Supernaturalism is the belief that there exists realities or beings that are beyond the observable natural world and its laws. In a Christian context, supernaturalism affirms the existence of God, angels, demons, and other spiritual beings described in the Bible that have capabilities beyond those limited by natural laws and human comprehension. The Bible presents a supernaturalistic worldview from start to finish.
According to the Bible, God created the natural world but exists outside of it and not subject to its physical laws (Genesis 1:1). As the all-powerful, eternal Creator, God’s nature and capabilities are beyond human understanding. The Bible describes God performing supernatural acts such as creating the universe from nothing, parting the Red Sea, resurrecting the dead, and predicting the future through prophecy.
Angels and demons as described in the Bible also possess supernatural capabilities. Angels are spiritual beings created by God to serve Him, often delivering His messages or protecting His people (Psalm 91:11-12). Demons are rebellious angels who followed Satan in rebellion against God (Revelation 12:7-9). Both angels and demons have capabilities beyond natural laws, such as interacting with the physical world, possessing people, and performing miraculous feats through God or Satan’s power.
The Bible also describes the miraculous works of God’s prophets, apostles, and other servants empowered by the Holy Spirit to perform healings, signs, and wonders that defy natural explanation. Moses parted the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21-22), Elijah called down fire from heaven (1 Kings 18:38), Peter healed a lame beggar (Acts 3:1-10), and Paul survived a deadly snake bite unharmed (Acts 28:3-6). Such miracles continue to testify to God’s supernatural power and presence.
Furthermore, the Bible presents Jesus Christ Himself as the greatest demonstration of supernaturalism. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, performed countless miracles in defiance of natural law, knew people’s inmost thoughts, exercised power over demons, conquered death through His resurrection, and ascended into heaven (Luke 1:35, Mark 4:35-41, Luke 5:22, Luke 4:33-36, Luke 24, Acts 1:9). All aspects of Jesus’ life and ministry point to His divine nature and confirm that God can intervene supernaturally in human affairs.
In addition to describing supernatural events, the Bible presents a supernaturalistic worldview. It teaches that humanity lives in a spiritual reality beyond the physical world. People have eternal souls that will continue existing after death based on their relationship with God (Matthew 10:28, John 11:25-26). Sin has a spiritual dimension, as people are influenced by Satan and evil spiritual forces that promote evil in the world (Ephesians 6:12). Salvation is a supernatural gift from God that transforms a person’s heart and eternal destiny (Ephesians 2:8-9).
This supernatural perspective contrasts with philosophical naturalism, the view that only natural laws and forces operating in the physical universe exist. Naturalism denies or seeks to explain away all spiritual and supernatural concepts. Supernaturalism affirms that naturalism fails to account for spiritual realities that the Bible insists are very real, such as God, angels, demons, the human soul, sin, salvation, miracles, and life after death.
In summary, biblical Christianity firmly embraces supernaturalism – the belief that God exists beyond the natural universe and actively intervenes through miracles, divine revelation, and the spiritual transformation of people. Naturalism cannot account for the spiritual realities and miraculous events described throughout Scripture. The Bible presents a God who is master over both the natural and supernatural realms and invites everyone to experience a relationship with Him that transcends this earthly life.
The Bible repeatedly affirms supernatural spiritual realities that naturalism denies or reinterprets. Here are some key biblical passages that present a supernatural worldview:
Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” God exists outside of His creation and brought the natural world into being supernaturally.
Exodus 3:14 – “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.'” God reveals Himself to Moses and the Israelites as the eternal, self-existent, supernatural being.
Psalm 19:1 – “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” God’s existence and power are evident through nature, His supernatural creation.
Mark 4:35-41 – Jesus calms a supernatural storm, astonishing His disciples at His authority over nature.
John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” God intervened supernaturally by sending Jesus into the world to provide salvation.
John 4:24 – “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” God’s nature is spiritual rather than physical or natural.
John 11:25 – “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” Jesus possesses supernatural power over life and death.
Romans 8:9 – “You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.” Christians have a supernatural spiritual life through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 15:42-44 – “The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.” Believers look forward to a supernatural resurrection.
Ephesians 6:12 – “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Spiritual warfare reflects the supernatural reality of spiritual forces of evil.
2 Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” The Bible is God’s supernatural revelation to humanity.
Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Christian faith embraces supernatural unseen realities.
1 John 4:4 – “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” God’s supernatural power residing in believers overcomes spiritual forces of the world.
Revelation 21:1-4 – “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God….He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” The Bible concludes with a supernatural vision of the eternal state.
In contrast to philosophical naturalism, the Bible clearly presents a supernatural worldview – God created the natural world but exists outside of it and regularly performs supernatural acts. Angels, demons, Satan, and the human soul are real spiritual beings. Salvation is a supernatural gift from God, and believers look forward to a supernatural heavenly existence. This biblical supernatural perspective provides meaning and purpose unavailable in a purely naturalistic worldview.
Belief in the supernatural is reasonable given the limits of naturalism. Naturalism cannot adequately account for things like:
- The origin, complexity, and fine-tuning of the universe
- The existence of objective moral values
- The historical evidence for Jesus’ resurrection
- The spiritual experience of millions of believers across history
- The uniqueness of human consciousness and cognition
Given these limitations, supernaturalism offers a better explanatory scope. Belief that an intelligent, powerful, good God exists beyond the natural world makes the best sense of all the evidence.
Furthermore, practically speaking, a supernatural worldview offers unique existential benefits unavailable to philosophical naturalism, such as:
- A sense of meaning, purpose, and significance
- Comfort amidst suffering knowing God is still in control
- Hope beyond death for eternal life
- Inner moral transformation through the Holy Spirit
- Genuine freedom from sin and spiritual bondage
- Joy, community, and love in relationship with God and others
In summary, biblical supernaturalism offers a spectrum of explanatory, empirical, existential, and practical benefits unavailable through strict naturalism. Belief in a God who actively sustains and transcends His creation makes the most sense of human experience.
Here are some key objections to supernaturalism addressed from a Christian perspective:
Science disproves the supernatural
Naturalism asserts there are no supernatural causes, only natural ones. However, science cannot disprove supernatural claims because science is limited to studying the natural, physical world and its laws. Science presupposes methodological naturalism as an investigative tool but cannot make definitive metaphysical claims about all of reality. Science and faith need not conflict as they deal with different spheres of knowledge.
Miracles violate natural laws
Natural laws describe nature’s normal patterns but do not prescribe what cannot happen. As the creator and sustainer of natural laws, God can intervene supernaturally and suspend or override them to accomplish His purposes. Miracles are by definition exceptions to natural patterns. Their unique nature points to divine action.
Supernatural beliefs are irrational
Belief in God and the supernatural can be rational even if there is no scientific proof available. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. If God exists, He could choose to reveal Himself in ways that require faith rather than empirical verification. Millions of people throughout history have rationally concluded God’s supernatural self-revelation is trustworthy.
Ancient people used gods to explain natural phenomena
While ancient people may have appealed to gods and spirits to understand natural forces they feared, the Bible presents the living God in a completely different light. The biblical God is eternal, all-powerful, and loving, not capricious like the gods of ancient myths. He reveals deep truths about human nature, morality, and purpose. The Christian concept of God transcends primitive superstitions.
Quantum physics makes supernaturalism unnecessary
Some argue phenomena like quantum entanglements show nature itself is weird enough to make supernatural explanations unnecessary. However, quantum physics still operates within natural physical parameters and laws. It does not point to realities beyond the physical or necessitate discarding non-natural agents like God. Natural and supernatural explanations for existence are not mutually exclusive.
In summary, philosophical naturalism faces significant limitations in accounting for all human experience and observations. Biblical supernaturalism provides a compelling explanatory scope integrating scientific understanding of the natural world with spiritual realities beyond it. Belief in a transcendent, loving God actively involved in His creation makes rational and existential sense despite an inability to scientifically test supernatural claims.
Supernaturalism sparks several philosophical and theological questions worth wrestling with, such as:
- If God is supernatural, how can we comprehensively describe His nature and attributes?
- How does God exercise His supernatural power to interact with the natural world and human lives?
- What is the relationship between God’s general self-revelation through creation (general revelation) and His special self-revelation through Christ and Scripture (special revelation)?
- If all truth is God’s truth, how do we relate scientific findings to biblical teachings about the natural world?
- How do we avoid superstition in discerning real supernatural phenomena from imagined ones?
- What role do faith and reason play in assessing supernatural claims and explanations?
- How do we grapple with seemingly unanswered prayer or lack of divine intervention despite believing in a supernatural God?
Wrestling with such questions deepens spiritual maturity. The Bible admonishes developing knowledge with humility, acknowledging the limits of human perspective compared to God’s infinite understanding (Proverbs 1:7, Isaiah 55:8-9, 1 Corinthians 13:12).
Supernaturalism involves several key practices for Christians, such as:
- Prayer – Communicating with God who dwells outside space and time
- Worship – Glorifying the God who transcends creation
- Bible Study – Growing in knowledge of spiritual realities beyond the physical world
- Spiritual Disciplines – Practices like fasting to deepen reliance on supernatural spiritual nourishment
- Evangelism – Sharing supernatural salvation offered through Jesus
- Exercising Spiritual Gifts – Using Holy Spirit-empowered abilities to build up other Christians
Cultivating such spiritual practices allows Christians to connect with and live in light of supernatural biblical truths rather than simply naturalistic assumptions.
In conclusion, supernaturalism as presented in the Bible provides a robust understanding of reality encompassing both natural phenomena and supernatural beings. Belief in a God who transcends His creation makes sense philosophically and existentially. Supernaturalism offers meaning and purpose unavailable in purely naturalistic worldviews. While requiring faith, Christianity provides compelling rational grounds for believing God upholds both the natural and supernatural realms for His glory and human flourishing.