Christ the I AM
Because the unitarians deny that Jesus is God, so when it comes to translating and interpreting Bible verses that show the deity of Jesus, they will go to great lengths to support their false presupposition and translate verses in a way that is consistent with their belief system. They “translate” the Greek present tense (“I am”) into the English perfect tense (“I have been”),
In Greek, the words are “ego eimi.” Literally, this is “I AM.” “eimi” is the present active indicative first person singular (I am) and not the perfect active indicative first person singular (I have been). The most accurate translation is “I AM.” The Unitarians bias against Jesus’ divinity results in them altering this verse to suit their own pleasure. However, the context of the verse does not support their position. Verse 59 states “Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.”
The pharisees understood that Jesus was claiming the name of Jehovah God for himself. The great I AM! Which is why they wanted him dead
If Jesus wanted to avoid any confusion with the Pharisees, why didn’t He use one of the past tenses? Certainly, he must have known that saying “Before Abraham was, I AM” to the Pharisees would cause some problems. And it did.
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The Pharisees didn’t speak English. They spoke Hebrew and Greek. Jesus used the present tense. It was this Greek present tense (I am) that upset the Pharisees so much and not the perfect tense (I have been).
If Jesus were really saying to the Jews, “I have been,” then why would the Pharisees want to kill him (v. 59)? Since blasphemy or calling yourself God was punishable by death, isn’t this a confirmation that Jesus was saying “I AM,” and that the Jews understood what he was saying? Absolutely! That is why the best translation is simply “I AM.”
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Undoubtedly, Jesus knew the difference in the Greek between “I am” and “I have been.” Jesus did not use the form “I have been” in the Greek but used the form “I am.” It is Greek and not the English that the Pharisees were upset about.
But which do you think would have upset the Pharisees more, saying “Before Abraham was, I am” or “Before Abraham was, I have been”? Obviously, the former would be more upsetting, and that is exactly the phrase that Jesus used.
If Jesus wanted to avoid any confusion with the Pharisees, why didn’t He use one of the past tenses? Certainly, he must have known that saying “Before Abraham was, I AM” to the Pharisees would cause some problems. And it did.
He deliberately brought attention to the words, “I am.” The Pharisees understood this and was indeed the last straw for them.
The Unitarians deny the deity of Christ. From this base, any and all affirmations to Jesus’ deity will be undermined in whatever way possible. John 8:58 is just another example of this bias.
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Christ The “I Am”?
Exodus 3:14 “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.”
John 8:58-59 KJV
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. [59] Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
Here, Jesus is not simply saying that He is older than Abraham. This is not just a claim to pre-existence before birth. He does not say, “Before Abraham was, I was” or “I was there before Abraham.” Jesus uses a particular formulation that is God’s name in the Old Testament as revealed to Moses at the burning bush. Moses asked God for His name in case the Israelites inquired who had sent him. God replied, “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).
The significance and the perceived audacity of Jesus’ proclamation can be found in the response of the people who heard Him say it: “At this, they picked up stones to stone him” (John 8:59). From their response, we can see that they considered Jesus’ statement to be blasphemy because he claimed to be God Himself. Their response confirms the accuracy of the translation that Jesus is the Jehovah God of the Bible.
“With solemn dignity Jesus answered, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM.” {DA 469.4} Silence fell upon the vast assembly. The name of God, given to Moses to express the idea of the eternal presence, had iibeen claimed as His own by thisuu Galilean Rabbi. He had announced Himself to be the self-existent One, He who had been promised to Israel, “whose goings forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity.” Micah 5:2, margin. {DA 469.5}
It was Christ who from the bush on Mount Horeb spoke to Moses saying, “I AM THAT I AM: Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” This was the pledge of Israel’s deliverance. So when He came “in the likeness of men,” He declared Himself the I AM. The Child of Bethlehem, the meek and lowly Saviour, is God “manifest in the flesh.” 1 Timothy 3:16. 42 . FLB 47.5
The burning bush, in which Christ appeared to Moses, revealed God. DA 23
When we approach this subject, we would do well to heed the words spoken by Christ to Moses at the burning bush, “Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place where on thou standest is holy ground.” We should come to this study with the humility of a learner, with a contrite heart. And the study of the incarnation of Christ is a fruitful field, which will repay the searcher who digs deep for hidden truth.—The Youth’s Instructor, October 13, 1898.
In all the other things that Jesus had said to them, nothing caused them to take up stones to stone Him. It was not until he claimed to be “I AM,” the God of the Old Testament, that they attempted to stone Him. For a mere mortal or even some sort of heavenly being to claim to be I AM was blasphemy, for that name can only be used of God. Jesus is claiming not only to exist before Abraham, but to be self-existent before Abraham—something that is true of God and God alone.
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“I AM means an eternal presence; the past, present, and future are alike with God. He sees the most remote events of past history, and the far distant future with as clear a vision as we do those things which are transpiring daily. We know not what is before us, and if we did, it would not contribute to our eternal welfare. God gives us an opportunity to exercise faith and trust in the great I AM.” {Lt119-1895.12}
“[I]n the Child of Bethlehem was veiled the glory before which angels bow. This unconscious babe was the promised seed, to whom the first altar at the gate of Eden pointed. This was Shiloh, the peace giver. It was He who declared Himself to Moses as the I AM. It was He who in the pillar of cloud and of fire had been the guide of Israel.”{ DA 52.3}
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