Toward the end of his life, Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence and former president of the United States, worked diligently in his library over a collection of old Bibles. He carefully removed paragraphs from the pages with a razor and glued them onto blank pages. The resulting work would remain private within his family until it was sold to the Smithsonian Museum in 1895. Jefferson's creation has come to be known as the Jefferson Bible. It is the story of Jesus and His teachings—but with His miracles, resurrection, and ascension deliberately removed. It is Jesus minus the supernatural.
There is a cultural movement that follows Jefferson's lead, rejecting everything that cannot be verified with the five senses. A few loaves of bread feeding 5,000? Never seen it. A spiritual realm affecting our world? Never touched it. For many, these Biblical realities are seen as fairy tales or myths, leaving a Christianity without an active God—no virgin birth, no resurrection, no Holy Spirit, no miracles, no transformation.
We are daily sustained by a supernatural event—the Holy Spirit at work in His people.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, we find many people who are open to vague spiritual powers. They chase ghosts, seek their future through a spirit guide, or use elements of Eastern religions to achieve self-fulfillment. Modern man, who for so long shunned the supernatural, has now turned the "Universe" into a benevolent force guiding their lives. They say things like, "I guess the Universe thought I could handle this," and, "The Universe must have a plan." Even in the church, we see some using the supernatural as a magic "name-it-and-claim-it" tool to get what they want, while others chase after emotional experiences with no intention of obeying the Lord. One segment of society denies the supernatural realm, while another embraces it—as long as it doesn't make demands on their lives.
CREATED FOR THE SUPERNATURAL
While we can reject spirituality, reasoning away the miracles that point us to an all-powerful God, we cannot escape the longing for something bigger than what we can see, hear, taste, smell, and touch. God put this longing in our souls. It is a purpose found at the very center of the Gospel: We are made to be with Him—to delight in and glorify our Creator.
As believers in Jesus, we must grapple with the aspects of our culture that seek to ignore the impossible things of God. While we might not physically cut out bits and pieces of the Bible, we can be tempted to live as if the miraculous work of God ended with the last words of Revelation. But our faith is not a conventional religion that we can contain or control. Our faith is full of wonder, amazement, and adventure. Its Lord is the Lion of Judah. Its seal is the very Spirit of God indwelling all who believe. Ours is not a tame faith—it is supernatural.
We are a community founded on a supernatural event—the resurrection. We enter this community by means of a supernatural event—death-to-life transformation.
We are daily sustained by a supernatural event—the Holy Spirit at work in His people.
And we look forward in hope to a supernatural event—the new heavens and new earth. May we never treat the Lion of Judah like a house cat. May we never turn the church of God into a museum. The very God who made us spiritual beings continues to work in us through His supernatural power.
THE PROMISES THAT SUSTAIN US IN DARKNESS
During Jesus' last night with His disciples before His betrayal and crucifixion, He told them two things that can help us "live by faith, not by sight" as we navigate this world (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Now is not the time to eliminate God's power from our faith. Now is the time to trust that the God of the Bible is the same yesterday, today, and forever. As we look to Him expectantly, our lives will display the power of the miracle-working God.
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