is semeion, which is a sign. Denis Alexander wrote, “Sign is the main word used in John’s Gospel when describing the miracle of Jesus. Miracles are only meaningful in a particular context, as they point to something beyond the event itself. A semeoion emphasises the ethical end and purpose of a miracle.” (p.3).

In Deuteronomy 29:3, Moses reminded his brethren, “the great trials which your eyes have seen, the signs, and those great wonders.” (emphasis. mine). On the day of Pentecost, Peter said, “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles [dunamis], wonders [tetras], and signs [semeion] which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—” Acts 2:22 (emph. added). Contrary to the modern usage of the word ‘miracle’, the Bible restricts the use of the word miracles for certain classes of events. The elastic usage of the word ‘miracle’ popularised in the religious circle falls short of the biblical usage. The religious world has wrongly defined miracles as anything attributed to the workings of God. It is spoken of as if all that God does are miracles. This simplistic and inaccurate definition fails to recognise that some workings of God are defined under providence as opposed to miracles. To contextualise our discussion, the reader should understand that the workings of God can broadly be categorised into miracles and providence. In other words, not all the works of God are miraculous. In Luke 1:35–37, the account of the conception of Jesus Christ was miraculous as his virgin mother got pregnant. In 1 Samuel, Hannah conceived Samuel as a response to her prayer to God.

However, clearly, Samuel’s conception is not miraculous, for the Scriptures say, “And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her.” 1 Samuel 1:19 (emphasis mine) God heeded the prayer of Hannah and intervened; however, through a natural process, Elkanah was sleeping with his wife. It is worth noting some elements that characterise miracles.

1. Miracles are supernatural events. They are not wishful thinking or euphoria perceived to be happening. Miracles, as recorded in God’s word, were demonstrable facts that were seen by those present. Their effect was evident to all who investigated.
2. Miracles are instantaneous. If the storm took three days to calm down after Jesus commanded it to be still, the disciples will not see any miracle in what was down. It is very instructive to note that the miracles recorded in the Bible were instantaneous. In Mark 10:52, “Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately [not a few days later], he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.” You remember the old cripple who begged for alms at the Beautiful Gate in Jerusalem? In Acts 3:7, the Bible says, “And he [Peter] took him [the cripple] by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.” A sharp contrast with the supposed modern-day faith ‘healer’ across the globe. Miracles recorded in the Bible did not require hours of incantation or long prayers to cause those effects. In Acts 13, Luke recorded Paul and Barnabas preaching to a proconsul, Sergius Paulus, on the island of Paphos. He had a sorcerer called Elymas who put a twist on the gospel being preached by Paul. Paul cursed this man to be blinded for a season. And in Acts 13:11, Luke told us, “And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.”
3. Miracles are inexplicable by science or nature. The turning of water into wine recorded in John 2 is of incomprehensible nature and cannot be accounted for by the known natural process. The Bible sceptic Humes defined that “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 can possibly be imagined.” Hume’s definition of miracle is inaccurate and has received sufficient critique. Kant, in looking at miracles, also said, “A miracle is obtained when something that is not part of nature purposively intervenes to produce an event in time that counts as an exception to a particular empirical law.” Our knowledge of nature and the laws thereof is limited, and to define miracles as a violation of the laws of nature presupposes that we have mastered the laws of nature. Augustine shed light on the definition of miracles when he said, “A miracle is an event which runs counter to the observed processes of nature.” Thomas Aquinas definition of the nature of miracles in the writer’s estimation explains the relationship between miracles and scientific laws. According to Aquinas, “those things are properly called miracles, which are done by divine agency beyond the order commonly observed in nature.” Miracles are NOT a violation of the laws of nature, but rather they go beyond the order commonly observed in nature.

Clearly, you will understand that what is being labelled as miracles today fails to meet the biblical definition. The modern usage of biblical words does not change the truthfulness of God’s word. Let’s call Bible things the Bible way so as to come to the unity of faith in Christ. The Bible warned, “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.  And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

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Bibliography

Alexander, D. R. (2017, October). Miracles And Science. The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion.

Chingnell, A. (2014). Can Kantian Laws be broken? Res Philosopica , 103-121.

Nuyen, A. T. (2002). Kant on Miracle. History of Philosophy Quarterly, 309-323.

Spiceland, J. D. (2007). Miracle. In W. A. Elwell, Dictionary of Theology (p. 1009). Michgan : Baker Academic.

Swiezynski, A. (2012). The Concept of Miracle as an extraordinary event. ROCZNIKI FILOZOFICXNE, 89-108.