JESUS NEVER CLAIMED TO

BE YHWH
By Watchman Dean
John 8: 58
Jesus sai un!o !he"# Ve$i%&# 'e$i%&# I sa&
un!o &ou# Be(o$e A)$aha" *as# I a"+
People always use the above verse to try and prove that
1. Jesus existed before Abraham
2. Jesus is YHWH God (The Great I Am that I AM)
Answering number 1:
The verse does not say "Before Abraham was, I
*as." In the Greek that is what it would have to say
in order for Christ to be saying "I existed before
Abraham was born."
Answering number 2:
The verse does not say "Before Abraham was I A"
!ha! I A"" whi!h is what it would have to say for
Christ to have been identifying himself as "#$#%.
Those who try to make this a proof of deity, or a proof of pre-
existence always change the context. I've been on the
internet as well as sitting in a pew during N!"#$%
sermons on this verse. &hat I've noticed is they always say
that 'esus was asked of the 'ews "who do you think you
are?"
!y friends if you read this entire chapter of 'ohn ( you will
see that, indeed the 'ews )I) ask 'esus *who are you,* and
his response was NOT "Before Abraham was I am."
John 8:
,5 Then sai !he& un!o hi"# Who a$!
!hou- An Jesus sai!h un!o !he"# E'en
!he sa"e !ha! I sai un!o &ou ($o" !he
)e.innin.+
,/ I ha'e "an& !hin.s !o sa& an !o 0u.e
o( &ou: )u! he !ha! sen! "e is !$ue1 an I
s2ea3 !o !he *o$% !hose !hin.s *hi4h I
ha'e hea$ o( hi"+
#ead the above verses again. +es, they asked him who he
was and his response was not that he is +,&,, in fact he
states that he is the same as who he has been claiming
*from the beginning.* The beginning of what- The
beginning of the conversation, of course.
John 8:
5, Then s2a3e Jesus a.ain un!o !he"#
sa&in.# I a" !he %i.h! o( !he *o$%: he
!ha! (o%%o*e!h "e sha%% no! *a%3 in
a$3ness# )u! sha%% ha'e !he %i.h! o( %i(e+
%o, .hrist was identifying himself as *the /ight of the world.*
.hristians actually %" that verse as a *proof* that he is
0od as well. They say, *see, he's the /ight and the /ight is
0od.* #eally now- Then &" must be 0od incarnate as
well, for .hrist said the &" are the /ight of the world too.
Ma!!he* 5:
56 Ye a$e !he %i.h! o( !he *o$%+ A 4i!&
!ha! is se! on an hi%% 4anno! )e hi+
&hen the 'ews asked 'esus *who are you* he did not reply
*I 1m that I 1m* as the lying trinitarians claim. ,e referred
them to what he had already said, that he is *the /ight* and
that the 2ather had *sent him.* .ommon sense dictates
that if he is *sent* of 0od, then he is not 0$) but is *sent.*
John 8:
56 Jesus ans*e$e an sai un!o !he"#
Thou.h I )ea$ $e4o$ o( "&se%(# &e! "&
$e4o$ is !$ue: (o$ I 3no* *hen4e I 4a"e#
an *hi!he$ I .o1 )u! &e 4anno! !e%%
*hen4e I 4o"e# an *hi!he$ I .o+
55 Ye 0u.e a(!e$ !he 7esh1 I 0u.e no
"an+
5/ An &e! i( I 0u.e# "& 0u."en! is
!$ue: (o$ I a" no! a%one# )u! I an !he
8a!he$ !ha! sen! "e+
1gain, .hristians use the above verses saying *see
he came from 0od, he was sent into the world from
0od, he !%T be 0od.* 1gain, then we also must be
0od incarnate, for .hrist said that in the %1!" &1+
he was sent into the world, he now sends % into the
world.
John ,9:
,5 Then sai Jesus !o !he" a.ain# :ea4e
)e un!o &ou: as "& 8a!he$ ha!h sen! "e#
e'en so sen I &ou+
3eing the */ight of the world,* and being *sent from 0od*
does not make one *0od Incarnate.* &hen the 'ews asked
'esus *who are you* he referred them back to his earlier
T"%TI!$N+ concerning himself, that he is *the /ight* and
was *sent forth 2#$! 0od* 4not 0od himself5. Then in the
following verse 4'ohn (6 785 he does not speak of himself 1%
0$) but says of 0od *he* that *sent* me, clearly showing
that 0od was %$!"$N" "/%" who had %"NT ,I!.
1ll we have to do is read the N"9T verses, after 'esus said
*I am the same person that I told you from the beginning...*
John 8:
,; The& une$s!oo no! !ha! he s2a3e !o
!he" o( !he 8a!he$+
,8 Then sai Jesus un!o !he"# When &e
ha'e %i(!e u2 !he Son o( "an# !hen sha%%
&e 3no* !ha! I a" he# an !ha! I o
no!hin. o( "&se%(1 )u! as "& 8a!he$ ha!h
!au.h! "e# I s2ea3 !hese !hin.s+
,< An he !ha! sen! "e is *i!h "e: !he
8a!he$ ha!h no! %e(! "e a%one1 (o$ I o
a%*a&s !hose !hin.s !ha! 2%ease hi"+
.hrist said *he that sent me* and verse 7: says they did not
understand that he was speaking of the 2ather as having
sent him. In verse 7: it does not say *they understood not
that he was identifying himself as the 2ather.* In verse 7( he
says that *I do nothing of myself, but only as my 2ather has
taught me, these things I speak.* If he is identifying himself
1% 0$), then he cannot say that *I do nothing of myself* for
he's clearly doing ";"#+T,IN0 of himself and his $&N
0$)/+ <$&"# 4as 0od in the flesh5. ,e would have been
lying there.
Then in verse 7= he says "he that sent me is with me."
,e does not say that he is 0od, he says that 0od is *with*
him. Then he says the 2ather has not left him alone. If he
is +,&, 0od then he I% alone, for the %hema teaches I
a!o"e am #our God$ a"d beside me there is "o other.
Ne% &i'i"( Tra"s!atio"
)eutero"om# *+ ,
"Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD
alone."
%o, if .hrist is there identifying himself as +,&, 0od, then
he cannot say that *I am not alone.* 2urthermore, .hrist
says that he always does *those things that please ,I!.*
1gain, he speaks of 0od as %$!"$N" "/%" and says that
he does what pleases ,I!> If he I% 0$), then that final
statement makes no sense at all, for of course he does what
pleases ,I!%"/2.
The second place that 'esus was asked *who do you think
you are* is 'ohn (6 ?@
A$! !hou .$ea!e$ !han ou$ (a!he$
A)$aha"# *hi4h is ea- an !he
2$o2he!s a$e ea: *ho" "a3es! !hou
!h&se%(-
The 'ews asked 'esus who he was *making* himself out to
be. Now, if he were 0od this would be the prime opportunity
for him to declare it, yet he does not... /$$A at his
response6
John 8:
56 Jesus ans*e$e# I( I honou$ "&se%(# "&
honou$ is no!hin.: i! is "& 8a!he$ !ha!
honou$e!h "e1 o( *ho" &e sa&# !ha! he is
&ou$ =o:
55 Ye! &e ha'e no! 3no*n hi"1 )u! I 3no*
hi": an i( I shou% sa&# I 3no* hi" no!# I
sha%% )e a %ia$ %i3e un!o &ou: )u! I 3no*
hi"# an 3ee2 his sa&in.+
.hrist's response to *who do you make yourself* was "I don't
mae m!self an!thin", it is m! #AT$%R who made me" ,e
does not say *I am your 0od, you fools* he says that "$% is
!our God" 4speaking of their 0od as someone else other
than himself5. ,e does "ot say *I 1! ,I!* he says *I
AN$& ,I!.* ,e says that *I keep ,I% saying.* If he I%
0$) and is literally the &$#) $2 0$) then he's keeping
his $&N %1+IN0% and he is flatly /+IN0 T$ T,"!. There
is N$ &1+ around this truth.
.learly, both times when .hrist was asked who he was or
who he was making himself to be he did not say *I 1!....*
%o trinitarians and $neness teachers /I" outright about this.
%o, when did he say *I 1!-*
.hrist said that *1braham desired to see my day and saw it*
and the <harisees T&I%T") what he said, misBuoting him
to say that he was 1/I;" in 1braham's day. ,e never said
that, he said that 1braham saw ,I% day, not that he *saw
1braham's day.* Indeed, the 1postle to the ,ebrews stated
that 1braham saw the !essiah's day *from afar off.*
He)$e*s 55:
8 B& (ai!h A)$aha"# *hen he *as 4a%%e
!o .o ou! in!o a 2%a4e *hi4h he shou%
a(!e$ $e4ei'e (o$ an inhe$i!an4e# o)e&e1
an he *en! ou!# no! 3no*in. *hi!he$ he
*en!+
< B& (ai!h he so0ou$ne in !he %an o(
2$o"ise# as in a s!$an.e 4oun!$&# *e%%in.
in !a)e$na4%es *i!h Isaa4 an Ja4o)# !he
hei$s *i!h hi" o( !he sa"e 2$o"ise:
59 8o$ he %oo3e (o$ a 4i!& *hi4h ha!h
(ouna!ions# *hose )ui%e$ an "a3e$ is
=o+
55 Th$ou.h (ai!h a%so Sa$a he$se%(
$e4ei'e s!$en.!h !o 4on4ei'e see# an
*as e%i'e$e o( a 4hi% *hen she *as
2as! a.e# )e4ause she 0u.e hi" (ai!h(u%
*ho ha 2$o"ise+
5, The$e(o$e s2$an. !he$e e'en o( one#
an hi" as .oo as ea# so "an& as !he
s!a$s o( !he s3& in "u%!i!ue# an as !he
san *hi4h is )& !he sea sho$e
innu"e$a)%e+
5> These a%% ie in (ai!h# no! ha'in.
$e4ei'e !he 2$o"ises# )u! ha'in. seen
!he" a(a$ o?# an *e$e 2e$suae o(
!he"# an e")$a4e !he"# an 4on(esse
!ha! !he& *e$e s!$an.e$s an 2i%.$i"s on
!he ea$!h+
56 8o$ !he& !ha! sa& su4h !hin.s e4%a$e
2%ain%& !ha! !he& see3 a 4oun!$&+
1s you see, in verse C@ it says that 1braham saw .hrist's
day *from afar off.* +et, to this day the trinitarians and those
who preach the pre-existence of .hrist and the oneness
teachers take the '"&'% stand on this issue and T&I%T
.hrist's words. Instead of .hrist saying *1braham saw my
day and was glad* they have .hrist saying *I saw 1braham's
day.*
The 'ews heard him say that 1braham saw his day and
sarcastically responded6
John 8:
5; Then sai !he Je*s un!o hi"# Thou a$!
no! &e! @(!& &ea$s o%# an has! !hou seen
A)$aha"-
That's when Jesus said his famous words:
58 Jesus sai un!o !he"# Ve$i%&# 'e$i%&# I
sa& un!o &ou# Be(o$e A)$aha" *as# I a"+
%o, when they say that 'esus was responding to the
Buestion *who are you* when he said *3efore 1braham
was...* they are flat out /+IN0. The Buestion to which he
responded was *+ou are not even fifty years old and have
you seen 1braham-* To which .hrist responded, *before
1braham was I am.* ,e did not say *3efore 1braham was, I
&1%.* 4They twist that as well5. .hrist was saying that
1braham saw ,I% )1+ prophetically. ,e was saying
*1braham saw me ahead of time and now here I am.* That
is ./"1#/+ what he is saying here, and when they try to
make this a declaration that he is *T," 0#"1T I 1!* they
are being )"/I3"#1T"/+ deceptive. 1ll you have to do is
read the entire T"9T to see it.
Sha%o"#
Wa!4h"an Dean