This is a very bold statement and, while seemingly simplistic, very profound: “GOD IS!” (I am capitalizing this because small-caps are not available in this blog and I want to reflect the emphasis shown in the Bible.) Moses asks God for His name to tell the Israelites and God says, “I AM who I AM” and then tells Moses to say to his people, “I AM has sent me to you.” (Exodus 3:14) The enormous weight of God’s self-existence and self-identity is found in this simple statement. The ramifications of such a statement are too many to account for but I hope you will feel some of the ripples of God’s declaration.

Humanity apart from God is on a dangerous and destructive path of self-identity. We see people self-identifying as to their culture, gender, sexuality, etc. Caucasian women have claimed to be black and attach themselves to the Black Lives Matter movement. This has caused anger and outrage; however, they should not be surprised. Women’s Marches are struggling as to whether to include people who have physically been changed from male to female or who claim to be a woman in a man’s body; but they should not be surprised. When humanity rejects its Creator by considering itself to be self-existent by its own evolutionary will, then they become gods unto themselves and self-identify as they like. When “GOD IS,” then mankind must acknowledge His transcendency and adhere to His definitions.

Christianity apart from God is also on a dangerous, destructive path. Wait … how can such a statement exist? Isn’t this an oxymoron? Seemingly so; but nonetheless true. When God is the self-existent, self-identifying One and Christians recognize Him as such, then He is also seen as the One who defines what the term “God” means. God then also gets to define all other meanings. Jesus makes several “I am” statements and only He can make them and define them because He is God. When the apostle John writes, “God is love” (1 John 4:8), and Christians decide to define love as they see fit, they may then end up defining God. It is a logical and theological fallacy just as it would be to say that since the sky is blue then all things blue must be the sky. God must define both sides of the equation: God and love. Tweaking or redefining either term leads us away from God and true love. When people insert their definition of love into the equation and then flip it around, they turn their image of love into God and end up serving a love-god idol.

This month Freedom Centre will be hearing messages on the “I am” statements of Jesus. We should be truly thankful that we have the Bible as an authoritative record of God’s revelation to man. While I will attempt to convey meaning to the “I am” statements, we must remind ourselves that only God can truly define them and that Jesus is saying that He is the only way to the Father. Remember: only GOD IS.

Journeying with you,

Pastor Merril