Meeting Jesus: The ‘I am’ Sayings of Christ

In this short book, R. C. Sproul looks at seven sayings of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of John which reveal his true identity and teach us the truth about him. By considering these ‘I am’ sayings we meet Jesus and learn just how relevant he truly is. There saving I am-sayings (some of them repeated) followed by a noun. Each saying reveals something of the work of Christ as Saviour.

The book of Sproul concludes with the absolute I am-saying in John 8:58: ‘Before Abraham was, I am.’ This saying makes definitely clear that in all the I am-sayings we hear that Jesus and his Father are one. Not less than the Father Jesus is the I am who revealed himself to Moses.

Writing about Jesus as the door Sproul states that the flock of God has one shepherd and the only way into the sheepfold is through the one who is the door. That is offensive to the inclusive, pluralistic culture in which we live. Jesus is the only way to the Father. He alone can satisfy our soul as the bread of life.

Jesus us the resurrection and the life. Sproul writes that we need to remember that God never promises his people that they will not enter the valley of the shadow of death. The absolute promise God gives to his people is that he will never send us through it alone.

Sproul is both profound and easy to read. So both with regard to content as the way in which it is expressed I can recommend this book. This book is both suited for personal reflection and for preachers preparing a series in John.

R.C. Sproul, Meeting Jesus: The ‘I am’ Sayings of Christ (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth, 2019) paperback 88 pp., £4,50 (ISBN 9781848719286)