The Name of Existence
By Anthony Casperson
10-25-25

A number of fantasy stories utilize the idea of true names. They present the idea that everything has a name that’s hidden to all but those with secret knowledge. And if a person knows the true name of something, then they have power or control over it.

It might be some magical mystical force that they know the true name of, and thus, can use it in their magical incantations. For instance, they might control fire or air in order to buffet their foes with it.

Or the person might know the true name of a powerful being, and so can summon them, or use them to perform tasks. If the magic system has summoning circles, this idea of true names is likely the explanation as to why the summoner can call forth this particular being.

While the idea of true names often carries with it the lure of power over the one whose true name is known, sometimes, these stories instead use the concept in a manner of deeply knowing the being. There’s an intimacy built into the system. The one whose true name is known stands bear—metaphysically speaking—before the one who knows it. Knowledge deeper than a thousand years spent together.

However, as much as we might like stories that contain true name magic, the idea is incompatible with a biblical worldview. Yes, a person can know another on a deeper level than the general populace, but that has to do with a chosen intimacy from both parts, rather than some mystical true name.

And it’s even more incompatible considering how often true name magic seeks control over another. It’s a selfish bludgeon of will forced upon someone else. An attempt to violate a person’s will by use of one’s power over them. And there’s already a term for such actions.

Given all of that, some might ask why I’m then speaking about this fantasy story trope in a blog such as this. To which I would answer that perhaps we might better understand ourselves when we know the name that God provides for us to call him.

Instead of seeking power over him, we might come to see why we should bow before him. And rather than having him laid bare in front of us, we might realize why it is that he understands us intimately enough to know the number of hairs on our heads.

While there are many titles that he holds—some of which contain his actual name—we’re talking about the name he says is his, when asked, “Whom shall I say is sending me?” And we see that in Exodus 3:14-16.

There, Moses has been drawn to the bush that burned, but isn’t consumed by the fire. A divine voice calls out to him, commands him to return to Egypt and lead the people of Israel out from slavery. Moses asks a lot of questions here, but our interest lies in the one where he asks God what name Moses should use when questioned about who had sent him.

In verse 14, the voice says, “I am who I am.” And also, “Tell them I AM has sent you.” Then, in verses 15-16, he twice uses the specific name—his true name—that our bibles translate as “the LORD.”

This is the name we pronounce as Yahweh.

Some say “Jehovah,” although that’s a misunderstanding about the consonants of the Hebrew language and the vowels of the Masoretic text. I could get into the specifics about what all of this means, but we’d lose my point in the process. So, I’m not going to get into it here.

Moving beyond that misunderstanding, let’s take a look at the name Yahweh, and see what it can teach us about ourselves.

First and foremost, the context of the revelation of his name in Exodus should key us into the connection with the verb “is” or “to be.” Many would say that Yahweh means “I AM,” but that’s an oversimplification. And technically not true.

The name Yahweh is built off of the Hebrew verb “to be.” It’s not exactly the verb, but it is meant to evoke the concept, like many Hebrew names work. They’re not direct translations of the meaning, but close enough to be both an actual name and a connection to its inspiration.

Yahweh, therefore, is meant to conjure the idea of “the one who is.” He could say, “I AM,” because he was the one speaking. However, the letters themselves draw us closer to the idea of “He who is,” or “the Being One.”

As a matter of fact, Jesus speaks to this idea of “He who is” when he talks to John in the book of Revelation. In the eighth verse of the first chapter, Jesus speaks of himself as he “who is, and was, and is to come.”

The entirety of “be-ing” is what the name Yahweh means. “I AM.” “He who is.” “The Being One.” Perhaps the best translation might just be “Existence.”

I’m not talking in some sort of pantheistic or panentheistic perspective where God is everything or in everything. Rather, the point is that everything finds its being from him. It’s not that Yahweh holds reality together purely by some force of his will, but that his presence as Existence itself exudes the ability for reality to even be.

Without him, nothing could exist. Because he is the Existence from which we draw the ability to exist. The rest of the universe is because Yahweh provides it existence, provides his power of life to it.

This connection between Yahweh and his creation is shown in Colossians 1:16-17. Yes, Paul’s point is speak to how Jesus is the image of the invisible God, in whom all the fullness of godhood dwelled. But, in the midst of that discussion, he speaks to the connection between Yahweh and his creation. I just want to be clear about the context before continuing.

Verse 16 says that, by Jesus, all things were created. All things were created through him and for him. And verse 17 builds on this by saying that all things hold together in him.

The words show us that all created things exist because of Jesus. Yahweh himself—the whole of the Trinity, which includes the Second Person—provides the ability for creation itself to be. The very idea of molecular binding can be understood in saying that all things hold together because of him.

When the Creator of the universe declares that his name is Yahweh, he’s telling us that we are because he is. His existence is the reason why we have ours. The only reason why we exist. He is. And through him, we are.

Understanding his name speaks to a deeper sense of ourselves. We can realize that our place in this world comes from his be-ing. He holds us all together for his purpose. And thus, we should join him in it, since that’s what we are created for. Our existence should focus on him because he is Existence.

He’s the only reason why we exist, so why shouldn’t our existence be devoted to him?

Thus, knowing the true name of God isn’t about gaining power over him or knowing him deeper. Instead, it shows us our place in existence itself and why we should work with him in his will. We can understand why he is in control. And we can understand on the deepest levels what our place in this creation is.

The name of Existence reminds us of our purpose in being.