Before Abraham Was……I AM !       

Read: John 1:1-5 NLT – Prologue: Christ, the Eternal Word – In – Bible Gateway

“Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I AM!’” John 8:58 NLT

The historic Jesus did not begin at His birth 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem. Scholars note the period of time Jesus was on the earth as history for our time, which is correct, therefore the term ‘the historic Jesus.’ True, the history of Jesus’ life and ministry on earth started on the night He was born, but the Biblical Jesus has a history that never began, yet it is still history. (I don’t understand it, either) Jesus never had a beginning, that is why He was able to claim to the Jews, ‘before Abraham was even born, I AM!’ (Jn.8:58 nlt)

The people knew what He meant because they picked up stones to stone Him for blasphemy. Jesus claimed to be God. The apostle John wrote concerning the deity of Jesus, “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God.” (Jn.1:1-2 nlt) John is, with certainty, equating the ‘Word’ with Jesus. They are one and the same. John later writes in chapter 1, “So the Word became human and made his home among us.” (Jn.1:14 nlt) No doubt, John is referring to Jesus Christ. The Word is Jesus. The Word is God.

So, what does this have to do with us today. Our belief in Christ is to be more than doing the good deeds Jesus did and commanded us to do. Do them, yes, but also understand who He truly is and why He came. He gave up heaven’s glories to be born into this world to save those who will believe on Him. He paid an awful price, which was our debt, but he did it willingly. The historic Jesus is the one and only Jesus, God the Son, from eternity past who had one mission in which all His commandments flow. “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mk.10:45 nlt)