The great I AM, or what does God say about His character?

Old Testament-Hebrew

Exo 3:14 LITV

(14) And God said to Moses, I AM THAT I AM; and He said, You shall say this to the sons of
Israel, I AM has sent me to you.

Exo 3:14 -
I am that I am - ‫ אהיה אשר אהיה‬Eheyeh asher Eheyeh. (To Be or To Exist) These
words have been variously understood. The Vulgate translates Ego Sum Qui Sum, I am
who am. The Septuagint, Εγω ειμι ὁ Ων, I am he who exists. The Arabic paraphrases
them, The Eternal, who passes not away; The Targum of Jonathan, and the Jerusalem
Targum paraphrase the words thus: “He who spake, and the world was; who spake, and
all things existed.” It is difficult to put a meaning on the words; they seem intended to
point out the eternity and self-existence of God. Plato, in his Parmenides, where he
treats sublimely of the nature of God, says, Ουδ’ αρα ονομα εστιν αυτῳ, nothing can
express his nature; therefore no name can be attributed to him. See the conclusion of
this chapter, Exo_3:22 (note) and on the word Jehovah, Exo_34:6 (note), Exo_34:7
(note).

Exo 3:14 - And God said - Two names God would now be known by. A name that
speaks what he is in himself, I am that I am -

God is the self-existent One; past, present, and future are all one to him. It
follows, then that He is unchanging and unchangeable, since Change implies Time, and
God is not affected by Time. He made Time. It also follows that He Will Keep His
Promises, since to break a promise also implies change.
He needs nothing else in order to exist. He existed (although the term is
meaningless when applied to God) before anything else at all, including Space and Time.
Jehovah, or Yahweh, is the hebrew word for "I AM THAT I AM". It is the name
most sacred to the Jewish people, so sacred that they will not pronounce it out loud, for
fear of taking the Lord's name in vain. Even today, devout Jews will write G-d instead of
God, even though God is WHAT He is, not his name.

New Testament-Greek

The Greek pronoun translated "I" is ego, and the Greek verb translated "am" is eimi.
(pronounced i-mee) Even without the pronoun, eimi is still translated "I am." Eimi
means to be or to exist eternally or to have timeless being. In the Fourth Gospel, eimi is
often contrasted with the Greek verb ginomai, which can also mean to be, but has more
of an emphasis on to become or to be created or to happen, in a time-bound, temporal
sense. Jesus is obviously making Himself equal to God in the Gospel of John, as
nowhere else.
(Joh 5:18) Scripture from the LITV.

Joh 6:18 And the sea was aroused by a great wind blowing.
Joh 6:19 Then having rowed about twenty five or thirty furlongs, they saw Jesus walking on the
sea. And He having come near the boat, they were afraid.
Joh 6:20 But He said to them, I AM! (eimi ego) Do not fear.

This statement is usually rendered "It is I" in most translations, but they are the same
words in greek, only reversed. This is a God who is all-powerful, but unlike most pagan
deities, does not wish us to be terrified of Him, only to give Him the place in our lives He
deserves, as our creator, and sustainer. (Col 1:17)

Joh 6:35 Jesus said to them, I am (ego eimi) the Bread of life; the one coming to Me will not at
all hunger, and the one believing into Me will not thirst, never!

Notice that when Jesus made many of these statements, they were closely associated with a
Miracle that was a "Visual Aid" to what He was saying. Here, He multiplies food to feed a vast
crowd earlier in the chapter. Who would swallow such outrageous statements without some
extraordinary act to back them up? These miracles are an illustration of Jesus' statements, easily
misinterpreted though, because spiritual truths illustrated in the physical world can always be
interpreted in the temporal sense or the eternal sense.

Joh 6:48 I am (ego eimi) the Bread of life.

Naturally this would remind them of Moses and the manna in the wilderness
(Exodus 16). But manna did not give them life — they are dead. The true
Bread is the Lord Jesus Christ; He gives Life.

Not hungering or thirsting says that Jesus is the only one that can ever fully satisfy the longing
in the human heart and soul; all others will ultimately leave you hanging.

Joh 6:51 I am (ego eimi) the Living Bread that came down from Heaven. If anyone eats of this
Bread, he will live forever. And indeed the bread which I will give is My flesh, which I will
give for the life of the world.

Eating here is a metaphor of becoming "in Christ", also referred to as "beliving ON" (having Him
as your Foundation) christ. Believing that Christ
lives, or lived, is not saving faith. You must personally be JOINED to Him, become PART of him,
and He must be a part of you, as bread becomes a part of you when you eat it.

Joh 8:12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, I am (ego eimi) the Light of the world. The
one following Me will in no way walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.

This was said just before He healed the man born blind. Again, a statement followed by a
physical illustration.
What does Light do? It allows us to see clearly. Before we are saved, we are spiritually blind. We
cannot see the Light of the World, even though the Light enlightens EVERY man coming into
the world (Joh 1:9) because we do not have spiritual eyes to do so. Like the miners trapped in a
cave-in, when a light was finally lowered to them, one said, "Why don't they turn on a light"? He
had been blinded by the explosion, but no one knew it until a light was shining. The Pharisees
did not admit their blindness— the Light revealed their blindness.

We must be willing to have our eyes opened, in order to see things as they really are, in the Light
of Christ.

Isa 9:2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of
the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
Joh 1:5 and the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.
1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.

Joh 8:23 And He said to them, You are from below; I am from above. You are from this world; I
am (ego eimi) not from this world.
Joh 8:24 Therefore, I said to you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I
AM, (ego eimi) you will die in your sins.

Again making Himself out to be One not from the physical Universe of Space and time. And
unmistakenly proclaiming Himself to be God, as only God can forgive sins.

Joh 8:58 Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Before Abraham came to be, I AM! (ego
eimi) ( I Exist)

I AM GOD! The maker of all things, giver of life eternal, beyond Time, Space, and Matter,
beyond all that we can know or comprehend.

Joh 9:5 While I am in the world, I am (eimi) the Light of the world.
Joh 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men;

all this "light of men" has its fountain in the essential original "life" of "the Word" (1Jo_1:5-7;
Psa_36:9).

Joh 10:7 Then Jesus again said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you that I am (ego eimi) the door
of the sheep.

“Door of the sheep” (v. 7) — Jesus is the door for those coming out
of Judaism (cf. blind man had no place to go after excommunication).

Joh 10:9 I am (ego eimi) the door. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in,
and will go out, and will find pasture.

“The door” (v. 9) — He is the door of salvation for both Jew and
Gentile (cf. John 14:6). He is the way in.

Joh 10:11 I am (ego eimi) the Good Shepherd! The Good Shepherd lays down His life on behalf
of the sheep.
His compassion and caring for His own are overwhelming. His mercies never fail! He laid down
His Life to pay the debt I could never pay.

Good Shepherd — Psalm 22 (John 10:11)

Great Shepherd — Psalm 23 (Hebrews 13:20)
Chief Shepherd — Psalm 24 (1 Peter 5:4)

Joh 10:14 I am (ego eimi) the Good Shepherd, and I know those that are Mine, and I am known
by the ones that are Mine.

am known of mine--the soul's response to the voice that has inwardly called it; for of this
mutual loving acquaintance ours is the effect of His. "The Redeemer's knowledge of us is the
active element, penetrating us with His power and life; that of believers is the passive principle,
the reception of His life and light. In this reception, however, an assimilation of the soul to the
sublime object of its knowledge and love takes place; and thus an activity, though a derived one,
is unfolded, which shows itself in obedience to His commands"

Joh 11:25 Jesus said to her, I am (ego eimi) the Resurrection and the Life. The one believing
into Me, though he die, he shall live.
Joh 11:26 And everyone living and believing into Me shall not die to the age, never! Do you
believe this?

Here is God’s answer to the Jews’ question to Jesus, “Who

are You?” Joh 8:25 He is the resurrection and the life!

The whole power to restore, impart, and maintain life, resides in Me." (See on Joh_1:4;
Joh_5:21). What higher claim to supreme divinity than this grand saying can be conceived?

Where else ya gonna go? (Joh 6:68) He has the power to raise the dead- That's good enough for
me! Some of the world's best scientists have tried for centuries to create life - even
something as simple as a bacterium has eluded them. We cannot even understand fully what
life IS, just as we do not fully understand Gravity. Life is something only God can make,
because He IS the primordial source of life. Life cannot come from nonlife, it can only come
from life that already exists.

Joh 14:6 Jesus said to him, I am (ego eimi) the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes
to the Father except through Me.

When man sinned back in the Garden of Eden, 3 things

happened to him: (1) dead to God; (2) no communion with God; (3) no
longer had knowledge of God. Christ restores these — “I am the way, the
truth, and the life” (v. 6) — reconciliation, illumination, and regeneration.

Here Jesus proclaims not only to be God, but the only Way to God. Just as God is the primordial
Life, He is also the primordial Truth, answering Pilate's question. All Truth flows from Him.

Joh 14:11 Believe Me that I am (ego) in the Father, and the Father is in Me; but if not, believe
Me because of the works themselves.

The works were evidence that He was who he said he was. Again He proclaims Himself equal to
God.
Joh 15:1 I am (ego eimi) the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser.

Joh 15:5 I am (ego eimi) the Vine; you are the branches. The one abiding in Me, and I in him,
this one bears much fruit, because apart from Me you are not able to execute, nothing.
Joh 15:6 Unless one remains in Me, he is cast out as the branch and is dried up; and they gather
and throw them into a fire, and they are burned.

Everyone He is speaking to here is a believer. The prophets

spoke of the nation Israel as the vine — Psalm 80:8, 9; Isaiah 5:1-7; Jeremiah
2:21; Hosea 10:1. It was a degenerate vine, and Jesus now presents Himself as
the genuine vine. Salvation is not by being in Israel (or being in a church), but
being in Christ. A grapevine will never break at the place where the branch
goes into the vine. “Abide” (v. 4) means constant communion with Christ —
isn’t that what a branch is doing in the vine? “Fruit” (v. 5) is produced by the
Holy Spirit in such a life (Galatians 5:22, 23). The fruit of soul-winning is a
by-product. The fire in verse 6 is not hell, but being taken away from the place
of fruitbearing (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:11-15)