“In the beginning was the Word [logos], and the Word [logos] was with God, and the Word [logos] was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being” (John 1:1-3).
A word is a vehicle to transport a meaning, concept, or idea from the mind of the speaker or writer to the mind of the listener or reader. If that word is unknown to the listener or reader, then nothing is transported except sound. Unless a biblical writer gave a meaning or a translation of a word, he assumed that the reader understood that word.
Many of the words in the Bible were used in society but did not have spiritual meanings. The Greek word for “church” or “assembly” is ekklesia and was used in that society for an assembly such as a city council meeting. Jesus gave it a spiritual meaning (Matthew 16:18; 18:15-17).
When John used the word logos, he did not define it. Therefore, he assumed the reader knew what that word meant. Logos had been in use since Heraclitus (535 B.C. – 480 B.C.) used it as the universal principle of order and reason that governs the world.
The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia Vol. III (logos 1911) says, “The word has a long history and the evolution of the idea it embodies is really the unfolding of man’s conception of God….it has been employed with a certain degree of uniformity by a series of thinkers to express and define the nature and mode of God’s revelation.”
Merrrill C. Tenney explained, “The term was used technically in the Greek philosophy of this period, particularly by the Stoics, to denote the controlling Reason of the universe, the all pervasive Mind which ruled and gave meaning to all things. LOGOS was one of the purest and most general concepts of that ultimate Intelligence, Reason, or Will that is called God” (John: The Gospel of Belief An Analytic Study of the Text 62).
Herschel H. Hobbs said, “The Stoic philosophers used it for the soul of the world and Marcus Aurelius employed it for the generative principle in nature” (John: A Study Guide 12).
A Summary of the Secular Meanings
It is easy to see why John, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, applied the word logos to Christ because of what philosophers for the prior 600 years had said about that word. Here is a summary of the key words and ideas others expressed about logos: (1) Man’s concept of God, (2) the relationship between deity and the world, (3) God’s revelation, (4) the principle of order, (5) Reason that governs the world, (6) controlling the universe, (7) the mind which ruled and gave meaning to all things, (8)the purest and most general concept of the ultimate intelligence, (9) the will of God, (10) the generative principle, (11) the soul of the world, (12) the most basic meaning is “Word” or “Reason,” (see below how Jesus is the expression of all these concepts).
The New Testament Usage of Logos
The Greek word logos is used in the New Testament 330 times. John used it thirty-six times as a spoken word. He also used it five times to refer to the person, Jesus Christ. He used it in John 1:1 three times and once in John 1:14. He also uses it in Revelation 19:13 when he described Christ’s victorious battle in these words, “He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.” The only other time that this phrase may be used as a person is Hebrews 4:12 which says, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”The next verse is what causes some people to think the writer uses the phrase as a person rather than just a spoken word. It says, “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do”(v. 13). It is easy to see that in verse 13 a person is spoken of. The question is, “Is this person the same as ‘the Word of God’ in verse 12?”
Looking at the Text Closely
“In the beginning was the Word [logos], and the Word [logos] was with God, and the Word [logos] was God. He was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1-2). The way this is written one sees “the Word” as a person because it says “the word”was with God. Thus, one being of the godhead was with another person of the godhead. Thus, in this context one sees that there are two beings in the Godhead and that each is called “God.”
The Greek language makes this point even clearer by the use of an article “the.” “The” is used before the word logos and also in front of Theos (God). If there was only one “the” before logos and Theos it would means that Theos and logos were the same being. But, since each noun has “the” in front of it, it means there are two beings who have the same nature.
Jesus the Expression of Logos
Logos was used to convey man’s conception of God. Jesus said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father”(John 10:9).
Logos was used to show the relationship of deity to the world. Jesus came to do the work of the Father and the night He was arrested He said, “having accomplished the work You have given Me to do”(John 17:4).
Logos was used as the revelation of God’s message. Jesus said, “I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak”(John 12:49).
Logos was used as the controller of the universe. Paul said of Jesus, “For by Him [Christ] all things were created…all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17).
Logos was the mind that ruled the world and gave meaning to it. Jesus is the mind of God and is ruling the world and gives meaning to life (Matthew 16:24-28; John 10:10).
Logos was the will of God. Jesus came to do the Father’s will (John 17:4). He prayed, “Yet not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39).
Logos was the ultimate intelligence. It is said of Jesus, “He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man”(John 2:25).
Logos was thought to be the generative principle. Jesus taught how one is to be regenerated—born again (John 3:1-8).
Interestingly, John used the word logos and then in his gospel he showed that Jesus exemplified all of what logos meant except the concept that logos controls the universe.
Conclusion
John, guided by the Holy Spirit, could not have selected any other word that described Jesus better than the word logos. It is interesting that John’s writings are the simplest Greek in the New Testament, but that he used the word to describe Christ that has the deepest meanings. All the blessings that logos brought to the world in the first century are available to bless our lives today.
wayne@rockymountainchristian.com
