475 Scripture & Science 14: What Are Miracles? (Will Barlow)

What is a miracle? Does it mean God breaks the laws of physics or merely that he intervenes within the system? After considering several definitions of miracles from Christian thinkers, Will Barlow interacts with a number of biblical incidents to explain what a miracle is and is not. He examines the parting of the Red Sea, Moses getting water from the rock, the collapse of Jericho’s walls, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fire, and Daniel in the lions’ den. For each Barlow looks at how God performed the miracle, shedding light on how science and scripture interact.

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See below for notes.

—— Links ——

• We are doing follow-up discussions to these episodes on YouTube. Check them out!
• See other episodes in this Scripture and Science Class
• Check out Barlow’s previous podcast episodes
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• Find more articles and audios by Barlow on his website: Study Driven Faith
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• Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

—— Notes ——

Miracles

• Defining a Miracle • Archetypal Example • Other Examples

What is the big deal with miracles? Why are miracles important?

• Thomas Jefferson famously refused to believe in miracles – his edited version of the NT had all of the miracles removed • In modern times, miracles are still controversial

Richard Swinburne on miracles:

“What the theist claims about God is that he does have a power to create, conserve, or annihilate anything, big or small. And he can also make objects move or do anything else…He can make the planets move in the way that Kepler discovered that they move, or make gunpowder explode when we set a match to it…”

“or he can make planets move in quite different ways, and chemical substances explode or not explode under quite different conditions from those which now govern their behavior. God is not limited by the laws of nature; he makes them and he can change or suspend them – if he chooses.”

Francis Collins on miracles:

A miracle is “an event that appears inexplicable by the laws of nature and so is held to be supernatural in origin.” —The Language of God, page 48.

William Lane Craig on miracles:

“You see, natural laws have implicit ceteris paribus conditions—that’s Latin meaning, ‘all other