SUPERNATURAL

Supernatural

Mention the word ‘supernatural’ and people start thinking of floating bedsheets and things that go bump in the night. Books and movies are legion capitalising on mankind’s inherent fear of the unknown. Naturalism starts with the belief that only ‘natural’ laws and ‘natural’ forces exist. Armed with this presupposition, naturalism works overtime to explain away anything vaguely supernatural.

What happens when a naturalist looks at the Bible for example? Does he/she approach God’s Word with the following in mind? ‘He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him’ Hebrews 11:6. No! The naturalist’s mind is already made up. Therefore, he/she must work hard to explain away any supernatural events in the Bible. Indeed, he/she must do away with God Himself, if he/she wishes to remain a naturalist. So, from the word go, some people refuse, no matter how clear the evidence, to believe in anything even remotely supernatural. Where did nature and the ‘natural’ come from? We don’t know, says the Naturalist. Okay, if you don’t know, let us explain it to you, says the Christian. I fear Hell will be full of people who won’t believe they’re actually in Hell, just as they don’t believe they’re actually in God’s creation now! Sad, but I digress.

Almighty God, Creator of the Heavens and the Earth and all that is in them is the biggie when it comes to things supernatural. (Though, technically, God transcends even the supernatural!) Then, there are angels and demons, including the head demon, Satan, a.k.a. the Devil. Floating bedsheets and things that go bump in the night need not apply. However, we need to be careful here not to too quickly rule out angelic or demonic activity. ‘Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels’ Hebrews 13:1. Also, ‘The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved’ 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10. Note that Satan works powers, signs, and lying wonders. Floating bedsheets and things that go bump in the night? Probably not. But note also that there are people who do not ‘love the truth, that they might be saved.’ What is truth? God’s Word is truth (John 17:17), and Jesus is ‘the Truth’ (John 14:6).

The Bible records the claims of Jesus and the supernatural events that surrounded His birth, death, and resurrection. It records as history, e.g., angels appearing to announce His birth (Luke 2:8-18), Jesus turning water into wine (John 2:1-11), feeding five thousand (Matthew 14:13-21), restoring a man’s withered hand (Mark 3:1-6), calming a storm (Mark 4:35-41), walking on the sea (Mark 6:45-52), raising a widow’s dead son (Luke 7:11-17), and raising Himself from the dead (Luke 24:36-43).

‘Doubting Thomas’, sounding very much like a naturalist, said to those who were telling him that Jesus had been resurrected, ‘Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my fingers into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe’ John 20:25. Subsequently, the resurrected Jesus invited Thomas to do just that, saying to him, ‘Do not be unbelieving, but believing’ John 20:27b.

Not believing in supernaturalism is not believing in God. Jesus used supernaturalism to prove that He is God (the Son) in the flesh.