Who did Jesus actually claim to be? This detailed Quick Facts study examines the meaning of “I am He,” the accusation that Jesus was making Himself God, Jesus’ response that He said “I am Son of God,” and the later charge in John 19:7 that He made Himself the Son of God. It also compares different beliefs about Jesus and finishes with His own question: “But you, who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
QUICK FACTS: “UNLESS YOU BELIEVE THAT I AM HE, YOU WILL DIE IN YOUR SINS”
PART ONE — What Did Jesus Mean by “I Am He”?
Few statements made by Jesus could be more serious than His warning in John 8:
“Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
— John 8:24, BLB
These are extremely serious words.
Jesus is telling His listeners that believing who He truly is matters.
But this immediately raises the question:
WHO DID JESUS MEAN BY “I AM HE”?
Did Jesus mean:
“Unless you believe that I am Almighty God, you will die in your sins”?
Or was Jesus telling them that they must believe He truly is:
THE CHRIST — THE SON OF GOD?
This distinction is extremely important because some Christians interpret Jesus' words ἐγώ εἰμι (egō eimi), “I am,” as a declaration that He is God, connecting them with God's words to Moses in Exodus 3:14.
But notice something first.
Jesus did not say:
“UNLESS YOU BELIEVE THAT I AM GOD, YOU WILL DIE IN YOUR SINS.”
The word “God” is not there.
So before inserting that meaning into Jesus' words, we need to examine how egō eimi is actually used in John's Gospel and, most importantly, allow the context to tell us what Jesus meant.
QUICK FACT 1
DOES “EGŌ EIMI” AUTOMATICALLY MEAN “I AM GOD”?
The Greek expression behind Jesus' words is:
ἐγώ εἰμι — EGŌ EIMI
It means simply:
“I am.”
Some Trinitarian interpreters connect Jesus' use of these words with Exodus 3:14, where God speaks to Moses.
From this they argue that Jesus' statement:
“Unless you believe that I am…”
means:
“Unless you believe that I am God…”
But there is a serious problem with making egō eimi itself proof that the speaker is claiming to be God.
The same expression can be used simply to identify oneself.
And John's Gospel gives us a perfect example.
QUICK FACT 2
THE BLIND MAN ALSO SAID “EGŌ EIMI”
In John 9, Jesus heals a man who had been blind from birth.
Afterward, people argue about whether this really is the same man:
“Some were saying, ‘This is he.’ Others were saying, ‘No, but he is like him.’ He kept saying, ‘I am he.’”
— John 9:9
The words translated “I am he” are:
ἐγώ εἰμι — EGŌ EIMI
The same Greek expression.
Was the formerly blind man claiming:
“I AM GOD ALMIGHTY”?
Of course not.
He was simply saying:
“I am he.”
“I am the man.”
“I am the person you are talking about.”
This establishes an important fact:
THE WORDS “EGŌ EIMI” DO NOT AUTOMATICALLY MEAN “I AM GOD.”
The context determines whom the speaker is identifying himself as.
This was also one of the central comparisons in my original research.
So now we must ask:
WHAT DOES THE CONTEXT IDENTIFY JESUS AS?
QUICK FACT 3
JESUS HIMSELF EXPLAINS “I AM HE” TO THE SAMARITAN WOMAN
John gives us an extraordinary example that helps answer our question.
Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well.
During their conversation she says:
“I know that Messiah is coming, who is called Christ. When He comes, He will declare to us all things.”
— John 4:25, BLB
Notice exactly whom she is talking about:
THE MESSIAH — THE CHRIST.
Jesus then answers:
“I who speak to you am He.”
— John 4:26, BLB
Again Jesus uses:
ἐγώ εἰμι — EGŌ EIMI
But this time there can be little doubt about the immediate subject of the conversation.
The woman says:
“MESSIAH IS COMING.”
Jesus answers:
“I AM HE.”
In other words:
I AM THE MESSIAH.
I AM THE CHRIST YOU ARE WAITING FOR.
Jesus is not answering a question about whether He is Almighty God.
He is identifying Himself as the promised Messiah—the Christ.
This same connection between John 4:25 and Jesus' egō eimi response in John 4:26 formed a major part of my earlier research.
QUICK FACT 4
JOHN 8:28 GIVES US ANOTHER IMPORTANT CLUE
Now return to the very chapter we are investigating.
A few verses after Jesus warns:
“…unless you believe that I am He…”
Jesus says:
“When you shall have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and from Myself I do nothing; but as the Father taught Me, I speak these things.”
— John 8:28, BLB
Look carefully.
Jesus again says:
“I AM HE.”
But immediately afterward Jesus tells us:
“FROM MYSELF I DO NOTHING.”
And:
“THE FATHER TAUGHT ME.”
That distinction is extremely important.
Jesus is the One being taught.
The Father is the One teaching Him.
Jesus therefore distinguishes Himself from His Father in the very sentence containing “I am He.”
This should make us extremely cautious about changing Jesus' words into:
“Then you will know that I am Almighty God.”
That is not what Jesus actually says.
Instead, the context continues to distinguish Jesus from:
THE FATHER WHO SENT AND TAUGHT HIM.
QUICK FACT 5
SO WHO DID JESUS SAY HE WAS?
Fortunately, we don't have to guess.
Jesus gives us His own description later in John's Gospel.
After some of His opponents accused Him of blasphemy, Jesus said:
“Do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You blaspheme,’ because I said, ‘I am Son of God’?”
— John 10:36, BLB
Read that carefully.
Jesus identifies Himself as:
“SON OF GOD.”
He also tells us:
THE FATHER SANCTIFIED HIM.
and:
THE FATHER SENT HIM.
Again we have two clearly distinguished identities:
THE FATHER
and
HIS SON.
Jesus does not say here:
“I told you that I am God Almighty.”
He describes His claim as:
“I AM SON OF GOD.”
QUICK FACT 6
JOHN TELLS US EXACTLY WHAT WE ARE REQUIRED TO BELIEVE ABOUT JESUS
Perhaps the clearest evidence comes near the conclusion of John's Gospel.
John actually tells his readers why he wrote the book:
“But these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”
— John 20:31, BLB
This is enormously important when interpreting John 8:24.
Jesus warned:
“UNLESS YOU BELIEVE THAT I AM HE…”
And John later tells us what his Gospel was written to make us believe:
JESUS IS THE CHRIST.
JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD.
And notice the consequence:
“…THAT BELIEVING YOU MAY HAVE LIFE IN HIS NAME.”
This is why correctly understanding Jesus' identity is such a serious matter.
BUT THERE IS AN IMPORTANT QUESTION WE STILL NEED TO ADDRESS
At this point, many Christians will quite reasonably respond:
“But I already believe Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God!”
And they are right.
Trinitarians say Jesus is the Christ and Son of God.
Modalists say Jesus is the Christ and Son of God.
Jehovah's Witnesses say Jesus is the Christ and Son of God.
Yet these groups understand Jesus' identity in very different ways and add very different theological claims concerning who He is.
So our investigation cannot finish merely by asking:
“Do you call Jesus the Christ?”
or:
“Do you call Jesus the Son of God?”
We must ask the deeper question:
WHAT DO THOSE WORDS ACTUALLY MEAN?
And:
HAVE WE ADDED ANOTHER IDENTITY TO JESUS THAT JESUS AND HIS APOSTLES DID NOT TEACH?
That brings us directly to 1 John 2:22, the Trinity, Modalism, Michael the archangel—and the remarkable accusation made against Jesus by His Jewish opponents.
CONTINUED IN PART TWO…
