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I would like to first start off by telling my friend that it is completely normal to question
the truth and validation of miracles. A person that is just becoming open to the existence of God
will have many questions and a hard time believing in supernatural things that defy the laws of
nature and the normal existences that we, as human beings, are used to. An influential
eighteenth-century Scottish skeptic named David Hume said, “A miracle is violation of the laws
of nature.” My point is that my friend is not alone. Even top scholars and influential people in the
world have a problem with things that are outside of the normal occurrences that we see in life.
The problem with this statement is that it is grounded in the fact that the laws of nature are an
actual occurring thing. This couldn’t be farther from the truth as the laws of nature in and of
themselves are man-made.
I would like to avoid quoting scripture at this point, due to the fact that if my friend is
resisting the belief in miracles, he probably won’t find much clarity with biblical proof. I would
just ask skeptics of this topic that if they are so caught up on the laws of nature, how can they
deny the many historical documents and eyewitness accounts from multiple people regarding
miracles? The statement by David Hume relies solely on scientific principles without taking any
other possibilities into account. Ard Louis stated in an article titled, Miracles, Science, and the
Laws of Nature that “Although one can determine with some degree of consensus what the
extremes of the science/non-science continuum are, exactly where the boundary lies is fuzzy.”
This statement collaborates with the fact that we must take all things into account when
determining the validity of miracles.
The testimonies and witnesses of miracles cannot be simply brushed aside as false. With
this, I can admit that all things that people categorize as miracles can be not so due to reasons
such as inspiring to become famous from it, making up fairy tales, or trying to gain financial
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exposure from such claims. However, many miracles are witnessed by creditable people that
have nothing to gain from explaining a miracle and it, more times than not, hurts their reputation
in the process. For example, there are many instances where medical doctors have witnessed
miracles in the operating room and/or hospital that were completely outside of the possibility of
explanation. A patient with stage four cancer that miraculously receives scans that appear cancer
free or a patient that dies on an operating table, only to wake up thirty minutes later in the
morgue. While studying the facts around medical miracles, Sr. Marie Thomas Fabre stated in an
article titled, Witness to a Medical Miracle, that “On a deeper level, I believe that our
understanding is of another order, and there I can no longer control anything.”
You ask yourself, why would so many people make up the existence of miracles in both
their personal and professional lives? Why would people risk their professional reputation with
nothing to gain from such claims? I would tell you that the truth lies in Jesus and his sense of
mystery over our lives. God shows his power in many ways and we need to understand that his
power lies outside of our mind and imagination and that he has no boundaries. Miracles are just
one example of this. God has an everlasting love for us and can move in us and around us as he
sees fit. In Apologetics at the Cross, it states that “When God works the supernatural, he does so
by infusing something new within nature so that he signals his presence in the world.”
I also would tell my friend that I understand his issue in believing in the resurrection of
Jesus Christ. I would argue that this is the most important topic when it comes to Christianity and
that we must all face this historical fact before we can truly be a part of Christianity. Jesus dying
and resurrecting is the foundation of our faith and is the most important part we should take from
the gospel. In the book titled, The Resurrection of the Son of God, N.T. Wright stated that, ““A
voice may whisper that it was no image, but only imagination; it was a mirage, a fantasy. But as
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the water settles, with gentle ripples still visible where the arrows went in, the image will return.
We will gaze at it once more, and know that in the Lord our labour is not in vain.” As Christians,
we hold true to this belief and hold the upmost faith in it.
First, we know from history that more than five hundred people witnessed the
resurrection of Jesus. This has been challenged several times over the years as people simply
experiencing hallucinations. The problem with this is that this defies simple logic as it would be
impossible for over five hundred people to experience the same image at different times as part
of some mass hallucination, if you will. In 1 Corinthians 15:6 (NIV), Paul says, “After that, he
appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom
are still living, though some have fallen asleep.” This statement could have been argued by the
witnesses if it were false because many of those people were still alive and well.
There was also never a body produced. Back in these biblical times, Romans allowed the
Jews to bury their loved ones and we know from history that the tomb was guarded by the
Romans. This would have been very embarrassing for the Roman Empire as it would show
weakness in their armor. The fact that the tomb was empty after being guarded by the same
people that crucified Jesus, is extremely compelling as there is nothing to gain from such
statements. Many people have tried to refute this claim by saying that he was simply eaten by
animals because burial wasn’t allowed. This, in fact, has proven to be untrue due to the fact and
authorities and Christian critics alike are aware that Romans would allow Jews around Jerusalem
to bury their diseased.
The disciples of Jesus would also have nothing to gain and a lot to lose when making this
claim. During those times, making false statements like that would be very dangerous. A person
could be stoned to death, crucified, beheaded, or even exiled for stating claims like that.
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However, the disciples knew the importance of this event and chose to share it with the people as
they were instructed by Jesus. This, in my opinion, is very compelling evidence for the
resurrection of Jesus Christ because even after his death and resurrection, these followers of
Jesus were willing to die to share the gospel. This is perhaps the most inspiring defense for the
resurrection for me personally.
The story of the resurrection would also have been counter productive if it were a made-
up story. All Jews in those times agreed that there would be a coming Messiah, as foretold by the
prophets in the Old Testament. However, the last thing they would expect from a Messiah would
be that he was crucified like a normal human being in the first place. Not to mention, being
resurrected from death. Jews would have expected the Messiah to be a powerful force, a leader
of the army, and a king of all people in human form. A made-up story would have shown all
those things, but instead, it shows the amazing grace of Jesus and what he did for all of us
sinners.
Finally, lets look at the disciples and how unlikely it would be for them to share the story
of the gospel and resurrection if it were not true. Paul, for example, was a persecutor of
Christians and absolutely hated everything that it stood for. At one point, Paul even took on the
task of killing Christians and trying to wipe out their beliefs all together. Here is a man that goes
from hating Christians, to being one of the biggest defenders of Christ. Paul suffered both
physically and spiritually by proclaiming and defending the gospel. For someone to have that
kind of faith and belief in something that they have hated their entire lives, that is compelling to
say the least. In conclusion, I would ask my friend to consider these historical facts and ask
himself, would all these things just happen by coincidence, or does it prove the resurrection of
Jesus Christ? I would argue that it absolutely proves the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
