The Seven "I am" Statements

1. "I am the bread of life"
   
   
   1. (John 6:35) The first of the seven "I am" statements recorded in the Gospel of John, each one emphasizing (John 6:35)an important aspect of the personal ministry of Jesus. This statement tells us that Christ is the substance that nourishes (John 6:35) spiritual life (John 6:53).
      
      
   2. Jesus promises to welcome all who come to Him in repentance and faith (John 6:37). Also see the study about Faith and Grace
      
      
   3. When reading John 6:38-40 it is important to understand the relationship of the Father's will to human responsibility.
      
      
      • It is not God's will that any believer fall from grace (Gal. 5:4) and subsequently be separated from God. Neither is it His will that any individual in the world should perish (II Peter 3:9) or fail to come to the truth and be saved (I Timothy 2:4).
        
        
      • However there is a great difference between God's perfect will and His permissive will. He does not abrogate the human responsibility to repent and believe, even if it means His perfect will is not done.
        
        
      • God's desire that all believers might be saved on the last day does not relieve them of the responsibility of obeying His voice and following Him (). Jesus in sorrow prayed on the night of His betrayal that "those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition." ie., the one headed for eternal destruction (John 17:12).
        
        
   4. John 6:44 Here the Father is the Spirit of the invisible God and Jesus is the visible body of God. If you understand this you will see how John 6:44 and John 12:37 do not conflict. As a matter of fact, together, they show the oneness of God.
      
      
2. "I am the light of the world"
   
   
   1. (John 8:12) Jesus is the true light (John 1:9); as such, He removes darkness and deception by illuminating the right way to salvation.
      
      
   2. All those who follow Jesus are delivered from the darkness of sin, the world, and Satan. All those who still walk in darkness do not follow Him (I John 1:6-7).
      
      
   3. "He that followeth me" is a present participle and has the idea of a continuous following. Jesus recognized only perservering discipleship.
      
      
   4. "If ye continue in my word" (John 8:31). Jesus never encouraged His disciples to place confidence in the mere fact of past faith or experience. It is only as we continue in His Word that confidence in salvation is warranted. Genuine disciples of Christ continue to obey the words of Christ (John 8:31; John 14:21-24; John 15:6-8).
      
      
3. "I am the door"
   
   
   1. (John 10:9) Jesus is the door for the sheep. Those who enter through Him will be saved. They will have abundant eternal life and have all they need to be delivered from sin, guilt, and condemnation. Jesus is the only door for salvation; there is no other (Acts 4:12).
      
      
4. "I am the good shepherd"
   
   
   1. (John 10:11-14) Jesus declares Himself to be the promised good shepherd (Psalm 23:1; Isaiah 40:11; Ezekiel 34:23; Ezekiel 37:24).
      
      
   2. This metaphor illustrates Jesus' tender and devoted care for His people. It is as if He is saying, "I am toward all who believe in me, as a good shepherd is toward his sheep (caring, watchful, and loving)."
      
      
   3. The distinguishing mark of Christ as the good shepherd is His willingness to die for His sheep. This emphasizes the uniqueness of Christ the shepherd: His death on the cross saves His sheep (Isaiah 53:12; Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45). Christ is called the "good shepherd" in John 10:11, the "great shepherd" in Hebrews 13:20, and the "chief Shepherd" in I Peter 5:4.
      
      
   4. Be sure to note that the minister who serves merely to earn a living or to obtain honor is the "hireling" of John 10:12-13. The true pastor cares for his sheep, while the false pastor's first thought is for himself and his position before others.
      
      
5. "I am the resurrection, and the life"
   
   
   1. (John 11:25) For the person who believes in Jesus, physical death is not a tragic end. It is instead the gateway to abundant eternal life and fellowship with God. "Yet shall he live" refers to the resurrection; the "shall never die" of verse 26 means that the resurrected believer will never die. He will have a new body, immortal and incorruptible (I Corinthians 15:42,54), one that cannot die or deteriorate (Romans 8:10; II Corinthians 4:16). Also see the study on Resurrection of the body
      
      
6. "I am the way, the truth, and the life"
   
   
   1. (John 14:6)
      
      
7. "I am the true vine"
   
   
   1. (John 15:1) In this parable or allegory, Jesus describes Himself as "the true vine" and those who have become His disciples as "the branches." By remaining attached to Him as the Source of life, they produce fruit. God is the gardener who takes care of the branches in order that they may bear fruit (John 15: 2,8). God expects all of us to bear fruit.
      
      
   2. Jesus speaks of two categories of branches: fruitful and fruitless.
      
      
      • The branches that cease to bear fruit are those who no longer have the life in them that comes from enduring faith in and love for Christ. These branches the Father takes away, He separates them from vital union with Christ (Matthew 3:10). When they stop abiding in Christ, God then judges and rejects them (John 15:6).
        
        
      • The branches that bear fruit are those who have life in them because of their enduring faith in and love for Christ . These branches the Father prunes in order that they might become more fruitful. That is, He removes from their lives anything that diverts or hinders the vital lifeflow of Christ into them. The fruit is the quality of Christian character that brings glory to God through life and witness (Matthew 3:8; 7:20; Romans 6:22; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:9; Phil. 1:11).
        
        
   3. After a person believes in Christ and is forgiven, he receives eternal life and the power to abide in Christ (John 15:4). Given that power, the believer must then accept that responsibility in salvation and abide in Christ. Just as the branch has life only as long as the life of the vine flows into it, so the believer has Christ's life only as long as Christ's life flows into him through his abiding in Christ. The conditions by which we abide in Christ are:
      
      
      • Keeping God's Word continually before our memories and minds and making it the guide of our actions (John 15:7)
        
        
      • Maintaining the habit of constant close communion with Christ in order to draw strength and grace from Him (John 15:7)
        
        
      • Obeying His commandments, abiding in His love (John 15:10), and loving one another (John 15:12,17)
        
        
      • Keeping our lives clean through the Word, resisting all sin, and yielding to the direction of the Holy Spirit (John 3; 17:17; Romans 8:14; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 5:26; 1 Peter 1:22).
        
        
   4. The parable of the vine and branches makes it unmistakably clear that Christ did not believe "once in the vine, always in the vine." Rather, in this parable Jesus gave His disciples a solemn but loving warning that it is indeed possible for true believers to ultimately abandon faith, turn their backs on Jesus, fail to abide in Him, and thus to be cast into the everlasting fire of hell (John 15:6).
      
      
   5. We have here the foundational principle governing the saving relationship of Christ and the believer, namely, that it is never a static relationship based solely on a past decision or experience. Rather, it is a progressive relationship as Christ dwells in the believer and shares with him His divine life (John 17:3; Col. 3:4; I John 5:11-13).
      
      
   6. In summary, three important truths are taught in this parable.
      
      
      • The responsibility of abiding in Christ is placed upon the disciples (John 5:4). This is our response to God's prior gift of divine life and power given at conversion.
        
        
      • Abiding in Christ results in Jesus' continued indwelling (John 15:4), fruitfulness of the disciple (John 15:5), success in prayer (John 15:7), and fullness of joy (John 15:11).
        
        
      • The consequences of failure to abide in Christ are fruitlessness (John 15:4-5), removal from Christ and destruction (John 15:2,6).