God’s existenceDraft · awaiting advisor review
Are miracles possible?
In short
If God exists, miracles are possible: a God who made the world can act within it, and nothing in science shows he cannot. The harder question is whether any particular miracle actually happened, and that has to be weighed on the evidence, case by case.
The Objection
Hume argued that the laws of nature rest on uniform human experience, so the evidence against any miracle is as strong as evidence can be. Testimony, by contrast, is often mistaken, credulous or self-interested. It is always more likely that witnesses erred than that nature was suspended. Science has explained much once thought miraculous, and miracle stories arise in every religion, so they cannot all be trusted.
Put as its strongest advocates would put it.
The Christian Case
- Philosophical argument
A miracle is not a logical contradiction like a square circle. The laws of nature describe what happens when nothing outside nature acts; they do not forbid a creator from acting. So whether miracles are possible depends largely on whether God exists. Jews, Christians and Muslims agree he can act: the Qur’an describes Jesus healing the blind and raising the dead by God’s permission (3:49).
- Philosophical argument
Many philosophers, including some who are not religious, think Hume’s argument is weaker than it looks. If ‘uniform experience’ excludes miracles, it assumes the answer before looking at the reports. Critics such as John Earman argue that, on probability theory, strong enough testimony could in principle establish a very improbable event. Hume’s defenders reply that religious testimony rarely reaches that standard.
- Historical evidence
Miracle claims are not confined to the ancient world. The scholar Craig Keener has gathered a large number of modern reports of healings from many countries, some with medical documentation. This does not show any of them were miracles, but it suggests such reports are not simply the product of pre-scientific minds. Historians disagree about whether their discipline can ever judge that a miracle happened.
- Scripture
The Bible presents miracles as rare signs that reveal God and his purposes, clustered around key moments such as the Exodus, Elijah and Elisha, and Jesus and the apostles. The central claim is the resurrection: Paul says that if Christ was not raised, Christian faith is futile.
- Christians differ
Christians agree that God can work miracles but differ on how often he does so today. Cessationists hold that sign-gifts such as healing and prophecy belonged to the apostolic age and largely ceased. Continuationists, including Pentecostal and charismatic Christians, expect them still. Many in between believe God still heals in answer to prayer while urging caution about particular claims.
Where the Evidence Is Weaker
Showing miracles are possible does not show any happened, and it only helps if the case for God is sound. Many claimed healings turn out to be misdiagnoses, natural recovery or fraud, and it is hard ever to rule out an unknown natural cause. Ancient reports cannot be re-examined, and Christians must explain why they doubt miracle claims in other traditions while accepting their own.
Arguments to Avoid
- Saying science has proved miracles impossible: science describes regularities and cannot by itself rule out a creator acting.
- Assuming ancient people were simply gullible: the Gospels show people knew that virgins do not conceive and the dead stay dead, which is why such events astonished them (Luke 1:34).
- Treating every unexplained event as a miracle, or every answered prayer as proof.
- Telling sick people they were not healed because their faith was too weak.
Read for Yourself
1 Kings 18:20–39
20So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel. 21And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. 22Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: 24And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken. 25And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under. 26And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made. 27And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. 28And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. 29And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded. 30And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. 31And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: 32And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. 33And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. 34And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. 35And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. 36And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. 37Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. 38Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.
Mark 2:1–12
1And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. 2And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. 3And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. 4And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. 5When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. 6But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, 7Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? 8And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? 9Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? 10But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) 11I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. 12And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
John 20:30–31
30And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
1 Corinthians 15:12–20
12Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: 14And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 15Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. 16For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 17And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. 19If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. 20But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
Further Reading
- Miracles · C. S. Lewis (1947)A classic, readable case that miracles are possible.
- Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts · Craig S. Keener (2011)A large scholarly study, including modern miracle claims.
- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding · David Hume (1748)Contains “Of Miracles”, the most influential case against.
Drafted with Opened AI and awaiting review by Opened’s apologetics advisors. Labels show the kind of support each point has: Scripture is what the Bible says; historical evidence and philosophical arguments can be checked by anyone; “Christians differ” marks questions on which faithful Christians disagree.
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