Results 1 - 8 of 8
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | 'I AM' or 'I exist'? | John 8:58 | Morant61 | 145124 | ||
Greetings All! Is there evidence that 'ego eimi' in John 8:58 can be used to mean more than 'I exist'? There certainly is such evidence. Consider some of the following passages. 1) John 8:24 - "I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins." (NIV) This is one of the places where I do not like the NIV's translation. The Greek here literally reads, "...if you do not believe that I am". What exactly is so important here that one could die in his sins for not believing? Must one believe that Jesus exists? The people to whom Jesus was speaking clearly knew that He existed? ;-) Jesus is clearly speaking of 'identity', not existence in this verse. As we will see later, 'I am' has been used by God in the same way. 2) John 8:28 - "So Jesus said, 'When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.'" Here we have the same sort of construction as in John 8:24 and John 8:58. Again, the Greek simply says 'I am'. Would the Jews only believe that Jesus existed after they killed Him? Or, was Jesus speaking of more than just existence? 3) John 13:19 - "I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He." Again, what does it mean to believe that 'I am'? It must mean more than that He simply exists! The answer is found when we discover that God used this same phrase in exactly the same manner. 4) Is. 43:10-11 says, "'You are my witnesses,' declares the LORD, 'and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. 11 I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior.'" Notice what God says about Himself in the middle of v. 10, "...so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he". Guess how the LXX translates this OT verse? They translate it, "that you may know and believe...that 'EGO EIMI'" Clearly, 'ego eimi' is used many times in the New Testament as simply 'i am', without any particular theological significance. However, just as clearly 'ego eimi' is used a number of times with great theological significance. Unless one believes that Jesus 'ego eimi', one will die in his sins. Jesus (John 8:24). Some would not believe that Jesus 'ego eimi' until He died (John 8:28). Jesus told His disciples things in advance so that they might believe that He 'ego eimi' when they take place. The Jews tried to kill Jesus for saying that He 'ego eimi'. Why? The answer is found in Is. 43:10! The Jews clearly understood that Jesus was using 'ego eimi' with very clear theological meaning. He was claiming to be God. Look at John 10:31-33: "Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, 'I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?' 33 'We are not stoning you for any of these,' replied the Jews, 'but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.'" The message is clear my friends! Unless we accept Christ as God, we cannot be saved! Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
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2 | 'I AM' or 'I exist'? | John 8:58 | fellow worker | 145266 | ||
Shouldn't verse 33 say "make yourself a god" based on Jesus own reply in verse 34? Didn't the apostle Paul say "there are many gods"? I know you mean well, but I'll stick with Jesus and Paul on this one. |
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3 | 'I AM' or 'I exist'? | John 8:58 | Ray | 145270 | ||
Hi fellow worker, Here is my interpretation of John 10:33,34 for what it is worth. It is a combination of the NKJ and the NASB which capitalize nouns and pronouns of Deity. John 10:33, "The Jews answered Him, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God." 34 Jesus answered them, "Has it not been written in your Law, 'I said, you are gods'?'" 35 If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came..." The writer of Psalms 82:6 said on his part that they are gods and are sons of the Most High. Jesus on His part said that He is the Son of God. You see Jesus as a mere man. You need to believe in the Son of Man who was worshiped in John 9:38. You need to know that He is who He said He was. John 9:33, NKJ, "If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing." From the heart, Ray |
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4 | 'I AM' or 'I exist'? | John 8:58 | fellow worker | 145327 | ||
Ray: BeDuhn did not compare the NKJ for the following reason: "Whoever did this cleanup work on the KJV brought little new scholarship to their work, and rather completely ignored all of the advances in textual and linguistic knowledge achieved in the 450 years between the KJV and the NKJB. Most astonishingly, the NKJB uses the same text base as the KJV, which is different in nearly 6,000 places from modern critical texts of the NT, and in some passages has no basis in Greek manuscripts at all." (Someone said the NW is just a cleaned up KJ - yah right!) As regards John 9:38, he has a whole chapter on the Greek "proskuneo" called Bowing To Bias. Again, the NW "receive(s) the highest marks for accuracy, while the others show a tendency to lapse into interpretive judgments guided by their theological biases." Did you notice that John 9:33 says Jesus is "from God"? This is the consistent distinction throughout the entire Bible - Jesus and God. We should listen to the blind man and learn that Jesus could do nothing if not for God. Do you imagine that this means I do not view him as Lord? As my high priest and mediator before God? Or that I esteem his ransom as of ordinary value? Or perhaps that I don't see him as a mighty warrior King about to end the suffering of the oppressed and downtrodden by annihilating the wicked? He personally cleansed the heavens of powerful wicked spirits and now provides a spiritual paradise as congregation head for those who worship the Father in spirit and truth. Exercising faith in Jesus means being obedient to him. (John 3:16,36) We can talk doctrine all day, "all the same, wisdom is proved righteous by its works." The true Christian way is exalted in these! Don't get me wrong, "faith follows the things heard," but it doesn't have to be like looking for a needle in a haystack for the truth - look at the fruits. (Rom 10:17;Matt 7:16) Best wishes, Ben |
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5 | 'I AM' or 'I exist'? | John 8:58 | Ray | 145391 | ||
Hi fellow worker, You suggest that we listen to the blind man. How do you interpret John 9:33? John 9:33, NKJ, "If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing." John 9:33, NASB, "If this man were not from God, He could do nothing." Is Jesus a Man or a man? Is Jesus a sinner? What did the blind man say? John 9:16, "...How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?" And there was a division among them. 17 They said therefore to the blind man again, "What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?..." From the heart, Ray |
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6 | 'I AM' or 'I exist'? | John 8:58 | fellow worker | 145431 | ||
Don't quite get your point. Many "sinners" performed signs. Were they God? This blind man knew Jesus was from God - that his authority and power were from God. That he was born sinless and remained such is indisputable. That he had a prehuman existence and ascended back to heaven to approach God with the merits of his sacrificial life and blood is irrefutable. I'm assuming you believe this as well. You'll need to speak more plainly. |
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7 | fellow worker: Jehovah's Witness? | John 8:58 | Hank | 145447 | ||
fellow worker ::: You may not "quite" get Ray's point, but you can't miss mine: Are you a Jehovah's Witness? --Hank | ||||||
8 | fellow worker: Jehovah's Witness? | John 8:58 | silvanus | 147477 | ||
I am a witness for Jehovah. However, I am not a "Jehovah's Witness" in the sense of the group known by that name. Have a good day, Silvanus | ||||||