There is Only One 'I Am '
by Jim Ratzlaff(6)
"I AM"
There is a spirit of teaching in the country that is designed to exalt the human being beyond what a human being really is: human! But it is a defiant attitude against the living God.
Such teaching was popularized by Shirley MacLaine who proclaimed "I am god." The emphasis is on inner power and higher self. It's a neat trick to get us to think that we can be god' without the true God. As has been said, we can't have the true God until we are willing to give up the false god,' that proud ego that sits on the inner throne and likes to act as god.
So who is the great "I AM"?
Jesus answered that question one day in an encounter with the very highly religious leaders during His time here on earth as Jesus of Nazareth. You can read about it in John 8:58 - " I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, " before Abraham was born, I am !" Or putting it another way, "The truth is, I existed before Abraham was even born!"
If you had been there, and you were a Jewish leader, you would have known exactly what Jesus was claiming-that He was God! That's why they reacted with the accusation that He was blaspheming. They looked at Jesus as just a man. And when He said He was the "I AM", they had had enough! To them He was showing contempt or disrespect for God.
So what did they do? They planned to kill Him. To them, that's what He deserved for making such an outrageous claim.
Remember the first commandment: "You shall have no other gods before Me." When we claim that we are more than human, we have broken this first commandment. It's the first because God knows we have in ourselves the tendency to try to be God. He puts it that way because we will destroy ourselves if we try to do that, not because He feels threatened. In fact, when we bow to Him and honor Him as the One and Only true God, the great I AM, our lives are on the road to fulfillment.
The Apostle Paul put it another way. He says in Colossians 2:9: "For in Christ the fullness of God( deity) lives in a human body." That's how Paul saw Jesus. He really was and is THE GREAT I AM!
Jesus didn't come to act like God but to be a human being (the body of Jesus of Nazareth) in whom the Living God lived and expressed Himself. And God waits our permission through our repentance and faith in His Son to send His Holy Spirit into our lives as His new dwelling place.
So how old is Jesus? 33 years? 2010 +? "Before Abraham existed, I AM."
Article submitted Wednesday, February 10, 2010 & read 744 times.
Leave Your Comments:
» left by Teresa Ortiz (169 days 20 hours ago.)
Hi Mim, well done, I recently had a conversation with a JW and of all the Scriptures, I forgot about this one - which is probably the most powerful diety Scriptures for the truth of the Diviity and Triunity of Jesus and the Godhead. I will remember this one next time around. Thank you for sharing. Blessings to you - keep these lessons coming :-) Praying for a smooth move. TeresaRespond to this comment
» left by Anonymous (169 days 16 hours ago.)
Oops, that's Jim. Sorry :-)
Respond to this comment
