I AM
Dallas White
Scripture Readings:
Exodus 3:14
God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.”
John 8:58
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.”
John 11:25
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.
John 17:5
Now, Father, glorify me in your presence with that glory I had with you before the world existed.
Colossians 1:15-17
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.
Commentary:
Completely Sufficient
As Moses approached the burning bush, he recognized it as something remarkable (Exodus 3:3). For in that moment, the magnificent God of the Universe came close and spoke to His servant. Moses responded as many of us would. He still had questions and doubts; he refused to believe that he could be used. So he asks, “If I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what should I tell them?” God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you (Exodus 3:13-14).”
R.C. Sproul said it this way, “I AM is the ultimate statement of self-sufficiency, self-existence, and immediate presence. God’s existence is not contingent upon anyone else. His plans are not contingent upon any circumstances. He promises that He will be what He will be; that is, He will be the eternally constant God. He stands, ever-present and unchangeable, completely sufficient in Himself to do what He wills to do and to accomplish what He wills to accomplish.”
John Piper adds: in John 8:56–58, Jesus is answering the criticism of the Jewish leaders. He says, “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my day; he saw it and was glad.” The Jews then said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly! I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
Could Jesus have taken any more exalted words upon his lips? When Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I AM,” he took up all the majestic truth of the name of God, wrapped it in the humility of servanthood, offered himself to atone for all our rebellion, and made a way for us to see the glory of God without fear.
In Jesus Christ, we who are born of God have the unspeakable privilege of knowing Yahweh as our Father — I AM WHO I AM — the God who exists, whose personality and power is owing solely to himself, who never changes, from whom all power and energy in the universe flows, and to whom all creation should conform its life.
You are not I AM; neither am I; and yet, I AM stands ready to meet you and I at the place of our weaknesses so that we can experience His strength. From His self-sufficiency we are supplied with grace great enough to meet all that He asks of us. Praise the Great I AM, who’s limitless power is shown most perfectly in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9)!
Prayer & Reflection:
Great I AM, we worship you with reverence and honor; acknowledging the eternality of your self-sufficient nature. We praise you for pursuing weak people like us and showing your strength through our lives as we surrender them to you.