The logical fallacy of confusing an explanation with proof occurs when one person offers an explanation for a conclusion or event and the other person interprets the explanation as a premise for a conclusion. This confusion usually results from one person asking for proof or evidence and the other person explaining something instead of providing proof. This is more of a misunderstanding, but it can get in the way of communication, so it is offered here.
Sandy: "You said that God leads His people even today. Please explain." (He means that he wants proof, but he wasn’t explicit.)
Rocky: "Whenever someone reads the Bible or hears it read or quoted, they may not acknowledge it, but they are hearing God speak. It is His logos/rhema, which literally means, His utterance."
Sandy: "That proves nothing."
Rocky: "Oh, you want proof. That is different. Everyone who persistently seeks God through Jesus Christ, realizing their unworthiness and need for release from the tendency to sin will find Him, but they must come sincerely, in humility and in submission. Just as any experiment in a laboratory only works if all the ingredients are there, so it is in this case. If I want to prove to you that a hypodermic needle is painful but bearable, words won’t prove that. You have to experience it. You have to have enough trust to do that. The same is true with God, except that there is no pain. Words don’t really prove anything. You have to have enough trust to try, to experience, and then the proof is there."
