Naturalism is the view that nature is all there is, and that everything can be explained in natural terms. Specifically, naturalism claims the following:
- Only natural entities such as matter, energy, physical laws, and processes exist.
- All events can be explained by natural causes and processes.
- There are no supernatural beings, forces, or processes that have any effect on the natural world.
- Humans are part of nature and can be fully explained in natural terms.
- There is no divine intervention in the workings of the natural world.
Naturalism rejects all supernatural explanations such as God, spirits, souls, miracles, and life after death. Everything that exists or happens must ultimately be explainable in terms of the natural world. According to naturalism, God does not exist since God is a supernatural entity.
The Bible clearly teaches that naturalism is false. Scripture affirms the existence of both the natural world and the supernatural. God created the natural world (Genesis 1-2), but God Himself is supernatural, beyond nature. The Bible describes many supernatural events such as miracles, prophecies, demonic activity, angels, and divine revelation. Humans have both natural and supernatural aspects according to the Bible. We have physical bodies, but we also have immaterial spirits and souls. The Bible teaches that there is a spiritual reality beyond the natural world.
Here are some key biblical reasons to reject naturalism:
- The universe has a beginning. Genesis 1:1 states “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The Bible teaches that the universe had a definite beginning whereas naturalism requires an eternal universe with no beginning.
- The complexity and design of the universe points to an intelligent Creator. Psalm 19:1 states “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Naturalism cannot adequately account for the specified complexity and apparent design in the world.
- Humans have a spiritual nature. We are more than just material beings. Genesis 1:26-27 states that humans were made in the image and likeness of God, giving us a spiritual soul that transcends mere physicality. Naturalism reduces humans to purely material entities, contradicting the Bible.
- Moral truths exist, but naturalism struggles to account for objective morality beyond individual or cultural preferences. Naturalists have no transcendent basis for ethics.
- The resurrection of Jesus from the dead. 1 Corinthians 15 details the bodily resurrection of Jesus after his crucifixion. Naturalism cannot allow for miracles like the resurrection. Yet the resurrection is the cornerstone of Christianity.
- The existence of the supernatural spiritual realm. Ephesians 6:12 states “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Angels, demons, Satan etc. cannot be reduced to nature.
- The reality of biblical prophecies and their fulfillments. Isaiah 53 and other passages describe the suffering Messiah hundreds of years before Jesus. Naturalism cannot account for the fulfilled prophecies of Scripture.
- The Bible claims to be the inspired Word of God. 2 Timothy 3:16 states, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” Scripture is supernatural revelation from a God who transcends nature and cannot simply be explained naturally.
- The transformed lives of believers. When people repent and believe in Jesus, they are born again by the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit who indwells believers. Naturalism cannot explain the radical transformation that takes place.
- Our human intuition that non-natural aspects of reality exist, like consciousness, objective morality, meaning, and life after death. Naturalism leaves no room for these non-physical realities.
In summary, the Bible teaches that naturalism is false because God supernaturally created the universe, humans have a spiritual nature, biblical miracles have occurred, prophecies have been fulfilled, God has revealed Himself to humanity, people can be born again by the Spirit, and morality and meaning transcend mere nature. Christianity affirms supernatural realities beyond the natural world that point to the existence of God. Naturalism arbitrarily dismisses or reduces these realities to the natural dimension.
At its core, naturalism is fundamentally incompatible with Christian theism. If naturalism is true, then God does not exist, the Bible is not divine revelation, and Christianity is false. But if the Bible is God’s Word and Jesus rose from the dead vindicating His claims, then naturalism clearly cannot be the whole truth about reality. Scripture emphatically teaches that naturalism is inadequate for explaining the world in which we live.
The choice between naturalism and supernatural theism is inescapable. The evidence from science, philosophy, and personal experience can be interpreted through the lens of either worldview. Christians have good reasons for rejecting naturalism as an impoverished explanation of reality. While the natural world does exist and can be studied through science, reductionism fails by dismissing significant supernatural aspects of reality that lie beyond nature.
Some key questions to consider regarding naturalism include:
- Can consciousness be reduced to the brain or will naturalism undermine the mind?
- Does naturalism lead to moral relativism by excluding objective ethics grounded in God?
- Can adjacent fields like philosophy and history be practiced in a thoroughgoing naturalistic manner?
- If humans are just material animals, does naturalism diminish human dignity, meaning, and purpose?
- Does naturalism’s closed system leave room for free will, creativity, and rational inference?
- What evidence exists for supernatural entities like God, souls, angels, demons etc.?
- Can miracles and prophecies occur if the universe is a closed natural system?
- Does the historical evidence support the resurrection of Jesus as an supernatural event?
- Can naturalism account for the origin and fine-tuning of the universe for life?
- How should one assess supernatural claims by other religions in contrast to biblical Christianity?
In the end, Christianity makes significant claims about supernatural realities that naturalism rejects out of an unjustified metaphysical commitment to philosophical materialism. Christians can thoughtfully analyze each competing worldview while pointing skeptics towards a supernatural theistic perspective that better accounts for all of reality – both the natural and the supernatural.