I Am

When God tells Moses that his name is I Am, most of us do not realize the importance of this phrase. Many theologians and well-known pastors such as Matt Chandler and John Piper argue that this name is one of the important names given to God, if not the most important. The name I Am is also stated as LORD, which translates in Hebrew to Yahweh coming from the word Hayah or Adonai meaning all-mighty God or my Lord.

When God calls Himself I Am we are reminded that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He has always been and always will be. He is steadfast in each and everyone of our lives and consistent in His character. This name is, in fact used 6,828 times throughout the Old Testament to carry His mission and character.

I decided to pull John Piper’s dictation on this name, who has given 7 different points to explore. The first is that God exists. He is who He is and will never change. We can always count on Him to remain the same in a constantly shifting world. Second, there is no reality separate from God. We gain all wisdom and all truth from God, and nothing, save His Word, is absolute truth (1 Corinthians 1:18-21). The reality is that His plan is higher and much greater than ours, and everything that happens is a part of His plan and He knows everything before it happens. The third point is that God does not change (Malachi 3:6). Fourth, God provides for us an inexhaustible source of energy (Isaiah 40:28). The statement I Am, shows that the same God that created the universe thousands of years ago and everything and everyone in it is the same God that loves us now, and needs no sleep, no food, and no sustenance to maintain His omnipotence. Five and Six state that objectivity is crucial in understanding Him as a specific deity and we must conform to His character, not His to ours, or our image of who He should be. I love this specifically, because I think a lot of the time in our society we see ourselves as God, as a human, rather than someone with infinite wisdom and knowledge over everything that ever has and will occur. We are reminded by His I Am statement that He has a greater perspective, and that perspective is something to be sought after as pursuers of a relationship with Christ. Lastly, our God has drawn near to us through Jesus Christ, which is shown in John 8:58, ” ‘Very truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I Am.‘ ” In this instance, the New Testament shows us Jesus identifying Himself as the Son of God, and reveals that He too has been here since the beginning and always will be. His reign is eternal and our faith in Him extends to us eternal life.

My heart behind this commentary was to portray the love and goodness of Christ through the revealing of His name, the Great I Am. This name emphasizes so much about God’s character and His never-ending wisdom, and allows us to see why the disbelieving Pharisees would be angry at the audacity of Christ to call Himself everlasting. The truth of who Christ is, as a part of the Trinity, gives us more insight into the truly beautiful image of His offering of Himself as the propitiation (perfect sacrifice) for our sins. Lastly, I hope that you are able to also pull your own meaning from I Am that resonates in your walk with Christ.