I Am Who I Am
I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.
John 8:24
God called Moses to deliver the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt and lead them to the Promised Land. When Moses asked how he was going to tell the people that God had sent him, the Lord responded by saying, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:14). God also said, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the 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, the name you shall call me from generation to generation” (verse 15).
The name “I am” means that what God was in the past He is in the present and will be in the future. The most distinctive name the Israelites had for God was Yahweh (Jehovah), which comes from the same root as “I am.” This name was given to Moses to convince the children of Israel that God was faithful to His covenant and that He would lead them out of bondage. The name does not disclose who He is in Himself; rather, it discloses who He is, was and will be in relationship to the people of God.
The name is mentioned in the New Testament when Jesus responded to the Jews, “Very truly I tell you . . . before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58, emphasis added). Whereas Moses was the lawgiver who led God’s people from slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land, Jesus fulfilled the Law and led God’s people from slavery to sin to freedom in Christ and eternal life. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the same God who delivers us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of His beloved son (see Colossians 1:13). Jesus said, “Unless you believe that I am who I claim to be, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24, NLT, emphasis added).
John records a number of other “I am” statements made by Jesus. To the crowds He said, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:48, emphasis added). Like the manna from heaven that sustained the physical life of the Israelites, Jesus also came from heaven to give us spiritual life. To Mary and Martha He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die” (John 11:25-26, emphasis added). In other words, if we believe in Jesus, we will continue to live spiritually even when we die physically.
On other occasions, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep” (John 10:7, emphasis added), and, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6, emphasis added). Finally, Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11, emphasis added). “We are his people, the sheep of his pasture” (Psalm 100:3). “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Consider these questions to continue growing deeper in your relationship with the Lord:
What does the name “I am” imply?
What kinds of similar statements did Jesus make about His nature? How does these statements show that He and the Father are one?
What does the statement “unless you believe that I am He you shall die in your sins” say about cults and salvation?
How does knowing that “I am” is an all-encompassing concept (time and space) affect you personally?
How should you live knowing that your soul is in union with I am?
Neil T. Anderson is the founder of Freedom in Christ Ministries. He began the ministry in 1989 and continues to spread the message of freedom to this day.