Compare what the apostles such as John and Peter believed about John the Baptist with what they believed about themselves and what they believed about Jesus Christ. John the Baptist was foreknown and foretold by prophets. Yet he did not say of himself “I am” nor did he imply he had existence before conception. The prophetic foretelling of his coming did not constitute preexistence of John the Baptist. Peter wrote of foreknowledge about believers in 1 Peter 1:2 yet it is not written that this foreknowledge had any behaviour or took action. Then look at how John the Baptist and the apostles spoke about and wrote about Jesus Christ. They do attribute much more than just foreknowledge to this Spirit of Christ of which Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:10-11. John reports how Jesus said “I am” in referring to His existence in ancient times and also into the eternal future. John the Baptist said that Jesus has surpassed him because Jesus was (existed) before him. Peter wrote of the Spirit of Christ existing in ancient times, inspiring the prophets. The apostles clearly believed in Jesus’ existence since very ancient times as a spirit and His ongoing existence forever as resurrected human but immortal spirit. So for them it is clear what Jesus meant by “I am”. And they firmly believed it. Jesus said if we don’t believe it, we will die in our sins (John 8 ). Christ Jesus’ spirit is aeons old and will exist forever. That is the “I am” truth about Him.
