Jesus is the Great "I AM" (the Lord God)

[John Zain]

Exodus 3:
13 Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and
say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me,
‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”
14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said,
“Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
15 Moreover God said to Moses,
“Thus you shall say to the children of Israel:
‘The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever,
and this is My memorial to all generations.’

In the following verses, there is no “he” after “I AM” in the original Greek.
"He" is shown in italics after "I AM" in many Bibles,
which means it was added (for readability).

John 8:24
Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins;
for if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.”

John 8:28
Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man,
then you will know that I AM ...”

John 8:58
Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

John 13:19
Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass,
you may believe that I AM.
Jesus is referring to His betrayal, which is followed by His death and resurrection.

John 18:6-8
Now when He said to them, “I AM,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
Then He asked them again, “Whom are you seeking?”
And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”
Jesus answered, “I have told you that I AM.

In the original Greek, there is no “he” after “I AM” in any of the above verses.
"He" is shown in italics after "I AM" in many Bibles,
which means it was added (for readability).

And Jesus also hints that He is the great “I AM” in these verses:
Matthew 27:43 “I AM the Son of God.” (This is a name/title only)
John 6:48 “I AM the bread of life.”
John 6:51 “I AM the living bread which came down from heaven.”
John 8:12 “I AM the light of the world”
John 8:18 “I AM One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.”
John 8:23 “You are from beneath; I AM from above … I AM not of this world.
John 9:5 “I AM the light of the world.”
John 10:9 “I AM the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved …”
John 10:14 “I AM the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.”
John 10:36 “… I said, ‘I AM the Son of God’ (This is a name/title only)
John 11:25 “I AM the resurrection and the (eternal) life.
He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”
John 13:13 “You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I AM.”
John 14:6 “I AM the way, the truth, and the (eternal) life”
John 14:10 “I AM in the Father …” (Also see John 14:11, John 14:20)
John 15:1 “I AM the true vine”
Revelation 1:17-18 “Do not be afraid; I AM the First and the Last.
I AM He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I AM alive forevermore.”
Revelation 1:11 “I AM the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last.”
Revelation 1:17 “I AM the First and the Last.”
Revelation 2:23 “… I AM He who searches the minds and hearts.”
Revelation 21:6 “I AM the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End.”
Revelation 22:16 “I AM the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”
Revelation 22:13 … “I AM the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

 

[glorydaz]

Good post. It brought this to mind.

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.....

And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 16And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. 17And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: 18I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

 

[craigmn3]

John 8:58
Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.â€

This one especially since the Jews sought to stone Him after he said this, because they knew that He just said He is God.

 

[John Zain]

John 8:58
Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.â€
This one especially since the Jews sought to stone Him after he said this, because they knew that He just said He is God.

Yes, this is the famous one ... but ...
lots of people, angels, etc. were before Abraham.

So, my favorite verse is John 8:24 (w/o the "He", thank you very much).

Could anyone explain how the translators could be such idiots as to insert "He" in there?
For readability or not, this is crazy.

 

[theLords]

Yes, this is the famous one ... but ...
lots of people, angels, etc. were before Abraham.

So, my favorite verse is John 8:24 (w/o the "He", thank you very much).

Could anyone explain how the translators could be such idiots as to insert "He" in there?
For readability or not, this is crazy.

They were gentiles! How could they have realized it? It's great having the original Hebrew/Greek isn't it? :D

 

[Mohrb]

Here's another verse:

(Matthew 3:11) 11*I, for my part, baptize YOU with water because of YOUR repentance; but the one coming after me is stronger than I am, whose sandals I am not fit to take off. That one will baptize YOU people with holy spirit and with fire.

The term in Exodus isn't "I am." It's "Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh." Better translation would be "I will prove to be what I shall prove to be." ... God was stating something about himself... not that his "Name is 'I am.'"

... now, take an honest look at the context of the verses where Jesus is translated as saying "I am."

"Abraham YOUR father rejoiced greatly in the prospect of seeing my day, and he saw it and rejoiced.†57*Therefore the Jews said to him: “You are not yet fifty years old, and still you have seen Abraham?†58*Jesus said to them: “Most truly I say to YOU, Before Abraham came into existence, I have been." (some translations state "Before Abraham was, I am.")

... the term here is "Ego Eimi." It's simply a statement of existence in the first person singular form. Jesus stated that he watched Abraham rejoice, they said he's not old enough to have seen abraham, Jesus stated that he's been around since before Abraham. Simple as that.

Now, Imagine if "I am" was supposed to be a name. For example, God's stated that his personal name is YHWH. Even assuming "Ego Eimi" should be translated as the name of God... look at the statement again:

"Abraham YOUR father rejoiced greatly in the prospect of seeing my day, and he saw it and rejoiced.†57*Therefore the Jews said to him: “You are not yet fifty years old, and still you have seen Abraham?†58*Jesus said to them: “Most truly I say to YOU, Before Abraham was YHWH."

... even if he were using the divine name... using it doesn't mean you are it. Otherwise in the above verse, where John the Baptist states "I am not fit [to take off his sandals]" would make John the baptist God as well.

 

[Ashua]

Here's another verse:

(Matthew 3:11) 11*I, for my part, baptize YOU with water because of YOUR repentance; but the one coming after me is stronger than I am, whose sandals I am not fit to take off. That one will baptize YOU people with holy spirit and with fire.

The term in Exodus isn't "I am." It's "Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh." Better translation would be "I will prove to be what I shall prove to be." ... God was stating something about himself... not that his "Name is 'I am.'"

... now, take an honest look at the context of the verses where Jesus is translated as saying "I am."

"Abraham YOUR father rejoiced greatly in the prospect of seeing my day, and he saw it and rejoiced.” 57*Therefore the Jews said to him: “You are not yet fifty years old, and still you have seen Abraham?” 58*Jesus said to them: “Most truly I say to YOU, Before Abraham came into existence, I have been." (some translations state "Before Abraham was, I am.")

... the term here is "Ego Eimi." It's simply a statement of existence in the first person singular form. Jesus stated that he watched Abraham rejoice, they said he's not old enough to have seen abraham, Jesus stated that he's been around since before Abraham. Simple as that.

Now, Imagine if "I am" was supposed to be a name. For example, God's stated that his personal name is YHWH. Even assuming "Ego Eimi" should be translated as the name of God... look at the statement again:



... even if he were using the divine name... using it doesn't mean you are it. Otherwise in the above verse, where John the Baptist states "I am not fit [to take off his sandals]" would make John the baptist God as well.

The problem with using your argument is that it really doesn't offer anything to overturn the understanding of what Jesus was saying.

First, while the Gospels uses ego emi, the reason your argument fails here is because the New Testament is Greek. So of course the Hebrew phrase used in Exodus is not mentioned. You know how much we lose in translation from idioms alone? We have idioms translated but they don't seem to have significant meaning, even so "I am" translated casts away it's true meaning outside of context. Now, you could cite the part where he says Eli Eli Lama Sabachthani which is Aramaic within the Greek New Testament, but it still remains an argument from silence.

John says I am not worthy to unlatch his sandals. John was speaking in the present tense within the context.

Jesus said before Abraham was "I am" not only signifying that he existed before Abraham, but also after even unto that present moment. The eternal participle or context.

As for I AM not being one of the names of God... Well... Moses asked him what was his name and how shall he call him when Israel asked what God sent him.

And Moses said unto God, Behold, [when] I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What [is] his name? what shall I say unto them?

And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this [is] my name for ever, and this [is] my memorial unto all generations.-Exodus 3:13-15

So, while YHVH and I AM are not the exact same phrase, they are the same person (God Almighty).

God has many many names and titles.

I AM only refers to God.
The First and the Last refers to God.
The Almighty refers to God
God alone is called Redeemer

How many names and titles are only found within the pages of scripture linked to God ONLY in the Old Testament and linked to Jesus and God ONLY in the New Testament?

 

[Asyncritus]

Whenever a problem of interpretation arises, particularly vexed ones like this current one, I have invariably found that the context almost always dissolves the difficulty.

If we ignore the context, we do so at great peril of misunderstanding the speaker or the writer.

The unbeliever can trumpet as long as he likes, that 'the Bible says that there is no God' - and he would be right to say so, because that is exactly what Psalm 14.1 says.

Unfortunately, for the context yanker, what the context actually says is 'The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God' - putting an entirely different complexion on the matter. So that is the finish of that piece of nonsense.

In John 8.24, the arguments that have raged seem to me to have ignored the context, which offers us some valuable insight into what the Lord does mean.

Here is the contextualised quote. I have highlighted the 'I am' 's in these verses.

21 ¶ Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, (will rise from the dead and ascend into heaven) and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come. (= into heaven to sit at God's right hand).

22 Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come.

23 And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.
24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

25 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning....
...

27 They understood not that he spake to them of the Father.
28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.

There are 4 'I am' statements here in this short section, and they present a definite, clear meaning of the words in v24.

First: I am from above (meaning that God was His Father, as v27 makes plain:
'they understood not that he spake to them of the Father'.)

Second: I am not of this world. (meaning 2 things: 1 His literal origin was from the Father who is not of this world, and 2 His behaviour was entirely different from that of these creatures, as His disciples' behaviour must be too).

Third: I am he this is the disputed verse, but must somehow be connected to the context. The question is, how its it connected?

Is He saying that He is the Father? That seems unlikely, because of v 28:
"...and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me..."

It is difficult to understand how He could BE the Father, and still need to be taught BY the Father.


The resolution of the problem comes from the final 'I am' passage:

When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he,

This is a reference to the fact that they would crucify Him. THEN they would know that He is [something]. What?

The threat He utters twice is that they shall die in their sins. ( for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.)

How is that related to their 'lifting Him up'?

He is saying that they would crucify Him (= lift Him up, on the cross).

That fact has everything to do with the forgiveness of their sins (and ours too). They HAD to kill Him. He HAD to rise from the dead. Or no sins would be forgiven - and they would die in them. (As Paul says, He was raised for our justification)

The reference to Exodus 3 now comes into play.

6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

This passage is explicitly used by the Lord to prove the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead.

Mr 12:26 And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?

So to summarise:
The Lord seems to be saying

Because of His origin:

1 that they would crucify Him,

2 that He would rise from the dead,

3 and that His allusion to the passage in Ex 3 is proof that what He said was going to happen, and was indeed true.

 

[Asyncritus]

Now attempting to relate that understanding to 8.54 becomes an easier matter. Notice how the resurrection figures largely in the passage:

51 ¶ Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
[meaning that such a man would be raised from the dead. That MUST be the meaning, because of the vast number who have 'fallen asleep in Christ'. They are, like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: living as far as God is concerned]

52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death.
53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?

54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:
55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.

[In other words, Jesus obeys God, and keeps His commandments. He is the only one ever to have done so perfectly and sinlessly].

56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?

[Note the Jews corruption of what He actually said. He said that Abraham rejoiced to see His day, not that He had seen Abraham!]

The only time we hear of Abraham rejoicing was when Isaac was announced:

Gen 17.17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?

Jesus is saying, I think, that he was rejoicing because the promise of a child to him, in whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed i.e Jesus Himself, was being made here.

And that child would be the reason he, Abraham himself, would rise from the dead. Abraham was not rejoicing about the coming birth of Isaac, but about the coming of Christ.

58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

He means that the promise of the resurrection was made long before A. was born, not that He himself personally existed.

PS

I just remembered this (and I think it's relevant)

Joh 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: