Does the Supernatural Have a Central Role in Christianity?

The central role of the supernatural in Jesus’ life and teachings continues to be debated within the church today. While some churches try to deny or falsify the role of the supernatural, others actively pursue it. The question of whether the supernatural has a role in Christianity is an important one. Here are some examples of its significance in the life of Jesus.

One example is the Book of Acts, which contains first-hand accounts of God’s workings. The disciples lived what Jesus taught, and they wrote about their experiences in the New Testament. The apostle Paul writes epistles full of first-hand accounts of supernatural events. Jesus is also said to have cured people in situations that fueled their enemies’ anger.

While evangelists preached the gospel in large-scale services, ordinary Christians were also beginning to pray for family and strangers in hospital wards, grocery stores, and bedrooms. The church’s membership rose from five to thirty million in less than two centuries, although many of these new converts were nominal Christians. The “new birth” experience provided forgiveness from sin, and the infilling of the Holy Spirit gave people freedom from the power and pollution of sin. Some Christians believed that this would even give them freedom from sickness.

The New Testament portrays Jesus as the incarnation of God. During his life, he faced the Devil and cried out to him. His religion is different from the liberal ideas of the day, as Christ is said to have transcended time.