025. How are miracles possible if the laws of nature are fixed?

How are miracles possible if the laws of nature are fixed?

God is the author of the laws of nature. The laws of nature indicate God’s customary ways of working. To what extent they are fixed, it is impossible to say. But even if they were absolutely fixed, that would not make miracles impossible. One of the most universally recognized laws of nature is the law of gravitation. According to the law of gravitation a stone lying on the surface of the earth will be drawn toward the center of the earth, but it is quite possible for a man to come along and if he wills to do so to lift that stone away from the earth. The law of gravitation is not violated in the least, but a higher law, the law of the human will, steps in and produces an effect just the opposite of what the law of gravitation of itself would have produced. If a human being can bring things to pass that the fixed law of nature would not have brought to pass left to itself, how much more can a mighty God who is the Creator of all things!

All this argument about miracles being impossible because of the fixed laws of nature appears wise to the shallow thinker, but when we look right at it, it is found to be supremely absurd. The real question is not whether miracles are possible, but rather if they have occurred and are they well attested. Miracles are certainly well attested. The supreme miracle of all is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. A leading agnostic has said:

“We need not discuss the other miracles. The whole question is: Did Jesus Christ rise from the dead? If He did it is easy enough to believe the other miracles. If He did not the miraculous must go.”

He has well stated the case. If Jesus Christ did rise from the dead, then the miraculous is proven. The argument for the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is simply overwhelming. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is one of the best proven facts of history, so it is plain that miracles are not only possible but historically certain.