Do You Believe in Miracles? Why the Christian Must Say “Yes!”

On February 22, 1980, hall-of-fame sports broadcaster Al Michaels gave us perhaps the most iconic call ever in a sporting event. In the closing seconds of the men’s hockey semifinal Olympics matchup between the American college kids assembled together by Coach Herb Brooks and the Russian dream team that had dominated world hockey for decades, Michaels gleefully screamed, “Do you believe in miracles? . . . Yes!” as the horn sounded and David took down Goliath 4-3.

As unlikely as an American victory in the 1980 Olympics appeared to be, it was not, of course, an actual miracle: a supernatural action beyond the scope of our understanding of the natural laws of physics. However, the question remains: Do you believe in miracles?

For the one who believes in the resurrection of Jesus, then the answer must be as resounding a “Yes!” as Michaels said in 1980. For if one believes in the ultimate miracle (Jesus’ resurrection) then believing in additional miracles is logically reasonable as part of one’s worldview.

By Your Statement of Faith in the Resurrection, You Already Believe in Miracles

Given one miracle is believed in, like the miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, then believing in a second or third miracle should not be outside the scope of one’s worldview. That does not mean a second or third miracle happened, only that one’s worldview must now include that God can supernaturally intervene in time and space over matter and energy as we understand it according to the laws of physics.

Once a person subscribes to this worldview, it would be inconsistent and even logically unreasonable to argue, “Well, apart from the resurrection of Jesus Christ, other miracles reported in the Bible, and even testimonies from the medical community and doctors themselves, are impossible. They cannot happen.” Such a person can no longer declare miracles “impossible.” Since they claim to believe in Jesus’ resurrection, the door has already been opened to a belief in miracles.

Again, maybe no second miracle occurred. I get that. But that’s not the point here. The issue here is that one cannot argue against the idea of a miracle, given one has gone on record for believing in the resurrection of Jesus. One would be guilty of incoherence and a contradiction. There is no inherent reason for denying God’s supernatural acts in the affairs of humanity. The assertion has already been made that supernatural forces can transcend the natural laws, so if it happened once, theoretically, it can happen again.

For example, if one proclaims that a crucified Jesus did indeed raise from the dead three days later (a supernatural miracle by everyone’s standards—doctors, scientists, scholars, and laypeople everywhere), then that opens the door for the possibility of all other miracles, including:

• The entire universe was created ex nihilo, or “from nothing,” in six days.
• Moses and the Israelites walked across the Red Sea on dry land.
• Jonah survived three days inside the belly of a great fish.
• Jesus was born of a virgin.
• Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.
• Jesus healed lepers, paralytics, and blind men.
• And so much more!

The Question Is Not, “Can These Miracles Happen?” But “Did These Miracles Happen?”

The argument concerning additional miracles such as these (and including those still reported today) is not about whether they can happen but whether they did and do. In one’s worldview, that possibility must be permitted, so now it is solely a matter of historicity: Did it happen? This requires investigation, evidence, and verification. 

A secular, atheist scientist who subscribes to 100 percent naturalism would argue the resurrection of Jesus Christ as a miraculous event did not happen because it cannot happen—end of discussion. He would be consistent with his worldview. For this reason, a believer in Jesus Christ and the resurrection must be consistent and coherent when considering other miracles in the Bible. One must not claim this or that miracle did not happen because it cannot happen. No, it could happen, but did it? That’s the question. One must not argue, “Well, it did not happen because it cannot happen.”

In conclusion, believing in one miraculous event, such as the resurrection of Jesus Christ, opens up the wondrous possibility of other supernatural realities and realms beyond our intellectual comprehension. Did Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead? Did Jesus heal the blind man? Did Jesus turn water into wine? The mind and heart must be receptive to the supernatural threading itself here and there within the tapestry of human history that requires us to answer the age-old question: Did these things happen? We believe they can, so did they?