Jesus Said You’d Die In Your Sins If You Don’t Believe He Is God

This article is complementary to Jesus Calls Himself God!

Formal Equivalence (Word-For-Word)

  • Received Text (Textus Receptus)

    I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. — John 8:24 KJV (48.83% / 66.58%)

    Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” — John 8:24 NKJV (60.32% / 65.21%)

  • Majority Text

    I said therefore to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.” — John 8:24 WEB (World English Bible)

  • Critical Text

    Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” — John 8:24 LSB (NASB ‘95 61.65% / 67.99%)

    I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” — John 8:24 ESV (62.36% / 68.74%)

Dynamic Equivalence (Thought-For-Thought)

  • Critical Text

    That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am who I claim to be,[a] you will die in your sins.” — John 8:24 NLT (70.08% / 39.90%)

    a. 8:24 Greek unless you believe that I am. See Exod 3:14.

    I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.” — John 8:24 NIV (67.20% / 53.10%)

    Thus I told you[a] that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am he,[b] you will die in your sins.” — John 8:24 NET (66.28% / 53.94%)

  • NET Bible Translator Notes

    b. John 8:24 NET tn Grk “unless you believe that I am.” In this context there is an implied predicate nominative (“he”) following the “I am” phrase. What Jesus’ hearers had to acknowledge is that he was who he claimed to be, i.e., the Messiah (cf. 20:31). This view is also reflected in English translations like NIV (“if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be”), NLT (“unless you believe that I am who I say I am”), and CEV (“if you don’t have faith in me for who I am”). For a different view that takes this “I am” and the one in 8:28 as nonpredicated (i.e., absolute), see R. E. Brown, John (AB), 1:533-38. Such a view sees the nonpredicated “I am” as a reference to the divine Name revealed in Exod 3:14, and is reflected in English translations like NAB (“if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins”) and TEV (“you will die in your sins if you do not believe that ‘I Am Who I Am’”).sn See the note on Christ in 1:20.

Messianic Bible translations

  • Critical Text

    Therefore I told you that you will die in your sins. If you don’t believe that I am, you will die in your sins.” — John 8:24 TLV (Tree of Life Version, Formal Equivalent)

    This is why I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not trust that I AM [who I say I am], you will die in your sins.” — John 8:24 CJB (Complete Jewish Bible, Dynamic Equivalent)

Highly Idiomatic Translation / Paraphrase

  • Critical Text

    Jesus said, “You’re tied down to the mundane; I’m in touch with what is beyond your horizons. You live in terms of what you see and touch. I’m living on other terms. I told you that you were missing God in all this. You’re at a dead end. If you won’t believe I am who I say I am, you’re at the dead end of sins. You’re missing God in your lives.” — John 8:24 MSG (The Message)

Conclusion

You will notice that in the sentence “… For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”” the He is italicized, meaning that it does not appear in the Greek scriptures, only in some english translations. The Messianic Bible translations reflect I AM!

So I told you that you would die in your sins. Yes, you will die in your sins if you don’t believe that ·I am he [LI am; Cthis may be an allusion to God’s (Yahweh’s) self identification either from Ex. 3:14 (the great “I AM”) or Is. 40—55, where God repeatedly says, “I am he”)].” — John 8:24 EXP (Expanded Bible)

Either way it makes no difference when you consider Isaiah chapters 40—55, as suggested by the Expanded Bible, where God repeatedly says, “I am he”. See Is 41:4;43:10;43:13;48:12.

Who has worked and done it, Calling forth the generations from the beginning? ‘I, Yahweh, am the first; and with the last, I am He.’” — Is 41:4 LSB (NASB ‘95 61.65% / 67.99%)

“You are My witnesses,” declares Yahweh, “And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no god formed, And there will be none after Me. — Is 43:10 LSB (NASB ‘95 61.65% / 67.99%)

Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?” — Is 43:13 LSB (NASB ‘95 61.65% / 67.99%)

“Hear Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am He, I am the first, I am also the last. — Is 48:12 LSB (NASB ‘95 61.65% / 67.99%)

So whether you decided to go with I AM or I am he, you are left with the inescapable conclusion that Jesus is (Yahweh) God, and if you don’t believe it…

Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” — John 8:24 LSB (NASB ‘95 61.65% / 67.99%)

This article is complementary to Jesus Calls Himself God!