“I think therefore I am” – A Primer in Creation

This statement by the 17th century philosopher, Rene Descartes, is understood by many as the essence of skepticism. Others point to it as the beginning of rationalism, that is, the existence of everything can only be comprehended by a rational process or it may not exist. What do you think?

I propose a fill in the blank exercise. “I ________ therefore I am.” You may take it both personally and how people in general think today. For example, twenty-seven years ago I said to a good friend concerning my construction business, “Carpentry is what I do; it is not who I am.” How would you fill in the blank for yourself?

What about people in our world today? How do they function? Many say, “I feel therefore I am.” Tragically, both nations and individuals say, “I kill therefore I am.” And to that question all too many, respond with a skeptical, “Whatever?”.

Then we turn to Scripture with its “In the beginning God, therefore I am.” There are the repeated, “And God said . . .” climaxing in “Let us make man in our image.” So, God created man in his own image, male and female he created them.” Therefore, I am, we are.

When God saw everything that he had made, he said “It is good,” that is, it works and functions. Faith in God who creates is faith in a God who shaped a functional, organized, and purposeful world/cosmos. The focus in the Genesis account of creation is not simply the manufacturing of material things. I suspect that your answers to the above quiz were all about your purposeful functions in this world. It may be that this creation story is irrational and unscientific in our way of thinking today. Perhaps not! I believe that it is more reasonable to believe than to disbelieve. I think, I read, I believe, and I write, therefore I am.

—Tom Yoakum