C. S. Lewis defines a "miracle" as "an interference with Nature by supernatural power." At the very beginning of his discussion he sets out the terms of the debate: some believe that nothing exists but Nature ("naturalists"), while others believe that something besides Nature exists ("supernaturalists"). The question is: which is right?

From its very beginnings, the biblical worldview has argued for supernaturalism. "Signs," "wonders," and "power" are found in both the Old and New Testaments. Miraculous "signs" confirmed Moses' authority (Ex 3:12: 4:3-8), and God's message (Jud. 6:17; Is 38:7; Jer 44:29). "Wonders" accompanied signs (Ex 7:3; Deut 26:8), and were called "wonders" (Ex 4:21). Miraculous "powers" defeated the enemies of God's people (Ex 15:6-7; Num 14:17), and were used with "signs" and "wonders" (Ex 9:16).

In the New Testament, Jesus' miracles were "signs" (Jn 2:11; 6:2; 9:16: 11:47), as were the apostles' miraculous acts (Ac 2:43; 4:16, 30; 8:13; 14:3) and the resurrection (Mt 12:39-40). "Wonders" are found 16 times, always with "signs" (Mt 24:24; Jn 4:48; Ac 6:8; 14:3). And we find the "power" of Satan (Lk 10:19; Ro 8:38), of miracles (Mt 11:20; 13:58; Lk 1:35; 1 Cor 12:10), and of the gospel itself (Ro 1:16).

Jesus' ministry was validated in large part by the miracles he performed. He claimed that "the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me" (Jn 5:36). Part of this "work" was "the miracles I do in my Father's name" (Jn 10:25).

When John the Baptist sent messengers to ask Jesus if he were really the Messiah, "at that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, 'Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor" (Lk 7:21-22).

Jesus appealed to his skeptics, "Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father" (Jn 10:37-38). He made the same appeal to his disciples: "Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves" (Jn 14:11).

Early Christians understood the significance of miracles for Jesus' divinity and movement. Origen (ca. 185-ca. 254) claimed that the apostles would have gained no hearing without miracles. Justin the Martyr (executed ca. 165) argued for a Christ who healed the sick and raised the dead. Athanasius (ca. 296-373) claimed that Jesus proved his divinity by his miracles. Gregory of Nyssa (ca. 330-95) stated that Jesus' miracles convinced his followers of his divinity.

From the New Testament to today, those who affirm the biblical worldview accept the category of the supernatural. We believe that biblical miracles were sensible events, verifiable to the eye and/or ear. They required the presence of the supernatural, not merely the improbable. And they were performed within a redemptive context. They were not ends in themselves, but were intended to lead their recipients and witnesses to spiritual realities.

Without the possibility of miracles, the whole purpose of the Christian faith is defeated. The biblical worldview is not a mere life philosophy. Rather, believers are convinced that the gospel is "the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes" (Ro 1:18). If God cannot or will not do the supernatural, no soul can be set free from hell for heaven, transformed from death to life.

Salvation is itself a miracle of the highest magnitude. If Thomas Jefferson was right and the Creator does not intervene in his creation, then "Christ has not been raised, either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. . . . If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men" (1 Cor 15:16-17, 19).

To deny the supernatural is to deny the divine authority of Scripture, and the transforming faith it reveals and promotes. Nothing less than our eternal destiny is at stake.