"THE WORD" - "HO LOGOS"   Technically speaking Jesus was not "Jesus" in the beginning - He was called "The Word" (Greek, "ho logos") (John 1:1). His identification as Jesus (savior - Mt. 1:21) and Christ (messiah - Mt. 16:16-17) did not happen until He became flesh (John 1:14). However, it is proper in language communication to use a person's identity at one point in time to cover his total existence. We may speak legitimately of President Abraham Lincoln as a boy without intending to convey that he was the President when he was a boy. "In the beginning" (v. 1) is not intended to imply that "The Word" had a beginning but rather is an affirmation of existence in conjunction with the creation process. In v. 2, John rephrases the preexistence of "The Word" - He was "in the beginning with God." Then, John makes the connection to the Genesis account of "in the beginning" creation by saying that "all things were made by him; and without him was not anything made," (v. 3). Paul establishes Christ's preeminence based on His being the creator of all things and the one by whom all things are presently held together (Col. 1:15-18). "The Word" is, in language usage, a "substantive." In this instance, it stands for the being identified as "with God" and also "God." If there is any degree of obscurity found in John 1:1-3, it is removed in v. 14, where the word that became flesh is referred to as "the only begotten of the Father." He was the one of whom John the Baptist had spoken (v. 15). He was the one through whom grace and truth came and is named specifically as "Jesus" (v. 17). And, finally, John tells us that He is the same one who is the "only begotten Son," (v. 18). John establishes The Word's personal relationship with The Father by using the preposition "with" (Greek, "pros") -- appropriately translated as "face to face with God," (v. 1). John also calls Him "this one" (Greek, "autos") - He was not an abstract idea. He is said to be "with God," because He is a part of the Godhead. Then, He is said to be "God," because that expresses His God nature. The "substantive," in John 1:1, is used to convey some characteristic or function of the "second being" of the Godhead. Jesus Himself used substantives -- "I am the way, the truth and the life," (John 14:6), and each substantive conveys something about His character and function. However, it was not Jesus but John who, many years later, employed the noun phrase "ho logos" to convey the preexistent, God-nature of Jesus. "Ho logos" was not borrowed by John from some Alexandrian concept or Philo's teaching, but, based on the first century usage of the word, it was Heaven's designation. Therefore, to understand what is meant by this substantive one must first understand the meaning of the Greek word "logos." Simply put, "logos" and its verb form "lego" are distinguished from other words in that there is "concept" behind the utterance itself and the speaking embodies the concept -- the words are designed to reveal the thinking of the speaker. Thayer says of "logos," "1. A word, yet not in the grammatical sense (i.q. vocabulum, the mere name of an object), but language, vox, i.e. a word which, uttered by the living voice, embodies a conception or idea; (hence it differs from hrama and epos…)" (p. 380). Then he defines "laleo," …to emit a voice, make one's self heard; hence to utter or form words with the mouth, to speak, having reference to the sound and pronunciation of the words and in general the form of what is uttered, while lego refers to the meaning and substance of what is spoken; hence lalein is employed not only of men, esp. when chatting and prattling, but also of animals…" (p. 368), (compare Trench, pp. 286-289). In fact, "lego" can convey merely the formation of language thought without the utterance - "…and begin not to say within yourselves…" (Lk. 3:8). Our English word "logical" is derived from "logos" and conveys the sense of that which is orderly reasoning of the mind. "Ho logos" was appropriately applicable to the "second being" of the Godhead, because it embodied the designing, purposing and speaking of the Divine mind. In both creation and redemption there was perfect conceptual planning then accomplishment. In neither was there accident or chaos. When "The Word" became flesh He was the very "shining forth" of God and the "representation of His reality" (Heb. 1:1-3) - to see Jesus was to see God (John 14:8-10); to hear Jesus was to hear God. Students of the words revealed by "The Word" could never believe that He was an abstract concept in God's mind. And to demote "ho logos" to being merely "a god" or lower Him to being nothing more than the impersonal "word of God" is blasphemous. - Jim R. Everett

	Created on May 27, 2002		Page last updated