Throughout the new testament we see a series of seven claims made by Jesus. Which has raised the question for centuries, did Jesus actually claim to be the Son of God? Let's be honest here, how many times in your life has someone asked you this question? Probably not that many I know I am not in the habit of walking around asking "Did Jesus really say this or maybe it was really this". Now I bet the question why is she asking me this is in your mind. The answer is rather simple really, you see Jesus was/ is and always will be God's Son.
Let's dig deeper into these claims for a bit. We are told countless times throughout scripture, however can we prove that he indeed claimed to be God's Son? In order to confirm and clarify the countless amounts of evidence found in scripture, the seven "I am" statements of Jesus will be examined. Throughout the New Testament you see that Jesus claims to be one with the Father. We also see the countless times he uses the phrase “I Am” which was in the Old Testament times the description of God.
Not only does Jesus demonstrate his power and might throughout the scriptures, but he also forgives sins. Something that only God can do, then in John 20 verse 28, Thomas addresses Jesus as “ My Lord and my God”. Jesus neither denies nor rebukes him for saying this, instead he gives Thomas affirmation that he was correct. Let’s take a look at the seven I am statements of Jesus we'll just look at the first two today.
Starting with number one- In John 6 :35, Jesus says I am the bread of life. Now what does he mean by this? Bread is a stable food that we as humans can survive a very long time on if that is all we have to eat. When Jesus said that he was the bread of life, he was telling us that he was and is all that we could ever need.
"Jesus replied, 'I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." - John 6:35
The second statement found in John8:12 says- I am the light of the world. We live in a sinful, fallen world. Full of death and darkness, yet we find light amidst the darkness in Jesus. He is the beacon that we can follow to get us home when we are lost. Scientist have no clue what light truly is however they do know a little about the effects of the sun, just not everything. What they do know for sure is that no plant, animal or human being can live without the sun’s light.
"Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, 'I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life." - John 8:12
Jesus is the bread of life and the light of the world. He made a way through the darkness around us to light a path for all of us to follow. I know this is a lot of information at once, but it is so important that we take the time to dig deeper into the Word of God and understand what we are reading. We'll look at the other five claims soon.
Much Love Friends,
Alianna