Bible Question:

Jesus told Peter before Abraham was I AM. How could this be when Jesus was born in the New Testament?

Bible Answer:

The passage that you refer to occurs in the following passage:

Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple. (NASB) John 8:56-59

Jesus’ response to the Jewish leaders stunned them. They understood what He was saying and they rejected His statement. They understood that He was claiming to have existed before Abraham. They did not believe Him. And your question is, “How can this be true?” Jesus gave us a clue to the answer when He had earlier said,

. . . I am from above . . . I am not of this world. (NASB) John 8:23

His message was simple. He came from a place called heaven. He was God who lived among us in human flesh. Earlier in John 1:15 John the Baptist told the crowds that Jesus existed before John was born. Yet, if we read Luke 1:1-80 we discover that John the Baptist was actually born before Jesus. Both facts are true. Jesus existed before John the Baptist, since Jesus was God. When He entered this world in human form He was physically younger than John. The Holy Scriptures repeatedly confirm to us that Jesus existed as God before He entered this world in human form. That is why Jesus made the following statements,

I am the bread of life. (NASB) John 6:48

While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world. (NASB) John 9:5

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.” (NASB) John 11:25s

Conclusion:

So Jesus did exist before Abraham. He is the I AM. He has always existed, He exists now, and He will always exist. There is no one else like Him. We would encourage you to read the study “Jesus Our Savior.” It will provide some very important insights about Jesus Christ.

Suggested Links:

Searching For God
God's Great Passion
Jesus Our Savior