The question about whether or not Jesus is God has been debated for countless years in Bible circles. The short answer is that (almost) all statements in the Old or New Testament attributed to Deity are from him!
Jesus is a member of the Godhead Who came in human form to this earth. After dying for our sins and resurrected, he took his rightful place at the right hand of God the Father. Jesus now possesses the same kind of existence he had before the creation of the world.
Who (Jesus), being the brightness of His glory and the exact image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His own power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Hebrews 1:3).
The Name
Moses, in the book of Exodus, asked God what His name was so that he (Moses) could tell the children of Israel who sent him to free them. The response he received (from the Being who became Jesus) was the following.
And Moses said to God, "Behold, when I come to the children of Israel, and shall say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they shall say to me, 'What is His name?' What shall I say to them?"
And God said to Moses, "I AM THAT I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.' " (Exodus 3:13 - 14, HBFV).
The King James Bible also renders the phrase in Exodus 3:14 as "I AM THAT I AM" while Young's Literal Translation has "I AM THAT WHICH I AM."
The Hebrew word translated as "I AM" is hayah (Strong's Concordance Number #H1961) which means "to exist" or "to have being." It can also mean, "I will be what I will be." Used in the context of Exodus 3:14 it also signifies an eternal, timeless existence. As it is used in Genesis 1 it signifies "to come into existence" when spoken by God. For example, when he said, "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3), light appeared in the universe.
Admitting to Deity
Jesus used the same name given to Moses (I AM) to refer to his own eternal existence. The severe action the Jews wanted to take after they heard what Jesus had to say leaves little doubt they knew he was referring to the God who spoke to Moses.
"I (Jesus) am telling you the truth . . . Before Abraham was born, I AM!" Then they picked up stones to throw at him (in order to stone him for what they perceived was blasphemy) . . ." (John 8:58 - 59).
The phrase "I AM" in John 8:58 comes from the Greeks word ego (Strong's #G1473), first person in Greek, and eimi (Strong's #G1510), which is a very emphatic statement of existence. In the context of this verse, it is virtually identical to the Hebrew hayah. Since Jesus was speaking either Hebrew or Aramaic, hayah was the word actually spoken by him rather than the Greek in which the New Testament was written.
The Clearest Reference
There is one other instance where Jesus uses the term "I AM" as a clear reference to Himself as the God of the Old Testament. It is a rather enigmatic reference but it does explain an otherwise puzzling phenomenon described by one of the gospels. He uses this term when, while waiting in the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas arrives with a bunch of people in order to have him arrested.
"Whom are you seeking?" They answered Him, "Jesus the Nazarean." Jesus said to them, "I AM." And Judas, who was betraying Him, was also standing with them. But when He said to them, "I AM," they went backward and fell to the ground. (John 18:4 - 6, HBFV)
The Holy Bible, Faithful Version translation above is one of the most accurate in regard to Jesus' words. What is confusing is that a translation like the King James adds the extra word "he," in italics, to what the Lord is stating.
Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them.
As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground (John 18:4 - 6, KJV).
The word "he" is in italics (or brackets), which indicates that the word was added by the King James translators. Its addition, even though it was not in the Greek text from which the English text comes, is an errorneous attempt to clarify the meaning of what Jesus stated.
The declaration of "I AM" explains why the soldiers fell backwards. They fell because the same Creator who spoke to Moses spoke the words to them! So, is Jesus God? Yes He is!