I AM WHO I AM

Where did God come from? Who created Him? What’s His origin? Who is the mastermind behind Him? Have you ever asked that question or has someone asked you? It’s a question most people ask at one time or another. 

Here’s the answer. In Exodus 6:3, God told Moses, “I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob by the name of God Almighty, but by my name, Lord, (Jehovah) I did not make Myself known to them.” 

The answer to the question about where God came from is to understand that God is self-existent. God told Moses that His name is Jehovah, which in the Hebrew language means self-existent One or “the existing One.” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” 

What does that mean? Scholar Charles Ryrie explains, “It is a name of the relationship between the true God and His people and when used, emphasizes God’s holiness, hatred of sin, and love of sinners.” ¹  

In other words, God didn’t “come from.” He is. God is a self-existing God who is holy, hates sin, and loves us. We won’t fully comprehend God until we get to heaven and probably won’t even then. In the meantime, we can lift our hands and praise Him. 

Lord God, JEHOVAH, I praise You and thank You that You love me and have provided salvation for me. 

The Apostle John confirms God’s self-existing nature in John 1:1-2 by writing, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” To learn more, watch Debbie’s teaching on John 1 HERE or listen to it HERE. 

¹ Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update (Chicago: Moody Press, 2008), 2057.

Can you imagine what it was like before the universe was created? It’s difficult for our finite human minds to even fathom. The Bible makes it clear that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit existed before the universe was formed (John 1:1; Genesis 1:2). 

God has always been. He is self-existent and eternal. There has never been a time when He didn’t exist. God references this amazing quality about Himself when He appeared to Moses in  blazing fire from the midst of a bush. God said to Moses in Exodus 3:14, “I AM WHO I AM;…“Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” The names “I AM WHO I AM” and “I AM” come from the word “Yahweh” or “YHWH” in Hebrew. “Yahweh” is used to describe God’s self-existing, self-sustaining, and eternal nature.

Not only is God the sustainer of His own life, but He is the creator and sustainer of all life. Nothing exists apart from Him. Colossians 1:16 tells us, “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.” Acts 17:28 also tells us that it is in Him that we live, move, and exist.

Not only did Yahweh give us physical life, but He also made a way for us to experience eternal life with Him through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. If you don’t already know and have a relationship with the self-existing creator and sustainer of all life, you can come to know Him today. 

YAHWEH, self-existing creator and sustainer of all life, we are in awe of You. We thank You that You not only gave us physical life, but You also made a way for us to have eternal life. We love You. 

Would you like to experience God’s sufficient grace and peace in your life? Check out Debbie’s Bible study, Experiencing Grace and Peace in Cultural Chaos by clicking HERE. You can also access the free accompanying videos and podcasts by clicking HERE.