Supernaturalism

What are your expectations that supernatural events will occur in your life ? First, let’s be sure we are thinking together concerning what is meant by the “supernatural”. One dictionary definition of “supernatural”, used as an adjective, is this:
“of, pertaining to, or being above or beyond what is natural; unexplainable by natural law or phenomena; abnormal.”
According to this explanation, the question is: do you expect that happenings beyond what is natural or explainable by natural law or predictable phenomena will occur in your life? Would you admit that if you had such expectations, your mental approach to life might be exceedingly different? A lively expectation of the supernatural would free you from the feeling of being locked into factors that you can see and define, but are powerless to change. For example, a man who is unemployed in this present economy might well be over-come by a sense of despair if his hope is limited to the situation as he sees it or as it actually is. The natural state of things does not provide robust optimism that jobs will become plentiful in the near future. However, a belief in the supernatural would enable that man to look beyond what is natural and predictable, beyond what he can actually see and understand. Belief in the supernatural could provide tremendous mental and emotional liberty and hope.

Most in our scientifically oriented world would say, however, that a belief in the supernatural is superstitious, naive, and ignorant–belonging to another day, a day when the world was thought to be flat.

Is it accurate to assume that the only things that exist are those things that we are able to observe, analyze and explain? Or, is there warrant for believing in the supernatural?

In fact, every person (including the most ardent worshiper of naturalism and materialism) knows that the supernatural exists. That is true because every person knows in his conscience that God exists. God exists in and of Himself. He exists eternally. He exists outside the world He created, both material and spiritual. God’s presence pervades all things, but God Himself is outside or above and beyond all that He has made. God’s power sustains and controls all things (Hebrews 1:3) yet Himself is controlled by nothing. What He  has made and brought to be by Providence has no power upon Him. Supernaturalism is reality because God is reality. God has created other powers, angelic powers, that are beyond the powers or understandings of humans; but, these angelic powers (both good and evil) are entirely subject to God’s will and authority. God is over all.

So, we have warrant to believe in the supernatural. Actually, not to believe in the supernatural is be unfaithful to what we know to be true. It is impious.

But, what warrant do we have for believing that God would exert Himself supernaturally in our behalf, for our benefit? In the broad definition of what is good and needful, God works for the profit of all. He sends rain and sunshine upon the just and the unjust–those who believe and those who refuse to believe. However, He has not committed Himself to act for the highest good of any except those who believe upon Him according to the words which He caused to be written in His special revelation to mankind, the Bible. The central message of the Bible concerns His alienation from us on account of our sin. One implication of that message is that we cannot approach God acceptably in our sins. His Holiness is offended by us. His Justice condemns us and calls for our damnation. This is not hopeful for our expectation of receiving supernatural help in our lives. However, the most central part of the most central message of the Bible is that God in His unfathomable grace has made reconciliation for Himself whereby His Justice and holiness are satisfied toward sinful humans without their being personally judged for their sins. This reconciliation, of course, is in Christ. It was affected by His incarnation and self-sacrifice and resurrection and ascension and intercession for all who believe in Him according to God’s promise. Trust in Christ, out of a repentant heart, brings the assurance that God is at peace toward us. For the sake of Christ, and for the sake of His love for us, He hears us. He invites us to come boldly before Him. He promises to hear us and to answer us when we call in sincere, earnest faith (Heb.4: 14-16).

This means that according to God’s own provision and promise, those whose hope Jesus is have large confidence for calling upon God to be supernaturally active in their lives. God made Abraham to be the father of the faithful and as such the example of living by faith. Note what is said of Abraham’s faith in Romans 4:17:

(as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed — God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;

Abraham, with the rather meager amount of revelation given him, believed in God as the One Who raised the dead and brought into being things that did not exist. In other words, he believed God for the supernatural. Consequently Abraham “did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform” (Rom. 4: 19-21). This was the kind of faith which brought Abraham into a justified standing with God: ” And therefore ‘it was accounted to him for righteousness’” (Rom. 4:22). If we have justifying faith we will also believe in the supernatural power and faithfulness of God to keep His promises to us. This means that an absence of expectation for the supernatural in our lives could mean that our faith is not of the same sort as Abraham’s.

Sincere faith in the supernatural (the activity of the living God according to His promises) is not to be  assumed. This faith must be exercised. We must think in these terms with minds filled by the actual words of God. Even more, this faith must be expressed to God by focused and serious conversations. We must call upon God. We must speak to God intently concerning our needs and concerning our believing expectation that in some way He will meet our needs as He has promised. The low emotional state that we too often experience in the face of very real and daunting problems in this world may be due to our inconsistency in learning and focusing upon God’s actual words and then exercising our souls in speaking to God according to faith in His words. No doubt the realization of our sinful unfaithfulness also plays into our failure to have such direct and intense conversations with God. However, there is nothing we can do about sins past except to repent in the believing conviction that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures and that God is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us when we confess. It is not according to faith for us to permit our sins, as ugly and inexcusable as they are, to hinder us in believing God.

Let these words of God through Isaiah saturate your soul and ask the Holy Spirit for fresh measures of faith to take them to your heart :

Isaiah 12:1  And in that day you will say: “O LORD, I will praise You; Though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me. 2 Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For YAH, the LORD, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.’ ” 3  Therefore with joy you will draw water From the wells of salvation.

Trust Him, your Heavenly Father Who has taken all your sins away. Believe that for Christ’s sake and because He loves you with everlasting love God is ready to act for you. He is your strength. He is your salvation. Make Him your song. Plead your needs with Him in very explicit terms. Expect that He will come to your aid. Continue to call. Do not faint and do grow weary in believing. God has prepared exceedingly good things for those who believe and call through Christ. Wait and see the salvation of the Lord. He is for you and nothing can stand against you. You are called to a supernatural life in Christ. Live that life by believing expectant continuous prayer.

December 9th, 2009 by Gary Hendrix | Uncategorized