What is the Greatest Miracle in the Bible?

The Bible contains many miracles, so what is the greatest miracle ever mentioned in the Bible?

The Creation

The Bible contains many miracles, so what is the greatest miracle ever? Was it the creation mentioned in Genesis one? God made everything out of nothing! We can’t do that. No scientist can create something out of nothing. Only God can create everything out of nothing. That’s a huge miracle…to make everything out of nothing! My finite mind cannot wrap around that fact, but I trust that fact. God said in the beginning He created the heavens and the earth (Gen 1:1). That’s enough for me, but I don’t think it was the greatest miracle.

The Red Sea

You must know about the Red Sea crossing where the Israelites crossed over but the Egyptian army was drowned. In the biblical account, Moses holds out his staff and God parts the waters after a drying wind blew all night. It was at God’s command that “Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left” (Ex 14:21-22). The Israelites walk on dry ground and cross the sea, followed by the Egyptian army whose chariots had difficulty crossing over in the mud. Once the Israelites had safely crossed over, Moses drops his staff, closing the sea, and drowning the pursuing Egyptians. What a miracle, but it’s not the greatest ever I don’t think. Even the Ten Plagues on Egypt were nothing compared to the greatest miracle of all.

Walking on Water

No one can defy the natural laws of nature that God has laid down, but God can supernaturally suspend natural laws when it fits His will. It was so when Jesus walked on the water, defying natural laws as He walked, and it was “in the fourth watch of the night the came to them, walking on the sea” (Matt 14:55). I know about water’s surface tension and all that and that there are insects that can skip across the water and others can float (like otters), but to walk on water? That’s humanly impossible…but it is God possible, but this miracle is not even close to the greatest miracle of all.

Lazarus’ Resurrection

When Jesus initially heard of Lazarus’ sickness, He still waited two whole days. By the time Jesus arrived to Lazarus’ tomb, he had been dead four days. That’s dead! A dead person cannot revive themselves. This takes a miracle and Jesus does a miracle in raising Lazarus from the dead, saying, “Lazarus, come out” (John 11:43c). Since Jesus is God He has resurrection power in His word. What He commands must come to pass, but Lazarus’ resurrection, even as fantastic as it was, is still not actually the greatest miracle of all.

Jesus’ Resurrection

Many people believe that Jesus’ resurrection may be the greatest miracle recorded in the Bible, but is it? For one thing, Jesus could not actually die since He is God. His body could die, but Jesus never! In fact, since the wages of sin is death and Jesus never sinned, the grave could not possibly hold Jesus. Jesus was crucified and died but “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it” (Acts 2:24). So Jesus could not actually die as God is Spirit even though His body could die, but never again. I still believe this is not the greatest miracle in the Bible.

Human Conversion

If there is a greater miracle than that of a dead man coming to life, I don’t know what it is, and I don’t mean physical life like Lazarus. I mean spiritual life. Consider this. The Apostle Paul says that every one of us “were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience” (Eph 2:1-2). In other words, we were dead in sins and like the course of this world, we were headed to utter destruction in hell, but what happened? It was God Who, “even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Eph 2:5).

The Word and the Spirit

The gospel, upon hearing it, has the power to save (Psalm 19:7; Rom 1:16; 2 Cor 11:23-26). When the Spirit of God makes sense of the Word of God, only then can we trust in the Son of God and be saved. We cannot make ourselves alive any more than Lazarus could. We could not be born again by the will of man any more than we can bring about our own birth and choose the date. God “made us alive.” If He hadn’t quickened us to new life by His Spirit, we’d still be dead and likely not reading this. Lest we forget, dead men cannot choose Christ. The dead man Lazarus could not choose Christ to help him. God had to act first. All those who are dead in sins can do is to suffer decay. Dead men cannot choose Christ, therefore conversion is greater than a physical miracle (walking on water, creation, etc.). It is a spiritual conversion which only God can bring about.

Conclusion

If you have still not trusted in Christ, then you are still dead in your sins and trespasses and you have no hope outside of Christ and on judgment day when you meet God face to face. God will say no to you regarding your entering into the Kingdom, telling you to depart from Him for eternity (Matt 7:21-23). Your good works are useless to God (Eph 2:8-9). I plead with you to repent today and trust in Christ or face God’s judgment after death (Heb 9:27) or at Christ’s appearance (Rev 20:12-15), whichever comes first.

Here is some related reading for you: Does God Still Work Miracles Today?

Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Tagged as: Born Again, Conversion, Greatest Miracle, Miracles