Behold and Believe: A Bible Study on the "I Am" Statements of Jesus

by Courtney Doctor, Joanna Kimbrel

7-Week Women’s Bible Study from the Gospel Coalition Explores Jesus’s “I Am” Statements in the Gospel of John

Seeing is believing. If we want to know who Jesus is and why he is important to our lives, we need to take a closer look at what he said about himself. Jesus describes himself as the bread of life, the light of the world, the good shepherd, and more. His bold words invite us to behold him—and then to trust him.

Whether you’ve never read the Bible, have followed Jesus for years, or find yourself somewhere in between, this 7-week Bible study from Courtney Doctor and Joanna Kimbrel explores the question, Who is Jesus? Using the “I Am” statements in the Gospel of John, readers will learn how to observe, interpret, apply, and reflect on key Bible verses about Jesus’s identity. Weekly prayers, memory verses, brief commentaries, and discussion questions help women to see Jesus, trust him alone for salvation, and proclaim his goodness to others.

Inductive Bible  This 7-week study teaches individuals and groups how to observe, interpret, and apply key Bible passages about Jesus’s identity Explores Jesus’s “I Am”  “I am the bread of life”; “I am the light of the world”; “I am the door to the sheep”; “I am the good shepherd”; “I am the resurrection and the life”; “I am the way, the truth, and the life”; and “I am the true vine” From the Gospel  Studies correspond with sessions from TGC Women’s 2024 Conference (video access will be available after the event) A Great Resource for Women Ages 16 and Older

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian Living

193 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 17, 2023

About the author

Courtney received her Master of Divinity degree from Covenant Theological Seminary in 2013 and currently serves as the Director of Women's Ministry and Assimilation at Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, Missouri. She and her husband with four wonderful children and two amazing daughters-in-law. You can find out more about Courtney at www.courtneydoctor.org

Reviews

[Margo Rae Skywalker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love revisiting truths that I know, and really leaning into them and learning them deeper. “Women’s study” books get so exhausting and repetitive and leave you feeling like an inadequate wife/mother/woman with a “to do list” of things to improve about yourself and practice weird parenting techniques and passive aggressive marital behaviors. Enough of that noise. This book helped me rediscover that I am a daughter of the King who knows God loves me, but needs to be still and silent enough to LET Him love me. What a powerful message. It begs the question, “What does it look like to let God love me?” In that moment of silence and solitude before God, I can only offer myself. Not the lacking wife/mother/homeschooling woman that gets so much of society’s and Christian marketing attention. Just me. There is so much comfort and stability in the I am statements.

[Madison Beckham · Rating 5 out of 5]

We did a summer Bible study at Christ Pres on the “I am” statements of Jesus! I loved learning more about Jesus’s character and life on this earth according to Him. This study is awesome because it involves daily work that helps you prep for discussion- you read the Bible passage daily, answer questions to interpret it, see what other passages in the Bible contain similar themes, and see how the passage applies to your life right now. I was reminded about how thoughtful He is and how we don’t have to bring anything to the table. He is the only one who will ever satisfy and sustain!

[Jennifer Pierpont · Rating 5 out of 5]

We did this for our winter small group session. The lesson homework helped us think deeply about each of these statements of Jesus, and the discussion questions were thoughtful and encouraged great conversation about the Scriptures. We had new and seasoned believers in our group, and we were all encouraged by the study.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This study is so good. I love the way it is organized for observation, interpretation (using immediate context as well as the whole story of Scripture), and application. This study uses Jesus statements about himself to grow faith and give life, just as the apostle John intended when he wrote them down.

[Leanne Vanderlinde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worked through this Bible study with a friend and it was SO good. Reflecting on the 7 “I AM” statements of Jesus and taking a deep dive into Jesus’ character and his love for us!

I found the breakdown super practical and helpful. Each week was broken down into 5 parts. Observation of the text, interpretation (what does the text mean?), interpretation (what does the whole Bible say?), application, and reflection! Plus there are discussion questions at the end of each week making it super easy to do with a group or a friend! Highly recommend!

[Heather Racey · Rating 3 out of 5]

180 pages

In high school, I read the “Spiritual Disciplines” book by Donald S. Whitney and “How to Study the Bible” by Kay Arthur. This study attempts to collaborate the spiritual disciplines of practical prayer, Scripture memory, and application with intense study of the Bible. As a kid, I think this study would have knocked it out of the park. It not only checks all of the boxes, but it has solid theology.

Where I feel this study misses the mark is attainability. I fell far, far behind on the study because of my surgery; but if it wasn’t a surgery that would make this study difficult, it would be school, work, children, grocery shopping… even the actual meetings where you congregate to converse on the material that could easily slow down your progress through the scads of homework. Don’t get me wrong. It was solid, and when I found the time to catch up, it was profitable. But I had to skim and fully skip quite a bit of material to keep up with our study group (which was giving ladies twice as much time to complete the homework than the authors paced). I didn’t even attempt the Scripture memory recommended for each week *gasp*

An annoying format anecdote: they took the time to include the full passages of Scripture so, when reading, you could easily highlight and take notes, but they didn’t put in verse numbers. Later, in the questions, they would ask about specific verses, but you had no way of knowing which verse they were talking about for lack of the numbers. You would have to get out your Bible and look it up… somewhat rendering the inclusion of the passages less affective.

[Brittany Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved both the subject and the structure of this study! The "I Am" statements of Jesus are so rich in theological truth and spiritual application, that they really do warrant spending a week on each one.

Each week is broken into five days to keep you in the word daily. The first day is for observation to read the passage and parsing out what the text says. The second day will interpret the passage and focus in on details and deciphering what the text means. The third day continues interpretation by letting Scripture interpret Scripture and reading relevant and related passage from other books of the Bible. The fourth days takes what you have read and challenges you to apply those truths to your own life. The fifth day is a devotional and time of reflecting on the passage.

What is really cool about this study, also, is that each week ends with a set of discussion questions so that the study can be used as part of a small group. Memory verses each week help to keep the truths of who Jesus is close to your heart and allow you to meditate on the word even when you are not actively sitting down and working on the study.

I have already recommended this to the high school girls that I lead at church, and I would highly recommend it for other Christians at any place in your walk. We should always be preaching the gospel to ourselves, and this study does I great job of meeting the reader wherever they are.

[Michele Morin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m about to begin studying seven of Jesus’s most vivid and metaphorical incidents of self-disclosure with the women of my church. As a guide, I’ll be using Behold and Believe, a Bible study on the “I Am” Statements written by Courtney Doctor and Joanna Kimbrel.

As an eyewitness to Jesus’s life and ministry, the Apostle John would have heard all seven declarative statements, each one a literary device in which Jesus broadens our understanding of his role and his identity by using something concrete to open up his listeners’ imaginations.

Doctor and Kimbrel guide readers through comprehension, interpretation, and application with daily questions, memory work, and helpful grounding in whole-Bible context. The goal of each lesson is for the learner to walk away with new reasons to love Jesus while also committing to life changes in response to the truth.

Many thanks to Crossway for providing a copy of this book to facilitate my review, which is, of course, offered freely and with honesty.

[Ellie (elliehojreads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awesome resource for a group study! It's a 7-week study on the "I Am" statements of Jesus. Each week has a structure of Day 1-Observation of the passage, Day 2- Interpretation of the specific passage, Day 3-Interpretation of the passage with the whole bible in view, Day 4-Application, Day 5- Reflection. Each day takes about 20 minutes so I would say it is time-consuming for those who don't have that extra time throughout the day.

This is a great guide for someone who wants to dig deeper into scripture. The questions help prompt thought and reflective analysis of the text and how it applies to your life. I recommend this book!

Thank you Crossway for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

#gifted from Crossway to review honestly

This is a beautiful study on some of the most important stories in the New testament. It's well organized in weeks then days, with Scripture reading, memory verses, devotions to read on the passage, and questions to work through.

I read all the Bible passages with my kids as a part of our morning time, and reframed some of the questions to discuss with them at their age level. It was really nice!

This is the kind of study that could be reread every few years, though working through the questions certainly that has cemented so much into my long-term memory! But the Bible passages are just so good, and it was a treasure to to get an overview of them together.

[Ruth Castle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed taking this at a slower pace throughout the summer and digging into Jesus’s “I am” statements through the Gospel of John. This study will help you know Jesus in a deeper way and give you many treasures for reflection, propelling you to continue your pursuit of a daily relationship with our Savior.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing 7-week study on the I am statements of Jesus! being so in depth in the Word for 7 weeks has grown my relationship with Jesus so much! I would recommend this book to anyone who was interested in Christianity, all the way to a well-seasoned believer who's been walking with the Lord for 50 years.

[Lexi]

Enjoyed this! Lot of homework to keep up with, but I really need the accountability! I especially liked the day where you go back through/ cross reference other scripture. The videos from the conference were extremely helpful! I don’t know that I would have been able to understand/take away everything I did without them.

[Amaia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a thorough topical study of the "I AM" statements in John. The questions are easy to go through and the commentary the writers give is helpful but not overwhelming. I had never studied just the "I AM" statements, so it was very enlightening. My favorite parts were looking at how Christ embodied all the OT passages. I would definitely recommend.

[Aliesha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this through quickly (not doing the study) to preview it for future ministry, etc. Really solid Bible study on the "I Am" statements of Jesus! Includes additional discussion questions for a group setting.

[Brianna Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful Bible study to walk through with a friend! I think they held a great balance between catering to new believers and having thoughtful interesting questions that would push anyone to think deeper. Super helpful discussion questions at the end of each week for meeting with others.

[Dr Ariel Rainey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This devotional study (billed "for women") takes the I AM statements and creates a weeklong study, each day exploring the key statements from multiple angles. Connection to other scripture, emotional resonance, and deep thought mark the passages each day, and I found it thorough. Well done.

[Trisha Hatfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot rate this book high enough. It's life changing and transformative.

[DeeAnna Schafer · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my top five favorite studies I’ve ever done! It truly helped me to understand Jesus’s “I am” statements better and love Him more in return.

[Beth O · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had great potential, but quickly became very repetitive and simplistic in the questions.

[odette delapaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cohesiveness

I liked the organizational
lay out but it was confusing when I was actually reading the study. Context was not provided to address the redemptive story.

[Diana Buttram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Bible study on the statements that Jesus said about himself.

[Satara Johnson-Nadarajan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent in-depth Bible study of the “I am” statements in John. I learned a lot of interesting connections!

[Lisa girlsinbooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Who was the indented audience?
New Christians? Because it became very repetitive. The homework was very time consuming with little new knowledge to show for it. I got more out of the Bible study meet up and podcast from The Gospel Coalition.

My take always:

Though good works do not bring salvation, we should desire to disciple and be fruitful.

I get so frustrated when I read about the Pharisees and Jews disobeying God. Also, when the disciples doubted Jesus even when they witnessed his miracles. But I disobey and doubt in my own ways.

It’s had for me to put these thoughts into words but basically to humble myself because God gifts is everything we have including our salvation and ability to do his good works. (John 6:68)


Living an eternal life starts as soon as one is saved.

I need to model Christ’s love, patience, forgiveness, and kindness to my children.

Obedience brings blessings.

Listen. Know. Obey.

Have a heart of sacrifice.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this Bible study through the I Am statements of Jesus. I liked the approach to examine the text, then Scripture, application, and reflection questions. I would have liked a bit more commentary (and often asked "so what does this mean?") but I thought the discussion questions were probing and thoughtful.

4/5