By zealously insisting that Jesus’ use of the phrase recorded in John’s gospel “I am ...”, insisting it is tied to Trinitarian ideas that He declared Himself Yahweh people are in danger of missing what Jesus actually said and meant. Don’t mess with this. John’s gospel, such as chapter 8, provides a document of the terms of covenant which is the basis for your eventual salvation (if you ever listen well enough to receive it instead of merely looking for Trinitarian support verses). See the end of John’s gospel where he writes about the reason for the gospel, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ. By “I am He” Jesus meant “I am the Christ”, “I am the Son of Man”, “I am the Son”. There are many such “I am ...” sayings of Jesus recorded in this gospel and they all amount to the same thing, building up a description of what it means that He is the Christ. It is essential to not only assent to calling Him the Christ but to believe what it is that He is. Remember He said that unless you believe He is this one, you will die in your sins.
