A miracle is a direct act of God that transcends the normal operation of natural causes, performed to confirm His word, reveal His nature, and advance His redemptive purposes. The NT uses three overlapping terms: sēmeion (sign) — a miracle as a pointer to deeper spiritual reality; teras (wonder) — a miracle as an astonishing event that arrests attention; and dynamis (power) — a miracle as an expression of God's supernatural power. Miracles are not random displays of divine power for entertainment; they are purposeful — John calls Jesus's miracles "signs" because they point beyond themselves to who Jesus is. The supreme miracle is the Incarnation — God became flesh. The foundational miracle of Christian faith is the Resurrection. All other miracles flow from and are validated by these two.
MIRACLE, n. In theology, an event or effect contrary to the established constitution and course of things, or a departure from the known laws of nature; a supernatural event. Miracles can be wrought only by almighty power, as when Christ healed lepers, saying "I will, be thou clean," or calmed the tempest, "Peace, be still." Miracles are supernatural events, and as such give evidence of a divine mission and the truth of divine revelation.
The Enlightenment, operating on the assumption that the universe is a closed causal system, declared miracles impossible by definition — any "miracle" must have a natural explanation. David Hume's argument that no testimony can establish a miracle has been deeply influential. But this simply assumes what it sets out to prove: that God does not exist or cannot act. Contemporary charismatic excesses have overcorrected in the other direction, labeling every coincidence and emotional experience a "miracle" — inflating the word until it means nothing. The biblical view is that God normally operates through natural means (He governs the world by "secondary causes"), but retains the freedom to act directly when His purposes require it — and He has done so definitively in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
John 20:30–31 — "Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples… these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God."
Acts 2:22 — "Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him."
Hebrews 2:4 — "God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will."
Exodus 14:31 — "When the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him."
Romans 1:4 — "…who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord."
G4592 — σημεῖον (sēmeion) — sign, miracle as a pointer to deeper truth
G5059 — τέρας (teras) — wonder, prodigy, portent
G1411 — δύναμις (dynamis) — power, mighty work; root of "dynamic" and "dynamite"
H4159 — מוֹפֵת (mopheth) — wonder, sign, portent; used of the plagues of Egypt
"A miracle is not God breaking the laws of nature — it is God exercising His authority over the laws He wrote."
"The purpose of every biblical miracle is not spectacle — it is revelation. They show who God is, confirm His messengers, and advance His redemptive plan."
"If the resurrection happened — and the evidence is substantial — then all other miracles become entirely plausible. The door has already been opened."