Bible Question:
Dear Good News Minister, Thanks for the other answer you sent me I will meditate on the verses you referenced. What do you make of the two verses below. Wasn't he referencing the time God said tell "I AM"? I love it when Jesus begins by saying I tell you the truth, because I am pretty sure Jesus doesn't lie, so what is he telling the truth about. "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" John 8:58 45Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? 47He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God." John 8:45-47 Thanks, Sven |
Bible Answer: Dear Sven, I do not believe He was claiming diety here, He was saying, as it is rendered in another version I have, that is published by the Philippine Bible Society, "Before Abraham was, I was already here in existence", Also, note that the same Greek words used by Jesus here, saying, "I am" were also used by Paul and the other Apostles throughout the New Testament. The explanation mark is not in the original, so disregard it in the English rendering. Yes, Proverbs chapter 8 describes our Lord's preexistence in these words: 22 "The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works, [2] , [3] before his deeds of old; 23 I was appointed [4] from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began. 24 When there were no oceans, I was given birth, when there were no springs abounding with water; 25 before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth, 26 before he made the earth or its fields or any of the dust of the world. 27 I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, 28 when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, 29 when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth. 30 Then I was the craftsman at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, 31 rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind. speaking thus of His preexistence with the Father for ions of time before even the earth was created, Jesus dwelt with the Father and became like Him in every way, hence, Jesus could say that, "If ye have seen me, ye have seen the Father", for as Hebrews states Jesus is the "express image of the Father." John 14:9 Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? The Jews did not ever teach that the Messiah was to be God in human flesh, such is foreign to Jewish thought and as Christians, we should base our beliefs on Judaism, as Jesus Himself was a Jew. He was a 'corresponding ransom' for Father Adam, and as such, was Adam's equal before the fall. He balanced out the scales of justice for us all and redeemed us all back to His Father and to His God and our God. O How great a Savior do we have indeed! Praise be unto His Name! |