“Miracles do not, in fact, break the laws of nature.”
Image credits：Aronsyne,”Lewis, age 48″,CC BY-SA 4.0,C.S.-Lewis – C. S. Lewis – Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- November 29, 1898 – November 22, 1963
- Born in Ireland
- Writer, scholar
- Had a major influence on fantasy literature and religious thought through his many works, including the Chronicles of Narnia series and The Poetics of Christianity
Quote
“Miracles do not, in fact, break the laws of nature.”
Explanation
In this quote, C. S. Lewis challenges the common misconception that miracles—events that seem to defy natural laws—are violations of nature’s laws. Lewis argues that miracles, instead of breaking these laws, represent interventions by a higher power (in the Christian context, God) that work within or through natural processes. For Lewis, the laws of nature are not fixed, rigid rules but the usual patterns by which the universe operates. Miracles, then, are not contrary to nature, but rather an expression of a higher order—a divine influence that transcends the usual course of events while still being part of the overall reality governed by God’s will. This perspective reframes miracles not as violations but as manifestations of a greater, divine reality.
Historically, this view reflects Lewis’s theological understanding of how God interacts with the world. He did not see God’s interventions as disrupting or contradicting nature but as demonstrating the sovereignty of God over the created order. Lewis, especially in works like Miracles and Mere Christianity, argued that miracles are part of a Christian understanding of the world where the divine is always active, even in the most ordinary circumstances. He believed that a miracle is not so much a breaking of the rules of nature but rather a display of God’s greater purposes, revealing a deeper reality behind the surface of the natural world.
In the modern context, this idea challenges the common scientific view that natural laws are absolute and unchangeable. In an age where the laws of nature are often treated as unchallengeable truths, Lewis’s perspective invites a more spiritual and philosophical view—one where the natural world is seen as not the final word, but as a medium through which divine action can occur. It encourages us to be open to the idea that what we perceive as miraculous might not be a contradiction of the natural world, but rather a deeper truth about the world’s design and the presence of a higher power. This view opens up the possibility that miracles could be seen as expressions of divine involvement, deeply connected to the fabric of reality rather than disruptions of it.
