Conference lgp30::christian-perspective

    Always sorta struck me as Yahweh's way of saying "Cogito Ergo Sum"

    
    		I have thought that it was God's way of saying " you can 
    worship who and what you want but "I am" the only God here.  Its almost
    as if God is telling us thru Moses that he exists...God is *REAL*.
    
    
    Dave

    It's God's way of saying, don't think of me as Baal, Zeus, Jupiter,
    Odin, etc.
    
    These are gods created in the image of men and given names by men.
     
    The "I AM" God is uncreated and the author of all creation.  He created
    all men in his image.

    
    .3
    
    all men?

>    all men?

	Did you think that something besides people was created in God's image?

			Alfred

    
    .5
    
    I'm never sure what "men" means - adult human males, or people in the
    generic sense.
    
    Dorian

    
    
    	I am (lower self) that I AM (Higher Self). 
    
    	He was expressing his Unity with the Higher Self,
    	they were one and the same. 
    

    Just "I AM"
    
    One of the most enlightening phrases in the bible.
    
    All other phrases are metaphor.  Trying to capture the essence of "I
    AM"

    You can imagine the riot it almost caused when Jesus said to the
    scribes and pharisees, "Verily Verily I say unto you, before Abraham
    was, I Am!"  Jesus was making a clear distinction here as to his nature
    and authority.
    
    -Jack

re Note 623.9 by MSBCS::JMARTIN:

>     You can imagine the riot it almost caused when Jesus said to the
>     scribes and pharisees, "Verily Verily I say unto you, before Abraham
>     was, I Am!"  Jesus was making a clear distinction here as to his nature
>     and authority.
  
        Yes, but was it because he used the words "I Am" or because
        he claimed to be older than Abraham?  I assume that the
        phrase "I Am" could be used in everyday Hebrew speech with
        its ordinary meaning, and wasn't exclusively restricted to
        the divine name.

        Bob

    Hi Bob:
    
    
    The context is from John 8:58,59.
    
    "Jesus said unto them, verily verily I say unto you, before Abraham
    was, I Am.  Then they took up stones to cast at him, but Jesus hid
    himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them,
    and so passed by."
    
    At this point, Jesus already had a reputation, claiming to have the
    authority to forgive sins.  With that in mind, let's move up two
    chapters to John 10.
    
    10:30-33:  "I and my Father are One.  Then the Jews took up stones
    again to stone him.  Then Jesus said, many good works have I shown thee
    from my Father.  For which of these works do ye stone thee?  The Jews
    answered him saying, for a good work we stone thee not, but for
    blasphemy, and because thou being a man, makest thyself God."
    
    According to the Mosaic law, a blasphemer was to be put to death by
    stoning.  Jesus use of the phrase, "I Am" in John 8 is in the same
    context of the Father's usage in Exodus.  There are some who claim the
    verse to mean, ...before Abraham was, I came into existence"  However, 
    the Hebrew is similar and the claim is fulfilled in the words of Jesus
    in Revelation, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end, the first
    and the last." Rev. 22:13
    
    If Jesus was a great teacher and even philosopher, he would not have
    made so many questionable statements as to claim to be the great I Am
    unless he is what he claims to be.  I believe if he was stating he was
    born before Abraham, the Jews would've just laughed at him and walked
    away.  
    
    -Jack