A consideration of some of the 'hard' sayings of Jesus. What did he mean by "before Abraham was, I am?"

1. What Jesus meant by –
“Before Abraham was I am” (John 8:58)
LaindonBibleStudy,10thOctober2018

2. A four-part series of investigationsWhatJesusmeantby
“The violent
take [the
kingdom of
heaven] by
force”
(Matt. 11 v 12)
WhatJesusmeantby
“I beheld
Satan… fall
from
heaven”
(Luke 10 v 18)
WhatJesusmeantby
“Before
Abraham
was, I am”
(John 8 v 58)
WhatJesusmeantby
“In my
Father’s
house are
many
mansions”
(John 14 v 2)
What Jesus meant by - Before Abraham was, I am 2

3. Recap on the point of this series
•Jesus did deliver hard sayings:
•We are required to work to understand his true teaching:
•Also sometimes passages are difficult because of:
What Jesus meant by - Before Abraham was, I am 3
John 6 60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard [Gk.
skleros Strong’s harsh, severe Vine’s trying, exacting] saying; who can hear it?
Hebrews 5 14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by
reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Translation Idioms Symbols Assumptions

4. How should we approach such things?
•Allow the simple maxims to explain the difficult sayings
•Compare scripture with scripture (1 Cor. 2 v 13, see NIV)
•Examine the context, compare translations, understand
idioms/symbols and (if needed) challenge our assumptions
•Take the time and expend the effort to get to the truth!
What Jesus meant by - Before Abraham was, I am 4

5. John 8:58 – a wrested scripture
• Bible Hub: “I am. That our Lord by this expression asserted his divinity and
eternal existence, as the great I AM, appears evident from the use of the
present tense, instead of the past tense, from its being in answer to the Jews,
who enquired whether he had seen Abraham, and from its being thus
understood by the multitude, who were exasperated at it to such a degree that
they took up stones to stone him.”
• Bible Verse Study: “I AM” is the name God gave Himself in Exodus 3:13-14.
Jesus was declaring to them in terms that are crystal clear to them that He is
God, and that's what made them try to kill Him.
• Catholic Answers: If the Agony in the Garden is the best look at the dual
natures of Christ, this passage may be the best example of His divinity
alone.
What Jesus meant by - Before Abraham was, I am 5
John 8 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

6. This interpretation contradicts scripture
• Jesus came of God, born of Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit
• God sent Jesus as a manifestation of His Word
• As Jesus confessed he could do nothing of himself but as the Father
had taught him (see John 8 28)
What Jesus meant by - Before Abraham was, I am 6
John 8 42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded
forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

7. The passage itself (in its context) - 1
•Jesus was arguing about the need for redemption:
•He draws a distinction between the physical and spiritual
What Jesus meant by - Before Abraham was, I am 7
John 8 31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word,
then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you
free. 33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man:
how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35 And the servant abideth not in the house
for ever: but the Son abideth ever. 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free
indeed. 37 I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath
no place in you. 38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye
have seen with your father. 39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus
saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.

8. The passage itself (in its context) - 2
•Jesus went on to declare his God given authority:
•He does not say “before Abraham was, I was”
What Jesus meant by - Before Abraham was, I am 8
John 8 51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. 52
Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the
prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. 53 Art thou
greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest
thou thyself? 54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that
honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know
him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and
keep his saying. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57
Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

9. A range of alternative translations
Amplified Bible 58 Jesus replied, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, before Abraham was born, I AM.
English Standard
Version
58 "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am."
God’s Word Translation 58 "I can guarantee this truth: Before Abraham was ever born, I am.“
Good News Translation 58 "I am telling you the truth," Jesus replied. "Before Abraham was born, 'I Am’.”
New English Translation 58 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the solemn truth, before Abraham came into existence, I am!“
New Living Translation 58 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I AM!“
The Living Bible 58 Jesus: "The absolute truth is that I was in existence before Abraham was ever born!"
What Jesus meant by - Before Abraham was, I am 9
John 8 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

10. Words and their meanings
•Some key Greek words that we need to consider:
What Jesus meant by - Before Abraham was, I am 10
prin
Strong’s: adverb from pro; prior,
sooner:
Thayer’s: an adverb previously,
formerly
ginomai
Strong’s:
to cause to be i.e. (reflexively) to become
(come into being), used with great latitude
(literal, figurative, intensive, etc.):
Thayer’s: to become, i. e. to come into
existence, begin to be, receive being
ego eimi
Strong’s: I (me) exist
Thayer’s: to exist, to be present
John 8 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

11. Two possible understandings
• Jesus was in the mind of God from
the beginning
• He therefore ‘existed’ in God’s mind
prior to Abraham
Before Abraham
was, I am present
• Abraham was yet to be resurrected
• Prior to that Jesus would be the first
fruits ( he has the prior inheritance)
Before Abraham
comes into
existence, I am
present
What Jesus meant by - Before Abraham was, I am 11
Explanation
Explanation

12. Other evidence comparing scripture
• Isaiah 46 10: Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the
things that are not yet done
• Declaring first the last things, before (prin) they come to pass (genesthai/ginomai)
(LXX) – not “declaring (present tense) first the last things, before they already
came to pass (past tense)”
• Thus “before Abraham comes, I am”
• Is ‘I am’ here the name of God (as per Exodus 3:14)? Compare John 8 24: I said
therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he,
ye shall die in your sins. (NB No reaction from the Jews)
• The name of God is illustrated in Revelation: Rev 4 8: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God
Almighty, which was (ho en), and is (ho on), and is to come (ho erchomenos)
• The Greek equivalent of I am is ‘ho on’ not ‘ego eimi’
What Jesus meant by - Before Abraham was, I am 12

13. Other confirming scriptural evidence
• 1 Peter 1 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb
without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained
before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last
times for you
• Galatians 3 8 “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify
the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto
Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed” therefore
Jesus was able to say “Abraham rejoiced to see my day”
• Rev 13 8 …the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world
What Jesus meant by - Before Abraham was, I am 13

14. The understanding we have reached
Christ in this discourse is establishing his pre-
eminence (not pre-existence) in God’s
purpose. The Jews were claiming Abraham to
their father, so Jesus affirms his pre-eminence
in the divine purpose by saying that before
Abraham was, “I am”
What Jesus meant by - Before Abraham was, I am 14

15. Where does this leave us?
• If there is ONE THING that differentiates true
Christadelphians from the rest of Christianity it is their
understanding of the doctrine of atonement
•This proper appreciation of what Jesus meant by:
“Before Abraham was, I am” protects and strengthens
our understanding of the doctrine of atonement
What Jesus meant by - Before Abraham was, I am 15

16. A four-part series of investigationsWhatJesusmeantby
“The violent
take [the
kingdom of
heaven] by
force”
(Matt. 11 v 12)
WhatJesusmeantby
“I beheld
Satan… fall
from
heaven”
(Luke 10 v 18)
WhatJesusmeantby
“Before
Abraham
was, I am”
(John 8 v 58)
WhatJesusmeantby
“In my
Father’s
house are
many
mansions”
(John 14 v 2)
What Jesus meant by - Before Abraham was, I am 16
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