Did the Miracles of the Bible Actually Happen?

If something is too good to be true, it probably is. Fact is stranger than fiction. There are many statements that one could make in reference to something as fantastical or as strange as the miracles of the Bible. Various opinions, doctrines, and debates have sprung up regarding God’s power being demonstrated on earth. Some might say that the miracles discussed in Scripture are simply allegories or symbolic teachings. So which is it? Are these miracles real occurrences or are they merely symbolic and not to be taken literally? 

First, let’s consider examples of what we are referring to as miracles in Scripture. Some in our culture have taken this terminology to describe things that are not accurately representative of a miracle. Some might say that a baby being born is a miracle or someone surviving a horrible disease is a miracle. While these events are incredible and absolutely worthy of praise and excitement, they fall short of a true miracle. A miracle is defined, according to Merriam-Webster, as “a supernatural event or sign indicating the active presence and power of a deity. It acts as an intervention in the natural world that could not have occurred through natural means.”

When recorded in scripture, miracles have always been used for the purpose of confirming the word of God by showing His power. With this definition in mind, we must see that something of this caliber could not be defined by some natural process such as the overcoming of a disease or the birth of a baby. The term miracle is used roughly 37 times in the King James Version of the Bible. The Greek word used here for miracle is δυναμιν (dunamin), which is translated as power. This again harkens back to the power of God being on display. So what about these miracles? How do we determine the reality of these miracles?

First, to determine whether something is true, we must determine if the source is trustworthy. The source of the teaching of miracles comes from the Bible itself. The Bible has been critiqued, attacked, disputed, and debated since the beginning of the doctrines of Christ and before. The continued existence of these teachings is, by itself, evidence of its trustworthy nature. Secondly, there are roughly 24,000 manuscripts of the New Testament, including 5000 Greek manuscripts, which, when compiled, show the entirety of the Bible that we have today minus a few grammatical changes. Third, the Bible as a historical document has more witnesses and verifiable evidence than any other ancient historical work. All ancient Greco-Roman Historians combined only account for roughly 1200-5000 partial or fragmentary manuscripts. This leap in evidence shows us that the Bible is a trustworthy source for information. Beyond this, when a document’s primary purpose is to record a specific occasion, and the document itself is shown to be trustworthy, then we should, as evidence-based researchers, conclude that the event being recorded can, without a reasonable doubt, be considered factual. 

Now, we have to address the elephant in the room. What about these miracles? How do we know Jesus turned water to wine (John 2:1-11)? How do we know Jesus walked on water (Matthew 14:22-33)? Let’s go back to what we just mentioned earlier. If the Bible is trustworthy, and its whole purpose was to record the history of God’s impact on humanity up to the coming of His Son and establishment of His church, then we can trust that what the Bible records is accurate. This is not to say that everything in the Bible is literal. Many of the images used in the prophecies of the Old Testament and New Testament are symbolic representations of what was to come: the rise of Alexander the Great, the captivities of the Jews, the rise and fall of Rome, etc. The Bible utilizes what many other written works do, which is the use of varying styles to make a point. When figurative statements are used, they are often in the context of a poetic or parabolic style, which helps us to see that what is being stated is not essentially literal but rather a lesson or hidden meaning. When the miracles of Christ are recorded, they are not introduced with a context of fanfare or poetic language. They are matter-of-fact. Often they are short, pithy descriptions of what occurred. For instance, let’s consider the example of Jesus walking on the water.

Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”

(Matthew 14:22–33)

Notice how this is written. There is a timeframe: “Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat…”. There is a circumstance: “…the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.” Then there is the event recorded: “Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.” There is no fanfare, no great flowery language. It was short and matter-of-fact. This is historical style, not allegorical or poetic. Ultimately, the miracles of Scripture all lead up to the greatest miracle of all: the resurrection of Christ. If miracles are not real, then Christianity as a whole makes no sense. Paul said it best: “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.” (1 Corinthians 15:19-20). If one can believe that Jesus lived, died on the cross, and rose from the dead, the other miracles of Scripture are not only less difficult to believe, they act to strengthen our faith in God who created everything that we see. For those who refuse to believe, there is not enough evidence on this earth to change one’s mind, but for those who are honest and desire to know the truth, there will always be an answer (Matthew 7:7).