God has gone to the extreme to make Himself known to us. He does it through nature, personal spiritual interactions, and (most importantly) the revelation of Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ that we get to read about in the Bible. As we read the Bible, the gospels in particular, we see over and over again jumping off of the pages of Scripture is the very revealing fact of who Jesus Christ truly is. He is the Lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world to bring salvation to the world. But more importantly is the fact that the Lamb is the Great I Am. The God who died for the sins of the world.

 

 

Jesus was especially self-revealing in His “I Am” statements found in the gospels(specifically in the Book of John). These descriptive statements explain the character and nature of God through significant phrases that all begin with “I Am.” These are not Jesus’ only statements about Himself, but they stand out in a unique way.

 

Although we cannot comprehend the complexities of who and what God is (as in all-powerful, always present, and all knowing), the great thing is that we can know who He is because He has revealed Himself to us through His Son, Jesus Christ.

 

The God of the universe is not just some mysterious voice behind a curtain. He is a relational being that we can know personally. He is Immanuel, which means “God with us.” Jesus’ coming was the culmination of God already revealing Himself to us in so many ways.

Interestingly, though, the gospels are not the first time that one of these “I Am” statements were used in Scripture. The first time it appears is early on in the Old Testament. In Exodus 3:14, God told Moses to go to the evil Pharaoh and demand that the Hebrew people be allowed to leave their slavery in Egypt.

 

Along with this classic instruction to “let my people go,” God explained to Moses that His name should be called “I Am who I Am” (or “ego eimi” in the Greek) which means “I exist” or “I be.” This title of “I Am” was used by God multiple times in the Old Testament.

 

This is because God always wanted His people to know Him ever since sin separated humanity from Him in the Garden of Eden. Centuries later, when Jesus used it to describe Himself to His  disciples, He was referring back to these expressions every time and not-so-subtly declaring that He is the I Am. No wonder the religious Jewish people were upset! While these self-revealing comments by Jesus are powerful and provocative for us, the people around Jesus would have recognized what He was doing and saying.

 

This was a “stumbling block” (as Paul called it in 1 Corinthians 1:23) for some of the people and a source of contention and division for others (such as the mob’s response in Luke 4).

 

This assertion ultimately led to Jesus’ crucifixion! For His disciples, though, Jesus unequivocally claiming to be God was eventually the very life-giving truth they clung to and gave their lives for (John 6:68).

 

 

While there was no clearer way that Jesus could have said “I Am Jehovah God,” He did not stop there. Instead He continued to dive even deeper into revealing His nature and character by working purposeful miracles and making the following seven statements about Himself that each has real implications for humanity:

 

1. I Am the Bread of Life: Jesus alone can sustain us, who are but starving beggars looking for food (John 6:22-37).

 

2. I Am the Light of the World: Jesus is the original and eternal source of light in the universe for us who are spiritually blind from birth (John 8:12; 1 John 1:5-10).

 

3. I Am the Door of the Sheep: Jesus is the only door to life for us who are lost outside God’s will (John 10:7-10).

 

4. I Am the Good Shepherd: Jesus knows and cares for us who are orphaned, wandering sheep without a shepherd (John 10:11-14,26-30).

 

5. I Am the Resurrection and the Life: Jesus is the key to escaping spiritual death for us who are hopelessly doomed to death because of our sin (John 11:25).

 

6. I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: Jesus is the way to God because He is the truth of God, and the life of God (John 14:6)

 

7. I Am the True Vine: Jesus is the source of eternal life for us who are dead and useless branches apart from Him (John 15:5-11).

 

After looking at these incredible “I Am” passages, we have to make a decision about what we believe about Christ and who He really is. Scripture emphatically teaches without reservation or apology that Jesus Christ is God. The Apostle John, inspired by the Holy Spirit went so far as to record the “I Am” statements made by Jesus Himself in his gospel. These “I Am” statements ring loud and clear this tremendous truth: The lamb is the Great I Am.”