Tracing the Amazing Wonders of the Personhood of God, Pt. 6
January 18, 2026
Pastor Clay Olsen
Last week the Praise Team led us in the song Great Are You Lord. And some of the words pointed to a greater reality about the Personhood of our God than most people even realize. Those words were: “You give life, You are love, You bring light to the darkness. You give hope, You restore every heart that is broken. And great are You, Lord… It’s Your breath in our lungs, So we pour out our praise, we pour out our praise. It’s Your breath in our lungs So we pour out our praise to You only.”
One of the greatest realities of life is the reality that our God is the source of life itself…and even the source of the very breath in our lungs. One of the statements often made in Apologetics conferences about one glaring irony of atheism is how atheists argue against the existence of God by using the very breath that is being given to them by God! How foolish is that?!
We have been taking a closer look into the Personhood of God in our recent studies. And one of the reasons for that is because both the world and often even many believers do not understand nor appreciate just how interconnected our lives and our daily welfare are to the continual workings of our Personal God! Many have adapted a secular mindset about this world…where life is divided up between the sacred and the secular. And this mindset has infected even how they think about the so-called natural and supernatural.
Back to “It’s Your breath in our lungs”…Is our daily breath a natural phenomenon or is it a supernatural work of God’s? Maybe we should ask it another way. In the course of everyday life on Planet Earth, including the living and breathing functions of human beings…what in this world is not utterly dependent upon the gracious and constant workings of God? Col. 1:15-17: “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through Him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through Him and for Him. He existed before anything else, and He holds all creation together.”NASB
What is being revealed to us here are truth claims about our God that the world cannot dismiss and Christians should not ignore. Think about it: The objects in our universe, the living entities in our world….even our very bodies are all being upheld and held together by the infinite power and benevolent workings of Christ, our Creator. The Apostle refutes the notion that our world was made to function on its own by some natural power, as Deists once claimed. God didn’t wind up the world like a clock and then left it to run its course on its own.
In fact, Scientists are still trying to figure out what is the source of the force that is holding the very atoms and molecules together that make up our bodies and all matter in existence. It’s not a force…it’s a Person…the Person of the Creator, Jesus Christ! And without our Creator’s constant sustaining ministry in the physical order of the universe, all matter would disconnect from itself and disintegrate. The only thing keeping our ‘cosmos’ from becoming ‘chaos’ is the working of our Creator every minute, every second, and every nanosecond in the world and in our own lives.
Often people talk about looking for where God is supernaturally working in their lives and in other’s lives. And that intention is good of course, and that kind of talk is meant to be inspiring. But the focus of that actually falls short of just how good God’s working really is! In fact, what the reality really is about God’ working in our lives and other’s lives is far more inspiring than most realize. What do we mean?
We recently pointed out something that sounds odd, but still, it gets to the crux of the matter…that so many people, even believers, are thinking way too shallow, or really, unbiblical about our God and this world…or this so-called ‘Natural world.’ First of all, there is no self-created nor self-sustaining power in the world working independently from the one Creator of the Universe. There is no god named ‘Natural’ or no independent force named ‘Nature.’ Remember? “…through Him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.” Now, certainly some of those rulers and authorities turned to the demonic, but even they were not self-created. No, neither the universe nor our own lives are self-sustaining. Again, even our very ‘breath’ is not being supplied by a force called ‘Nature’ or by a or a god called ‘Natural.’ (We’ll come back to that.)
And as to the ‘supernatural’…the specific word ‘supernatural’ is not in the Bible, as that is actually a modern term used to describe events beyond the so-called natural world. Certainly, the Bible describes what we generally think of as supernatural events, like God’s creation, miracles, and divine interventions, and such. But it uses different language to do so. And that’s our point. For, you see, distinctions such as ‘natural’ and ‘supernatural’ are modern philosophical categories. They are not terms used by the Biblical writers. Why? Because, and this is a key point; the Bible presents to this world a worldview in which God and His actions and workings are the ultimate reality. All creation operates under God’s rule and through His benevolent works.
In other words, ideas like ‘natural’ and ‘supernatural’ lead to a disjointed worldview, where some things are connected to God’s workings and credited to God’s workings, like those that are supernatural, but then other things are disconnected from God’s workings and not credited to God’s workings, like things which are considered to be natural. But again, the Bible does not allow for such a distinction or disconnection, nor such a discrediting of the workings of God in His created world. And we, as children of the Creator, should be the first and the foremost ones to, in whatever we do and whatever is done, give all the glory…meaning give all the ‘credit’ to our God for all of His ‘wondrous works’, and His mercies and graces on our behalf.
For example…and it’s something we also recently pointed out that we, as God’s children, can both help others better understand and then also use to open people’s eyes to the daily mighty and wondrous workings of our Creator in the lives of all He has created. We can be glorifying our God…we can be crediting our Creator and Redeemer with far more praise and thanks than we have probably been doing, but we can and should be doing.
For example: in reality, all healings are of God…every healing is a grace gift and a mercy working of God, who alone can heal. There is no other healing power… The Scriptures tell us, “In God we live, and move, and even breathe.” There is the ‘breath’ reminder again. Never forget, God alone is Jehovah Rapha…God our Healer. There is no other source of healing. There is no other god of healing…again…no god called Natural or Nature. No…Only the Creator can heal those whom He has created! As we saw from our Reading: Ps. 103:1-3 – “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases.” NASB The Psalmist reveals to us here that God is and has been healing us of sicknesses and diseases that we haven’t even been aware of! And in that sense, in this Biblical sense, all of God’s healing works in our lives are miraculous…which Biblically means… ‘wondrous.’ The only difference is that some miraculous healings are immediate…some miraculous healings are gradual…and others are the ultimate healing…when this mortality puts on immortality!
But again, all healings are wondrous, miraculous works of our Creator, whether they are immediate and sudden, or are gradual and through the works of Doctors and Nurses. Remember, like the Physician Dr. Luke, the author of the Gospel of Luke, they are Medical Ministers, to whom God has given wisdom and gifts to assist in the healing works of God. And don’t forget, even beneficial medicines are grace-gifts from the Creator, for the only way for medicines to be developed is because the Creator has created everything on this Earth for the benefit of those He created. Certainly, we have to be wise about which medicines are beneficial, but for those that are, the glory goes to God for it.
That’s why we declare that each of us can celebrate our healings! For each of us have experienced God’s miraculous healings…some we have known about, others we weren’t even aware of, but one day God will tell us about them. So whether your miracle was immediate or gradual through the help of Medical Ministers and through medicinal helps, any and all of your healings are from the only Healer that exists, our Jehovah Rapha, our Lord Jesus Christ!
Remember, healing is one of the greatest types of evidence of the Creator at work in creation that there is…so the more we learn about it the more we can help others better understand the real world and the real wondrous workings of our real God and Savior. Healing directly points to the Personhood of God and His wondrous working in His created world.
Now then, many of our mercy healings are gradual healings, but no less miraculous. Even the clotting of blood is a miracle work of God’s healing graces, for again, God alone is the source of all healing. So even healings that appear ‘natural’ still have the fingerprints of God all over them. Your healings are directly connected to God’s Divine Hand! So-called ‘natural recovery’ is simply God’s gradual providence at work. God even designed the repairing mechanisms within our bodies. Remember Ps. 139:13-15? “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth.” NASB
Here’s something that surprises some. The Bible never divides healings into ‘miraculous’ and ‘non-miraculous’ in terms of ‘Authorship.’ In fact, the English word ‘miracle’ is not a direct translation of any single, specific word in the original Hebrew or Greek biblical texts? Nope, the English word comes from the Latin word miraculum, meaning: ‘object of wonder.’ Or, a wondrous work of God. Instead, the Bible uses several different Hebrew and Greek words to describe extraordinary events, each describing a slightly different aspect of the event.
The New Testament primarily uses four Greek words, often in combination, to describe what English translations commonly render as ‘miracles’:
Semeion (sign): This word emphasizes that the event is a pointer or an indication of divine authority and purpose, leading a person to a deeper spiritual understanding. John’s Gospel, in particular, uses this term frequently, highlighting the symbolic meaning of Jesus’ actions.
Teras (wonder or prodigy): This term focuses on the effect on the observer, describing something that evokes astonishment, amazement, or awe. It is almost always used alongside semeion…like we read ‘signs and wonders.’
Dunamis (mighty work or power): This word highlights the inherent power and ability of God by which the event is performed. It describes works of a supernatural origin that could not be produced by natural means.
Ergon (work): Jesus sometimes referred to His miraculous acts simply as ‘works’, emphasizing that they were the actions of God working through Him.1
Now, certainly, many of the mighty works of Jesus’ in the Gospels were miraculous signs and wonders that particularly confirmed and identified that He was indeed the Messiah, as in
Matt. 11:3-5: “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.” Jesus’ ‘immediate healings’ confirmed what the Prophets had told the people to look for in identifying the Messiah. They were ‘sign’ and ‘confirmation’ works and healings.
The same is true of what was necessary to confirm that the Apostles truly were sent from God and that they did indeed directly speak for God, and that their recorded words were God ordained Scriptures, just like those of the Old Testament. Notice 2 Cor. 12:12 – “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.” NASB By the way, the Greek word for miracles here is dynamesin, meaning: ‘power’ or ‘powers.’
Sometimes you hear people ask the question: “Does God still perform miracles?” Well of course God still performs miracles! Why wouldn’t He? He is the miracle working God after all! But often what they are getting at are miracles that are those ‘immediate healings.’ Again, yes, God’s miracles are sometimes ‘immediate’…and again, sometimes they are ‘gradual’…and then sometimes they are ‘ultimate.’ And although, the purpose of identifying Jesus as the coming Messiah or confirming the Apostles as the authors of the New Covenant, or the New Testament was fulfilled, God’s benevolent care and His miraculous works have and are being experienced on and on in the lives of His people, through Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever!
Still, the major point we are stressing in all of this is that God alone is the ‘Source’ of the wondrous workings of healings and helps and in all that is good in our lives! And once we get to where we are daily connecting all of the daily functions of our lives, from our daily healings to our daily breath, to the mighty works of God, it will then open our eyes even more to the truth of not only our complete dependence upon God, but to the truth of how great are the love and mercies and grace of our God in His daily wondrous works in our lives!
Which reminds us that each one of us who has been Born-Again has already experienced the greatest miracle in our lives…for our spirit, once dead in trespasses and sin, has been raised to new life in union with Jesus Christ our Lord! Our soul has been completely and miraculously healed to the state of eternal life! Our spirit has been resurrected into life from out of the kingdom of darkness and into the Kingdom of light and life. Eph. 2:4-9 – “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” NASB
Praise God for the miracle of the New Birth in our lives!
- Defining Miracles – Part 1 – Understanding Miracles
Feb 9, 2022 — The John Ankerberg Show