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The Gospel Observer

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:19,20).
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March 30, 2014
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Contents:

1) The I Am (Harold Tabor)
2) News & Notes
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-1-

The I Am
by Harold Tabor

The great question among all the Jews was whether the Messiah would come during their lifetime.  When John the Immerser came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him: "Who are you?" The Jews were not only expecting the Christ, but Elijah and the prophet (John 1:24).  John the Immerser would only reply that he was the Forerunner of the Christ (John 1:23, Matt. 3:1, cf. Isa. 40:3-5, Mal. 3:1, 4:4-6).  He was not the Christ, Elijah, or the prophet (John 1:21).  

Although John was to come in the "spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17), he had a twofold purpose in his preaching.  He was to turn the hearts of the fathers back to obedience and he was to make ready for the Lord (Luke 1:17).  Jesus identified John as the fulfillment of the one to come in the spirit of Elijah (Matt 11:14).  John identified Jesus twice as the "Lamb of God that would take away the sin of the world" (John 1:29-30,36).  Jesus was that Lamb (1 Pet 1:19), even the Christ.  

After the death of John the Immerser, the same question arose regarding Jesus.  Even Jesus asked the disciples, "Who do men say that the Son of Man is?" (Matt. 16:13).  Their opinions were diverse: some thought he was "John the Immerser, others Elijah and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets" (Matt. 16:14).  During this ministry, there is no question about the humanity of Jesus of Nazareth.  About eighty (80) times in the four gospels the phrase "son of man" is used of Jesus.  There was the expectation of the Prophet and the King of the Jews to restore the greatness of Israel.  There were those who thought of Jesus as the Prophet (John 4:19; 6:14; 9:17; Luke 24:19).  

But the great question asked of Jesus was "who are you?"  "Are you the Messiah, which is interpreted, Christ?"  There were those like Andrew who thought that he was the Christ (John 1:41).  

This great statement of Jesus comes in various ways.  The general phrase "I am" is used over two hundred times in the four gospels.  Jesus' responses with the statement "I am" in his teaching are most notable in the Gospel of John.  These phrases include "bread of life," "light," "door," "good shepherd," "resurrection and the life," "way, truth and life."  But the most important statement is when Jesus says, "I am"!  He declares his identity as the Son of God (his divinity).  

The main purpose of the Fourth Gospel is clearly stated, "that [we] might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing [we] might have life through his name" (John 20:30-31).  This was clearly declared in the Prologue of the Gospel (1:1-18).  The Word (logos) was "in the beginning," "was with God," and "was God" (1:1).  He is the Creator of all things, and is the source of life and light (1:3-4).  The Divine person "came" into this world (1:11); he "became flesh, and dwelt among us" (1:14); and he who did so was "the only begotten of the Father" (1:14); the "only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father," and who has expounded (declared) him (1:18).  

Jesus clearly declares his higher nature.  He said: "I am from above" (8:23); "I am not of this world" (17:16); "I and the Father are one" (10:30); "He that has seen me has seen the Father" (14:9; 8:19; 12:45).  He also declared his eternal pre-existence that he shared with the Father (3:13; 6:62; 8:42; 17:8).  

But the most important statement of his divinity comes after the Feast of the Tabernacles (John 7:1; 8:20, 59), as Jesus taught in the Treasury.  Jesus uses the personal pronoun "I" forty-eight times in this discourse (vv. 12-59), more than in any other discourse.  While the Jews understood his humanity, they did not understand his divinity.  Jesus made the statement "I am" or "ego eimi" three times in verses 24, 28, 58 without a predicate and three times with a predicate (8:12, 18, 23).  

When Jesus began his discourse with the phrase, "I am the light of the world," the Pharisees responded with the charge,  "You bear witness to yourself; your witness is not true" (8:12-13).  Jesus responded, "My witness is true."  He also charged them with not knowing where "I come or go" and stating that "My judgment is true."  The law required two or more witnesses to confirm truth or "true."  One of the "I am" statements is next.  Jesus says, "I am he that bears witness of myself and the Father that sent me bears witness of me" (8:18).  This is a clear "witness" of the Deity of Jesus.  The Jewish response was "Where is your Father?"  Jesus again says, "I am from above; you are of this world: I am not of this world."  Jesus claims Deity again in contrast to his virgin birth.  Man does not know his origin apart from revelation.  Jesus next makes a doctrinal statement with the "ego eimi" phrase for the first time.  The statement is: "except you believe that I am, you shall die in your sins" (8:24).  The Pharisees still do not understand the statement of Jesus (8:25, 27).  Jesus makes the second doctrinal statement with the "ego eimi" by stating, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall you know that I am, and that I do nothing of myself, but as the Father taught me, I speak these things" (v. 28).  The third non-predicate use of "ego eimi" is when Jesus claimed his eternity at the last of the discourse.  

Jesus continues his discourse with the conditional statement: "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (8:31-32).  The Jews' response was: "We are the seed of Abraham and have never yet been in bondage to any man: how do you say: You shall be made free?" Obviously their concept of freedom omitted the Egyptian bondage, Assyrian and Babylonian captivity, and the present Roman "occupation."

Jesus responds by saying that he knows they are the physical descendants of Abraham.  But Jesus said, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham," and "If God were your Father you would love me: for I came forth and am come from God" (8:42).  Abraham is mentioned in nine verses of this discourse (8:33,37,39,40,52,53,56,57,58).  But the last two are significant because of the topic of the timelessness of Jesus.  

The Great Controversy

The last phrase is "Before Abraham was, I am" (8:58).  This is the third time in this discourse that the "I am" is used in the absolute sense without a predicate.  It is also the third emphatic statement signified by the phrase "Verily, Verily" (8:34,51,58).  In not one of these "I am" passages (8:24,28,58) does the third personal pronoun "he" follow the "I am" in the Greek text.  The "he" is italicized and placed there by the translators in the English text to complete the supposed meaning.  But the assertion of Jesus is to his absolute, timeless existence and not to his personal identity.  Jesus is timeless in his divinity.  His humanity is a matter of genealogy and his virgin birth is unique.  

Jesus did not say: "Before Abraham was, I was," but "Before Abraham was, I AM."

The difference is that Abraham "was born," came into existence.  This is aorist indicative Greek tense and indicates that Abraham "came into being" or "was existing" or "was born."  Abraham had a definite beginning in time.

When Jesus was born at Bethlehem as a baby, he already is existing as Deity, the logos (John 1:14).  The use of "I am" declares that Jesus did not come into existence before Abraham did.  Jesus never came into being at all as Deity, but existed before Abraham came into being.  In the Prologue, this is the declaration of John.  Jesus, the Word or logos, existed before all creation (John 1:1).  This is the same contrast that Jesus existed before Abraham was born, between the eternal and the created.  This also shows the error that Jesus was a created being.

"I am" is a title of Deity!  If the Jews did not correctly interpret the statement and meaning of Jesus, identifying him with the nature of Deity, why did they "take up stones"?  Beyond all doubt, the Jews did understand what Jesus was saying.  

Jehovah or Yahweh is the most important personal name for God in the Old Testament (Exod. 3:14; Isa. 41:4) and is from the verb "to be" or "I am."  Jehovah (Yahweh) is a combination of the Tetragrammaton (YHWH) with the vowels of Adhonay (Hebrew -- Lord).  This transliterates as Yehowah, but read aloud by the ancient Hebrews and modern Jews as adhonay.  It is uncertain when the vowel letters of adhonay were added to the four-letter Hebrew word JHWH to form the English word Jehovah.  Most early English translations simply inserted adhonay or Lord following the Jewish tradition, in order not to use the name of God in vain (Exod. 20:7).  

In Genesis 15:7, Abraham was told that "I am Jehovah that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees."  In Genesis 28:13, Jacob was told that "I am Jehovah, the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac."  In Exodus 3:14, 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."  In Exodus 6:2-3, Moses was told "I am Jehovah: and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as God Almighty; but by my name Jehovah I was not known to them."  Several explanations are given in commentaries below.  

Exodus 6:3: The words may be considered as used comparatively: though God did appear to those patriarchs as YAHWEH (JEHOVAH), and they acknowledged him by this name, yet it was but comparatively known unto them, they knew nothing of the power and goodness of God, in comparison of what the Israelites were now about to experience (Adam Clarke's Commentary).  

Exodus 6:2-3: In other words, the full import of that name was not disclosed to them (Barnes' Notes).  

Exodus 6:1-9: 1.  From God's name, Jehovah, v. 2, 3.  He begins with this, I am Jehovah, the same with, I am that I am, the fountain of being, and blessedness, and infinite perfection.  The patriarchs knew this name, but they did not know him in this matter by that which this name signifies.  God would now be known by his name Jehovah (Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible).  

Exodus 6:1-6: The divine promise not only commences in v. 2, but concludes at v. 8, with the emphatic expression, "I Jehovah," to show that the work of Israel's redemption resided in the power of the name Jehovah (Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament).  

By the personal name of the "I AM," Jehovah or LORD has revealed himself as the Eternal one and Deity who always exists.  

There is a remarkable similarity in Psalms 90:2:  "Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God."  This statement implies the continuing existence of Deity without reference to time.  Time is marked into sections of past, present or future.  But eternity is continued existence without reference to time.  Again, the contrast is between the created and the creator or Eternal One.  

Another passage is Isaiah 44:6, "Thus saith Jehovah, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Jehovah of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God."  The statement of Revelation 22:13 suggesting the Eternal nature of God.  "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."  All of these verses contradict the Islamic and Mormon concept of God.  

Jesus was truly a human being in every way that can be predicated of unfallen man (Heb. 4:15).  Jesus was one person and not a double personality.  Jesus lived with all of the fleshly appetites and died in the flesh on the cross.  Yet Jesus was truly a Divine being united in the one person.  The eternal Logos entered a whole human nature at the supernatural conception.  From that moment, the two natures coexisted and lived in one body.  Within the one Person of Jesus, there were two natures inseparably united, and yet not mingled or confounded, wholly Divine, and wholly human, one common life.  The end result is the incarnation, the God-Man (theanthropos).  The dual natures in Jesus were without confusion, change, division, and separation.  There was the Divine that always remained the Divine and the human always remaining the human, yet the two natures always remained continually as one common life.  

The humanity of Jesus; the divinity of Jesus; the one person of Jesus and the two natures of Jesus: around these four points all the Christological controversies of the first four centuries after Christ have centered.

The Great Controversy continues today with the question, "Who do you say that I am?"

"Jesus said to her [Martha], 'I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.  Do you believe this?'  She said to Him, 'Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world'" (John 11:25-27).  

The response to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is the deciding question.  It is the crowning proof of the Divinity of Jesus.  Seeing is believing.  The Apostle John declared: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life -- the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us -- that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:1-3).  Thomas declared "My Lord and My God."  Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed.  Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:28-29).  Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God?

-- Via Truth Magazine, December 1, 2005, Volume XLIX, Number 23: http:// www.truthmagazine.com/archives/volume49/23- december-01.pdf
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News & Notes


I recently heard from Linda Blevins.  Her mother, Virginia Fontenot, is now receiving an infusion of avastin every three weeks, along with an oral dose of chemo.  While having previously gone about two months without medication and having surgery to reverse a colostomy, her cancer markers had gone up; but have now come down from 88 to 36.  Linda continues to be with her mother 24 hours a day and says that her mother is too weak to be left alone and especially now that she is also taking avastin, which can increase the risk of a stroke or hemorrhaging.  Let those of us who are Christians continue to remember Virginia in our prayers, as well as Linda and her husband Howard.

Richard Crews will be having rotator cuff surgery April 16.  Let us pray that all will go well for him.

Let us also continue to remember the following in prayer for their health:
Shirley Young, Cheryl Crews, Peggy Lefort, and Terry and Pam MacDonald.
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation

1) Hear the gospel, for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30,31).
2) Believe in the deity of Christ (John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent of sins (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).
4) Confess faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38).
5) Be baptized in water for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4; Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet. 3:21).
6) Continue in the faith; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
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Park Forest

CHURCH OF CHRIST
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