Is Jesus the' I Am that I am' of Exodus?

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William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905) - The F...
William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905) - The Flagellation of Our Lord Jesus Christ (1880) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
"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." (Exodus 3:14)

This unique name of God was given to stress the truth that He is timeless. The name "LORD" (Hebrew YHWH = Yahweh, or Jehovah) is essentially the same, conveying the truth that He is the eternal, self-existing One.

The Lord Jesus Christ appropriated this divine name to Himself when He told the Jews: "Before Abraham was |i.e., 'was born'|, I am" (John 8:58). Correctly assuming that this statement was nothing less than a direct claim to identity with God, the Jews immediately (but unsuccessfully) attempted to stone Him to death as a blasphemer.

As the I Am, the Lord Jesus Christ is, indeed, everything, and He has revealed Himself to us under many beautiful symbols. It is well known that there are seven great "I am's" in the gospel of John, each of which is rich with spiritual depth of meaning. They can be listed as follows:

  • "I am the bread of life . . . the living bread" (John 6:35, 51).
  • "I am the light of the world . . . the light of life" (John 8:12).
  • "I am the door of the sheep" (John 10:7).
  • "I am the good shepherd . . . |who| giveth his life for the sheep" (John10:11).
  • "I am the resurrection, and the life" (John 11:25).
  • "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6).
  • "I am the true vine" (John 15:1).

It is well known that this magnificent self-assertion of the Lord permeates the whole Bible, from its first use in Genesis 15:1, "I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward," to its final occurrence in Revelation 22:16, "I am . . . the bright and morning star." And all these beautiful figures help us to pray more fervently "that God may be all in all" (1 Corinthians 15:28).

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