A Professor Surprised About Miracles!

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#Miracles
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David Hume Jr. said, "Jesus never performed miracles. It’s impossible. Nature’s laws won’t allow such violations. Besides, I’ve never seen anybody walk on water, heal people instantly, raise the dead. It’s as Professor Skeptic said, 'All Jesus’ miracles are incredible and have some other explanation.' "Those preachers who say otherwise are wrong. They’re just what ignorant Bible-thumping Christians claim."  Are You Sure?

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“Hey, David! David Hume!”

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David looked up to see his friend, Norman Evangelical, with a big smile. Norman is a nice guy, smart, sensible, fun loving. He and Norman go together with their girlfriends to school football games at Spinoza Stadium and cheer loudly for our team. But something about Norman made David feel a bit uncomfortable. He’s different somehow in his talk and actions.

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“David, my friend, what’s happening? You want to take the girls to see the game this weekend?” Norman asked.

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“Oh, I guess so. I’ve just been thinking about Professor Skeptic’s class. He says the modern scientific worldview has shown supernatural religion of God and miracles outmoded. It’s a form of escapism and illusion like Freud said. I think he’s right, don’t you Norman?”

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“No, David, I don’t,” looking rather serious. “We now know Freud’s psychoanalysis is unscientific fraud and his atheism may be his escapism from facing God and Hell. Science puts itself in the place of the all-knowing God to pass judgment on immaterial things. Science is limited to experiment with things known through our physical senses such as sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. Science exceeds its limit to say God, angels, revelations and human souls don’t exist.”

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“But Norman, we have nature’s laws that make miracles impossible.”

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“Yes, we have patterns in nature that normally would exclude miracles. Christians knew nature’s laws so well that it always astonished them to see Jesus’ miracles. The Virgin Mary, Jesus’ mother, was astonished to be pregnant. She asked how it could be since she knew not a man. The universe’s Creator can overpower the natural order he upholds when his purpose is to get people’s attention. What better way could there be to make his presence and power known? Philosopher David Hume erred to say a majority testimony against miracles makes them incredible. That would rule out any new discovery and precludes the possibility of God. Man can't legislate that the Creator can't use miracles. That's the way a loving God can show His presence and redemptive purpose for our lives.

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“But Norman, wouldn’t a miracle disrupt all nature and make science impossible?”

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“No. When Jesus turned water into wine, he just accelerated the process. When Jesus walked on water everything else remained the same. Jesus miracles were not like the wild, bizarre imaginings of the Arabian and Greek myths. When he ascended into heaven, he simply exerted more power than gravity as do modern rocket ships taking off. His miracles occurred in one place, didn’t disrupt all nature, and scientists could be there conducting experiments all over the world.”

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“Oh, but Norman, it’s superstitious to believe in supernatural ghosts, spirits, magic and the like that makes science impossible.”

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“David, my friend, this time I agree with you. But it was those who believed the world illusion, or spirits were in every tree, and nature was too mysterious and sacred to tamper with that inhibited the development of science. No! Christians, unlike the superstitious pagans, believed in a good and rational God who told us to develop, care for, and enjoy the good world he created. Christians believed the world to be real, rational, orderly and useful for experimentation. In fact, the first experimental scientists were believers in the Christian God and many were Christians.

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“Norman, what scientists were Christians and why do we never read about this in the science textbooks.”

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“Well, to start, the greatest scientist, Sir Isaac Newton, believed in God and wrote commentaries on the Bible. Francis Bacon, father of the scientific method, believed the Bible saves us from error and reveals the will of God. Robert Boyle, the great chemist was another devout Christian who wrote books on Christian apologetics. Lord Kelvin, who formulated the laws of thermodynamics and held twenty-one honorary degrees, was a man of deep faith. The brilliant mathematician and astronomer, Johannes Kepler, was a devout Christian whose faith sustained his life and motivated his research. Sir Michael Faraday, Charles Babbage, Blaise Pascal even Galileo Galilei and many others were devout believers.”

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“Then Norman, why don’t we hear about this today from people in science. We get the opposite impression from the universities.”

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“David, I think three reasons. We have a build in reluctance to think of God and his rule over our life. Also, since Darwin’s day, many use evolution as an excuse to do whatever suits their animal desires. And third, writers of science textbooks think religion or any mention of God is out of place.”     

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“You make it all sound so reasonable Norman, but can’t Jesus miracles have natural explanations. Professor Skeptic showed this clearly in class. So we don’t have to believe in Jesus’ miracles, or that he is God.”

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With a curious grin--“Just what did the good professor say, David?”

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“He gave reasonable alternatives. Jesus’ superstitious disciples believed in ghosts. They thought Jesus walked on the sea. But he really walked around the sea to greet them standing on a sand bar on the other ashore. When a hungry boy took out his lunch, the 5,000 took out theirs. During the storm on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus bade his disciples row the boat to a calm area. And the alleged dead girl revived from a coma. It’s all so natural, no miracles required. Don’t you agree?” David crossed his arms, looked up and felt rather self-assured. 
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“No, I don’t David for several reasons. First, Professor Skeptic didn’t do his homework. It’s easy to sit behind a desk, ignore the facts and imagine you know more than the persons involved. Second, alternative natural explanations don’t disprove miracles and may not be true explanations. Third, explaining away a few miracles when Jesus probably performed hundreds (Jn. 20:30-31; 21:24-25) doesn’t make the case. Fourth, to extract miracles from the accounts renders them ludicrous nonsense. It makes Jesus’ disciples incredible idiots to affirm known lies, endure ridicule, and martyr’s deaths. Finally, hostile eyewitness three decades later reading the published Gospels would discredit fake miracles and would destroy the Christian movement. Now let’s take the good professor’s explanations one at a time.”

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“Jesus walked on the Sea of Galilee (Mt. 14:24-36; Mk. 6:45-52; Jn. 6:4-21). The texts say the disciples saw Jesus in the early morning darkness (3-6 a.m.) walking in the middle of the lake that is 80-160 feet deep. Knowing natures laws, His terrified disciples thought him a ghost. Who wouldn’t in such circumstances? Peter walked to Jesus on the water, but doubted and sank. Jesus rebuked his unbelief. Both got into the boat, returned to the other shore where the astonished disciples worshipped Jesus as the Son of God. But their worship took such a stupendous event to impress it on the disciples minds. Did Professor Skeptic mention these facts? You mean he just forgot!”

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“Jesus fed the 5,000 (Matt. 14:13-21; Mk. 6:35-44; Luke. 9:11-17; Jn. 6:1-14). The texts say near Passover time hundreds saw Jesus’ healing miracles and hurriedly left the cities to follow him to a deserted place for healing. They became hungry as the day wore on and were without food. A desperate search turned up only a boy’s lunch of two fish and five loaves of bread that couldn’t feed five thousand men plus women and children (Maybe 20,000). Jesus prayed, divided the boy's food and disciples distributed it so everyone had plenty and eleven baskets were salvaged. That's no great feat if Jesus be our loving Creator?"And it's so unlikely to be a made-up story.

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“Jesus stilled Galilee’s raging storm (Matt. 8:23-27; Mk. 4:35-41; Luke. 8:22-25). Cold winds pour down surrounding hills to stir up the whole sea with fierce winds and waves. Water filled the boat while Jesus slept on a pillow at the stern. Panicky disciples cried Lord save us  or we’ll drown. Jesus first rebuked the storm that ceased immediately, and then rebuked the disciples for unbelief. Astonished, they acknowledged that even the winds and waves obey him. Now, how can we explain this immediate calm of the sea at Jesus’ command without a miracle? David, I ate fish in a restaurant beside Israel's Sea of Galilee during such a storm. That raging sea is terrifying, and there's no calm place one can go as some critics imagine.”

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“Jesus raised three dead persons: the widow of Nain’s son (Luke. 7:11-15), Jairus’s daughter (Mark. 5:35-43; and Lazarus (John.11). A dead corpse is easily distinguished from a comatose person by being pale, cold and stiff. Do the critics think ancient people were too dumb to know that?”

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“I wonder how our noble professor would explain the temple tax in the fish’s mouth, Malcolm’s severed ear restored, Jesus’ transfiguration, His resurrection being seen by five hundred people many of them still alive when  Paul spoke of it (1 Cor. 15:3-8), unless Jesus be our God and Savior. Did the professor know these details in the Gospels are exactly what we find them to be today? Could Professor Skeptic be a closed-minded naturalist?”

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 “At Peter's request, the Romans crucified him upside down because he felt unworthy to die the same way as his Lord. Peter’s statement rings true rather than Professor Skeptic’s claims.

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Peter said, “We did not follow cunningly devised fables when w made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.” 2 Peter 1:16

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Despite the evidence, to deny miracles one must make the unwarranted assumption that no Creator God exists who can act in his world. Unless we know everything, we simply can’t say that. Honest evaluation of the evidence points to Jesus being our God and Savior of sinners. And Jesus will save anyone who admits to their sin and trusts in Him for his gift of eternal life.
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My friend, we're all sinners needing the Lord as our Savior. Jesus died upon the cross to pay for our sins and make us God's people who live for Him. In trusting Him, one day we will live in a perfect Heaven where there will be no more evil, no more pain. Won't you pray, Lord, I'm a needy sinner. I trust You now and forever as paying for my sin in Your death on the cross. I don't understand it all, but I trust  Your promise anyway.  Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved (Acts 16:31).
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If you trusted the Savior, you want to share this most wonderful news with others. You can do this simply by linking to these articles & sending them www. Walking Heaven's streets, we will rejoice with persons we invited to the Savior. Praise God! Being a good news messenger is most precious and will be rewarded at the judgement seat of Christ when other so-called important things--computer games, showing pictures, saying negative things won't count for anything. God bless.

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