People sometimes say “That begs the question” when referring to something that raises a query. But begging the question actually means to put forth an argument with a premise that assumes the conclusion. In other words, the reasoning is circular and therefore illogical.
For example, as a boy I was taught to beg the question in defense of my faith. Premise: You’re a sinner and you need Jesus. (This is true, but why?) Conclusion: Because the Bible says so. That is begging the question.
But why should anyone trust the Bible?
It’s impractical to try to prove the Bible’s reliability in this brief post (although it can be trusted!). But that’s part of the point. Imagine you’re skeptical of Christianity, and a Christian wants you to accept their conclusions in just a few minutes of discussion. It could happen, but it’s not likely.
In John 5, some religious leaders confronted Jesus over His claims of being divine (John 5:16-18). Jesus didn’t hesitate to counter His accusers’ words with a logical defense. “If I were to testify on my own behalf, my testimony would not be valid,” He said. But “in fact, you sent investigators to listen to John the Baptist, and his testimony about me was true” (John 5:31,33). For good measure, Jesus noted that the public had observed His miracles and heard His teaching (John 5:36). The evidence of Christ being God’s Son was compelling!
Before anyone wants to hear our reasons for faith in Jesus, they want to feel respected and known by us as individuals in their own right. Isn’t that how God treats us? He never demands our faith, but He does make an unmistakable appeal for us to believe.
At the heart of Christianity you won’t find an argument but an irrefutable Person—Jesus.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: John 7:32-53
More:
Read John 5:1-30 to see some of the challenges Jesus faced from His accusers despite the fact that He was obviously doing good.
Next:
Do you ever feel pressure to share your faith in ways that seem awkward to you? If so, why do you think that’s the case?
neetshilo on July 28, 2016 at 1:19 am
Loved it!
Mike Wittmer on July 28, 2016 at 7:01 am
We know the Bible is God’s Word because the Spirit opens our ears to hear God speaking there. Let’s invite our non-Christian friends to read the Bible, too, say the gospel of John, and pray that the same Spirit who opened our hearts will do the same for them. Praise God, that as you say, the heart of our faith is the personal God, and He is alive with power to raise the dead.
Tim Gustafson on July 28, 2016 at 7:45 am
Thanks for weighing in on this, Mike. The Spirit’s role in our faith is absolutely essential.
jef on July 28, 2016 at 7:42 am
Amen! the last statement nails it the irrefutable person of Jesus Christ. Rumours of another world by Philip yancey extensively tackles today’s devotion quoting from a chapter; why believe? “In My own days of scepticism, I wanted a dramatic interruption from above. I wanted a proof of an unseen reality one that could be somehow be verified. In my days of faith, such supernatural irruptions seem far less important, in part because I find the materialistic explanations of life inadequate to explain reality. “
Tim Gustafson on July 28, 2016 at 7:55 am
Thanks for sharing this, jef. Philip Yancey really resonates with me. He gives voice to the struggles and doubts that I sometimes have, but wasn’t really permitted to ask when I was growing up. It’s a beautiful thing to know that God welcomes our honest questions.
hsnpoor on July 28, 2016 at 11:13 am
jef, that was a good word! I know exactly what you mean about “finding the materialistic explanations of life inadequate to explain reality”! I love that phraseology (sp). When one reaches that point, I do believe that is when the Father begins to draw the person to Him and life not only becomes bearable, it becomes infused with a hope not previously known and it becomes GOOD, regardless of life’s circumstances. That’s REAL life and it’s precious, but thank God, it’s not the end of the story! I feel a praise party coming on….. Thank you for your sharing, jef!
ma1234 on July 28, 2016 at 9:44 am
I think it’s extremely awkward because the enemy uses the fear of rejection and ridicule to make it that hard. I have to remind myself that being rejected for speaking truth is what Christ did…and it’s STILL very hard.
Tim Gustafson on July 28, 2016 at 9:46 am
ma1234, I couldn’t agree more! I don’t like rejection. I take it personally. Yet Jesus told us that the world would hate us for His sake … and we should take heart because of that.
godlove on July 28, 2016 at 12:44 pm
To be completely honest I must say, after reading it over and over again, I still don’t understand the actual meaning of “begging the question”, that was way too complicated for me. One thing that is much simpler for me, however, is the reality of God and of His power at work in my life. The undeniable truth of God’s Love and Grace and Mercy, expressed through the multitude of miracles He has performed in my life are concrete enough for me to know with certainty, without need for any other sort of proof and beyond any form of doubt, that God exists and that Jesus Christ, His Son, IS my Saviour and Redeemer, no question! Praise the Lord! Thank you, Tim.
Tim Gustafson on July 28, 2016 at 1:23 pm
Hi godlove. Yeah, I was a bit worried about using this illustration, because I know it is so misunderstood, and I didn’t want to take up too much of the article explaining. So I’m grateful that you benefited from this despite my lack of clarity. “Begging the question” means to draw a conclusion that is rooted in your own assumptions. Imagine turning the example around: “We know there is no god because science can’t prove he exists.” You can easily see the fallacy in THAT approach. Such a person would be begging the question, i.e., starting with an assumption (which in this case I contend is the hidden assumption that science is “god”) to draw a conclusion the speaker agrees with. But the assumptions are incomplete.
We could go on and on about the real reasons God exists, but I think yours is the very best example: a life lived in relationship to Him, because of what Jesus Christ has done in love for us.
godlove on July 28, 2016 at 3:03 pm
Oh okay, I think I got it this time, thanks to the good example you used here. Actually, I’ve read through the piece again and I now see what you were driving at. It’s really much clearer to me now. (Sorry, I know sometimes I need long explanations to understand something simple, not always though 🙂 ) Thanks very much for taking the time to explain further, Tim. Blessings to you.