Exodus 3:14 KJV
14 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.
Who is this man called Jesus?
We read in the scriptures what others thought about Him and who He was. But who does He say He is?
The Gospel of John contains the seven “I Am” descriptions from the mouth of Jesus Himself.
I don’t think it is a coincidence that there are 7 of them listed, as 7 is the perfect, complete divine number. Please refer to “The Significance Of Biblical Numbers” located under the General Topics tab.
We know and teach Jesus as the sacrificial offering of God that paid our sin debt, dying on the cross as atonement for the sins of those who accept Him as Lord and Savior.However, let us first look at the seven “I Am” descriptions that Jesus gave of Himself.
THE SEVEN "I AMs"
John 6:35 KJV
35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
John 8:12 KJV
12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
John 10:9 KJV
9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
John 10:11 KJV
11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
John 11:25 KJV
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:
John 14:6 KJV
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 15:5 KJV
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
THE HOLY TRINITY
The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is a core doctrine and belief of most Christian denominations.
The Holy Trinity is made up of God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit. In other words, one God existing in three divine persons or beings.
God reveals Himself in these three divine forms.
As a third of the Holy Trinity, Jesus is God in the flesh, yet He was His own person or being.
Jesus was not only the Son of God, He was God.
Jesus was God incarnate, which means God embodied in flesh or in human form.
John 10:30 KJV
30 I and my Father are one.
Naturally, this is a deep and confusing theological point to many.
The simplest example that I can give is that of water. Water can take the form of liquid, solid (ice) or as a gas (vapor). Yet, each form of water is still water.
We see where even those closest to Jesus had trouble understanding His being.
Take a look at Phillip, his question and the answer Jesus gave him.
John 14:8-9 KJV
8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?
How can God the Father and God the Son and the Holy Spirit be one and the same, and yet be separate beings?
The answer lies solely in the power and majesty of God, who is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. He can be whatever He desires, whenever He desires and wherever He desires.
God can manifest Himself in any form He chooses. He created the universe and all that we see. He is outside of time and space as we know it. Nothing is beyond His power. In Genesis, chapter 18, we see where God presented Himself to Abraham outside of his tent, in the form of a man.
We will look further and more deeply into the Holy Trinity in a later lesson but let us close this lesson with the follow scriptures.
John 1:1-3 KJV
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
In the beginning was the Word!
Jesus was manifested to this world at His birth in the manger in Bethlehem. Yet, He was with God from the beginning.
And the Word was God.
RVH