"I AM"

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TravisT

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Exodus 3:13–15 says,Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.”

We could and will spend Eternity unpacking the full meaning of the name "I AM" we should start now. What inferences can we gain from the name God gives himself. Go for it.
 

Deborah_

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'I AM' is more than a label: it is a revelation of God.

“I AM” is not a complete sentence; it begs the question, what? (or who?) But God adds nothing. He is Himself – nothing more, nothing less, nothing other.


'I AM' is not a description of God, but a declaration of His self-existence, self-sufficiency and eternal changelessness. He has no past or future, only present; He is outside both time and space.

He is neither a physical idol, nor a philosophical concept; he has not been ‘invented’ in any sense by men. We could not work out for ourselves what He is like; we can discover His character only insofar as He reveals Himself to us in what He says and does. The experiences of our spiritual forefathers (recorded in the Bible) are thus an essential part of our own knowledge of God.

He is the One who is completely and consistently Himself: the reality behind all reality. He is sovereign and wholly free from constraint by, or dependence on, anything outside Himself. Our existence (and indeed the existence of the whole universe) is dependent on Him (Acts 17:24,25).
 

lforrest

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Acts 4:12

I think God the Father wasn't ready to reveal his son to the world, nore did he want to introduce another name that would be used to the exclusion of Jesus. Or for that name to be listed among the false gods, like he is one of their number.

If you think about it, why would God even need a name? Names are for social creatures, not someone who exists self sufficiently above all creation.
 
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TravisT

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God is very much a social being. For all eternity God existed in relationship.
 

lforrest

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God is very much a social being. For all eternity God existed in relationship.
The persons of the Trinity would hardly need to call eachother by name to distinguish between them.
 
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TravisT

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lforrest said:
The persons of the Trinity would hardly need to call eachother by name to distinguish between them.
The Point is God did give himself a name.
 
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TravisT

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John Piper in his article http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/i-am-who-i-am

States:


WHEN GOD NAMES PEOPLE
Now there is a big difference between me and God. When I name someone, I don’t have the power or the authority to make the person fit the name. I give names in the hope and prayer that my sons will become what their names imply. But God has the right and the power to cause anyone he names to become what the name implies. The names he gives are sure indicators of the destiny of those he names.
And when he names himself, we may be sure the name is packed with who he is and what he intends to do. God does not choose names for himself at random, say for the sound or for an ancestor or to avoid embarrassing nicknames. He chooses names for the sake of revealing things about himself that will deepen our love for him and enlarge our admiration and strengthen our faith.
So my prayer is that these seven messages will open our eyes to God’s glory, and enlarge our acquaintance with his magnificent character, and fan the flames of our love, and strengthen the fiber of our faith. My hope is in the word of God: “Those who know your name put their trust in you.”
 
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TravisT

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Deborah_ said:
'I AM' is more than a label: it is a revelation of God.

“I AM” is not a complete sentence; it begs the question, what? (or who?) But God adds nothing. He is Himself – nothing more, nothing less, nothing other.


'I AM' is not a description of God, but a declaration of His self-existence, self-sufficiency and eternal changelessness. He has no past or future, only present; He is outside both time and space.

He is neither a physical idol, nor a philosophical concept; he has not been ‘invented’ in any sense by men. We could not work out for ourselves what He is like; we can discover His character only insofar as He reveals Himself to us in what He says and does. The experiences of our spiritual forefathers (recorded in the Bible) are thus an essential part of our own knowledge of God.

He is the One who is completely and consistently Himself: the reality behind all reality. He is sovereign and wholly free from constraint by, or dependence on, anything outside Himself. Our existence (and indeed the existence of the whole universe) is dependent on Him (Acts 17:24,25).
AMEN. Stated very well.
 

TopherNelson

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The Point is God did give himself a name.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
- Matthew 28:19