Pascal’s point stands: that all of reality is anchored in Christ. By claiming that we can only know reality “through Jesus Christ,” Pascal means that Christ holds the key to unlocking the meaning of existence. Moreover, for Pascal, Scripture (which is Christ-centered) is the vehicle through which we know Christ. It is the epistemic authority about Christ, and it has credentialed itself through prophecy and miracle (see 2 Tim 3:15-16; 1 Pet 1:20-21).

The great French scientist and philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) had a keen awareness of Jesus’ centrality in reality, his teachings, his unique identity, and his matchless work for our salvation. Spiritual insights are scattered throughout Pascal’s writings, but they are not merely fragments unrelated to his worldview. For Pascal, Christ was the center of reality, and all things point to him. He gives us a rich feast of truth about Jesus to fortify our spiritual lives and to defend apologetically.

Knowing Reality Through Jesus Christ

Consider a profound quote from Pascal extolling the comprehensive significance of Christ with respect to our apprehension of reality.

Not only do we only know God through Jesus Christ, but we only know ourselves through Jesus Christ; we only know life and death through Jesus Christ. Apart from Jesus Christ we cannot know the meaning of our life or our death, of God or of ourselves. Thus without Scripture, whose only object is Christ, we know nothing and can see nothing but obscurity and confusion in the nature of God and in nature itself.[1]

In Pensées and elsewhere, Pascal strives to gain and to give his readers the knowledge of God through his writing. Whether he explores skepticism, diversion, self-deception, the greatness and misery of being human, miracles, or prophecy, he desires to dispel ignorance and dispense life-changing truth. His aim in all this is to know reality “through Jesus Christ,” as he says. Without that—without him—we remain buried in obscurity and confusion about everything. Nature, the nature of God, the nature of ourselves, and the meaning of our life and our death are all obscured from us. Pitiful state, that is!

Pascal also holds a view we can call “the unity and indivisibility of knowledge” thesis about ultimate matters. “Man’s true nature, his true good and true virtue, and true religion are things which cannot be known separately.”[2] Since all truth is one, since God is the source of all truth, and since our nature, virtue, and religion are all conceptually and existentially intertwined, Pascal’s claim seems to hold. Paul says much the same in his goal for the church. “My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col 2:2-4). However, we may have partial knowledge of our nature, the good, and religion without attaining its fullness through God’s revelation in Christ and Scripture. Nevertheless, I think that Pascal’s point stands: that all of reality is anchored in Christ.

By claiming that we can only know reality “through Jesus Christ,” Pascal means that Christ holds the key to unlocking the meaning of existence. Moreover, for Pascal, Scripture (which is Christ-centered) is the vehicle through which we know Christ. It is the epistemic authority about Christ, and it has credentialed itself through prophecy and miracle (see 2 Tim 3:15-16; 1 Pet 1:20-21). Pascal may have been thinking of passages such as this, in which Paul speaks of Christ.

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. (Col 1:15-20)

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