More Than Myth: How Miracles Make Sense in a Scientific World

An honest dialogue about belief, doubt, and the possibility that miracles still make sense today.

[Scene: Two friends, Alex (a Christian scientist) and Jordan (a Christian with a more traditional faith perspective), sit in a quiet study room after a church small group session. A Bible sits between them.]

Alex:

Jordan, can I be honest about something? I believe in Jesus—His teachings, His death and resurrection. But I still struggle with some of the miracles, especially the more extreme ones. Maybe it’s my science background, but part of me keeps asking, how?

Jordan:

Of course. I appreciate you bringing it up. You’re definitely not alone—many believers wrestle with that. What in particular gives you pause?

Alex:

It’s the suspension of natural laws. Walking on water, turning water into wine, instant healings—those things seem to defy everything I understand about physics and biology. And as someone trained to look for patterns, cause and effect, it’s hard to reconcile.

Jordan:

That makes sense. But let me ask you something: Do you believe God created the laws of nature?

Alex:

Yes, I do. The order and beauty of the cosmos are part of what led me to faith in the first place.

Jordan:

Then if God authored natural law, is it really impossible that He could act above or through it when He chooses?

Alex:

I suppose not impossible. But that gets into tricky territory. Miracles can be used as an excuse for what we don’t understand—sort of a “God of the gaps.” As science explains more, the space for miracles seems to shrink.

Jordan:

Unless miracles aren’t in competition with science, but complementary to it. What if some miracles are God working through laws we haven’t yet discovered? Like how a few decades ago, the concept of entanglement or nonlocality in quantum physics sounded like nonsense. Now it’s just part of the mystery we’re still trying to grasp.

Alex:

You’re saying miracles might not break the rules—just operate by deeper ones?

Jordan:

Exactly. And there’s growing research in areas like neurobiology and consciousness that show how mind, belief, and even prayer can measurably affect physical health. Some healing miracles today might not be violations of biology, but an activation of something built into it—like a latent design feature.

Alex:

So maybe there’s a scientific mechanism behind some of what we’ve called “miracles.”

Jordan:

Yes—and that wouldn’t make them less miraculous, would it? If anything, it could make them more profound. God could be working through natural systems we’re only now beginning to understand. Like the placebo effect—where belief changes biology. That’s not anti-science, it’s science revealing the power of the soul.

Alex:

But what about the miracles that do seem to defy all explanation? The resurrection, for example—that’s not just an unexplained healing.

Jordan:

That’s true. And I think that’s where faith meets reason. If Jesus really rose from the dead—and I believe He did—then that singular event validates His authority over life and death. It’s not anti-science—it’s an invitation to expand what we think is possible. The resurrection isn’t meant to fit into natural law—it points to a new kind of reality, one that transcends it.

Alex:

So in a way, miracles don’t ignore science—they point beyond it?

Jordan:

Yes. They’re like signposts. Not random disruptions, but deliberate acts revealing that creation is more flexible, more responsive, more alive than we imagine. And at the center of it all is a Person—Jesus—who isn’t constrained by the laws He made. He can walk on water if He wants. And maybe, with time, we’ll understand more of how. But even if we never do, that doesn’t make it irrational. It just means our understanding is still unfolding.

Alex:

That helps, actually. You’re not asking me to deny science—but to allow wonder, even as I study the world.

Jordan:

Exactly. Faith doesn’t cancel science. It gives it depth. And science doesn’t cancel faith. It helps us marvel at the One who designed it all.

Alex:

Thanks, Jordan. I needed that perspective. Maybe I’ve been so focused on the mechanism that I’ve missed the meaning.

Jordan:

And maybe they’re both worth pursuing.