God’s name is revealed
Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites…and they ask me, ‘What is [God’s] name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”…“This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation.”
Exodus 3:13-15 (NIV)
When God gave Moses the task of rescuing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, Moses told God that the people would ask him the name of the god who sent him to do this. God replied by calling himself ‘I AM’, a title which appears to indicate God’s eternal, self-existent and unchanging nature.
Thus, when Jesus used the phrase ‘I am’ to refer to himself (John 8:58), he was asserting, to his audience, that he was God. Similarly, at the end of Mark’s gospel, Jesus is asked if he is the Messiah, and he says, ‘I am’ (Mark 14:62).
The last time we are told that Jesus said ‘I am’ in the other gospels, he is not describing his nature. Rather, he is describing the work he wants us to be a part of: sharing the good news of his love and grace with others, and providing reassurance as we carry out this work.
- ‘I am with you always, to the very end of the age’ (Matthew 28:20).
- ‘I am going to send you what my father has promised’ – the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49).
- ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you’ (John 20:21).
It all revolves around the great I AM. He is the one who has saved us, he is the one we want to worship and talk about with others, and he is the one who is with us as we do this.
Prayer
Dear Lord, we thank you for your inexpressible greatness, for your nature which is so amazing, all-encompassing and eternally constant that ‘I am’ is all you need to describe yourself. Thank you that as you invite us to share your greatness with others, you are with us, and in you we will find great peace forever more. Amen.
Study by Anthony Dady
About the writer:
Anthony Dady is a minister in Grace Communion International and is the Regional Pastor for Wales, the Midlands, and
Northern England.
Local congregation:
GCI Northampton
Ecton Village Hall
78A High Street
Ecton
Northampton
NN6 0QB
Meeting time:
Saturday 10:30am
Local congregational contact:
Gavin Henderson
Email: gavin.henderson@gracecom.church
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church