“I think, therefore I am,” (or, cogito ergo sum if you’re more familiar with the Latin) was the only thing René Descartes felt he could say with any certainty. Everything else got swept away in the wake of his philosophical skepticism (i.e., everything else could be doubted away). His ‘final apologetic’ for his own existence was his conscious thought: “I am thinking, therefore I must be.” But he shouldn’t have stopped there, according to Romans 1:18-23; he should’ve gone on to “I am; but how am I? How is it that I exist?” (Perhaps he did, but found that he couldn’t answer that question with certainty; even so, the passage above states that he is “without excuse.”)
In his series on the book of Hebrews, John Piper makes some insightful statements about how utterly contrary this idea is to the Christian worldview. He suggests that the writer to the Hebrews would have us say, instead, “I think, therefore Christ is.” [I might've put it like this: "Christ speaks, therefore I am."]
The idea that “[God made] all things of nothing, by the word of his power,” [WSC Q9] and that they stay made by the word of his power is absolutely stunning to me. It makes me wonder how anyone could think that God’s ultimate will could be frustrated by anyone or anything–because he could simply cease speaking and they would vanish instantly from reality. The theological implications of this are huge, to be sure, and Piper does a great job examining them (especially in his series on Job, recently broadcast on Desiring God Radio). But there is great devotional benefit in this too…
Every single one of my senses, even if left alone, can now serve as a reminder that God lives and speaks: sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and objects I feel–all witnesses to his existence and power and goodness. Every beautiful thing which could be hijacked and turned into an idol now has a much fuller meaning–further up and further in the beautiful cloudscape or star-clustered sky I hear the voice of God upholding it or them for his glory and my joy. Nature begins to fulfill her purpose in my own soul–to shout the glory of God and give testimony that he lives and is speaking. It’s an amazing experience to look at a stone this way–or a grain of sand, or a massive mountain, or the moon, or the hairs on my arm. Oh how small we can make God in our minds!
“Christ speaks, therefore I am.” And I shall only continue to be, if he continues to speak me into being.
some (drive-time pondering) thoughts.
gmail.com
It’s kind of like in the matrix when Neo looked at the ‘world’ but saw the code behind it that kept it in ‘being.’ He must’ve thought, ‘who wrote that? There is code: there must be an author.’ The writer to Hebrews and Paul in Romans 1 [show] Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, [2]which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, [3]concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh [4]and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, [5]through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, [6]including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
tell us that we ought to see that the world is made, and say “there must be an author.”
[7]To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
[8]First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. [9]For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you [10]always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. [11]For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you-- [12]that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. [13]I want you to know, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. [14]I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. [15]So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
[16]For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. [17]For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."
[18]For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. [19]For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. [20]For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. [21]For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. [22]Claiming to be wise, they became fools, [23]and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
[24]Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, [25]because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
[26]For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; [27]and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
[28]And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. [29]They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, [30]slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, [31]foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. [32]Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. (ESV)
Neo saw code (and the author behind it); we ought to see the world and see or hear the voice of God upholding it.