This question has echoed through the centuries since Jesus walked on the earth. Different theories and views have become popular about who Jesus was and is. Some say he was a great teacher and man. Others, including Muslims, list Jesus as a great prophet. Some cults straight out deny the divinity of Christ and say He was created by God, or that Jesus was God’s first creation.

But who Jesus say He was Himself according to the Scriptures? How did He describe Himself?

I AM the bread of Life… Whoever comes to Me shall not hunger. (John 6:35)

I AM the light of the world… Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness (John 8:12)

I AM the door… those who enter through me will be saved (John 10:9)

I AM the good shepherd… the Good Shepherd lays down His life for His sheep (John 10:11)

I AM the resurrection and the Life…he that believes in Me will live even if he dies (John 11:25)

I AM the way, the truth, and the life… no one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6)

I AM the true vine… He that abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit, for without Me you can do nothing (John 15:15)

Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.  So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.  But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid. (John 6:18-20)

All these powerful verses found in John’s Gospel are clear statements affirming who Jesus was. But looking closer at John 6:18-20 today, we see an amazing statement from Christ. The words ‘It is I’ found near the end of John 6:20 is translated from the Greek words ego eimi. In the English, it seems quite a simple, easy phrase. But in the Greek language the New Testament was written in, the words are much more powerful in meaning for the Bible reader as it literally means ‘I AM’. This should remind us as Bible students of the great statement God made to Moses in the Old Testament; 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 KJV). Let’s dig a bit more into these words.

There are some other examples of where these powerful words ego eimi are used by Jesus:

 When Jesus speaks to the Samaritan woman, Jesus said to her, I AM He the One speaking to you. (John 4:26). 

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

Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift[a] up the Son of Man, then you will know that I AM He (ego eimi), and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. (John 8:28). 

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

 Coming back to our key question – who did Jesus say He is? When we look at these scriptures together, we can see that Jesus is clearly and powerfully  saying that He is the ‘I AM’ who spoke to Moses (Exodus 3:13-14). He is God in the flesh. He is the second person in the Trinity or Triune Godhead –  The son of God. As John says in his gospel. ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (John 1:1-3). 

The Great ‘I AM’ of the Old Testament is discovered in the New Testament as the One who was born simply and humbly in a manger or stable. He is not merely just a great teacher, a great man, a great prophet, or a creation of God. Instead, Jesus is God. Those are His very own words as we saw above. He is both fully man and fully God – the God-man. Or as RC Sproul described it – Jesus was truly man and truly God! That’s exactly who He says He is according to the Bible. 

For believers and followers of Jesus, this should give us absolute confidence and assurance in the divinity and deity of Jesus. We can trust by faith that Jesus is all of the divine things listed in the verses above. This should give us confidence and hope to faithfully follow Him and live according to His Word here on earth until it is our time to go ‘home’ to be with Christ (John 14:1-3). Be encouraged believer. Our Jesus is truly the ‘ego eimi’, the great I am!

And for non-Christians or those unsure of who Christ is or unsure of whether you’ve accepted the free gift of God’s grace offered to all men, we encourage you that by believing in His death, burial and resurrection we have an opportunity to be in right relationship with God. Turn to Jesus, repent of your sins, and trust in Him for your eternal salvation TODAY while you still have breath in your lungs. 

GOD BLESS family from the FRESH TRUTH crew.

Source: 

Blue Letter Bible