Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” See Exodus 3:13-14.
The famous response given to Moses, “I am who I am,” holds significant importance. When Moses questioned the nature of God, he was attempting to categorize Him. However, God’s response challenges this notion and emphasizes the essence of our understanding.
If we were to follow Moses’ line of questioning, we would inevitably arrive at atheism. Viewing God as a mere object within the world leads to skepticism and disbelief. This perspective suggests that God is unnecessary for explaining the world around us.
The power of God’s response in Exodus lies in its rejection of categorization. God asserts that He is not a tangible entity that can be defined or labeled. Instead, He exists beyond human comprehension, transcending thought and language.
God’s declaration, “I am who I am,” echoes Augustine’s concept of being prior to thought and language. He is the foundation upon which all categorical distinctions rely. This profound statement challenges our understanding of God and emphasizes His incomprehensible nature.
Man is not truly aware of who or what he is. We have a self concept or identity but we are not what we think we are. The only thing that knows what we are is our Creator God. Without God we do not exist, we are nothing.
In the past hundred years or so man has discovered that existence relies on observation or measurement. If science is correct it only proves we are nothing without God. Everything is nothing without God. See John 1:1-4.