By The Water
Logos (Greek λόγος, Strong's G3056) means word, message, account, or reason, and appears about 330 times in the New Testament. In John 1:1 it becomes a title: 'In the beginning was the Word [Logos], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God' — naming Jesus as God's full self-expression, the One through whom God spoke creation and now speaks salvation (Hebrews 1:1–2).
| Original word | λόγος |
|---|---|
| Transliteration | logos (LOG-oss) |
| Strong's number | G3056 |
| Part of speech | Noun, masculine |
| Short definition | word, speech, message, account, reason |
| Occurrences | About 330 times in the New Testament |
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.”John 1:1, 14 (KJV)
A word both Greece and Jerusalem understood
John chose a term with two deep histories. To Greek ears, logos had meant (since Heraclitus, and loudly among the Stoics) the rational principle ordering the cosmos — the reason behind reality. To Hebrew ears, “the word of the LORD” (davar YHWH) was God's active power: “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made” (Psalm 33:6); his word “shall not return unto me void” (Isaiah 55:11). John 1:1 takes both audiences by the hand — the ordering Reason you guessed at, the creating Word you were promised — and then says what neither expected: the Logos “was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Not an idea but a person; not information about God but God speaking himself.
The range of an everyday noun
Most of logos's ~330 occurrences are ordinary: a statement (Matthew 12:36), an account to be settled (Matthew 18:23), the Christian message — “the word of the cross” (1 Corinthians 1:18), “the word of God grew” (Acts 6:7). That ordinariness is the theology: the same term covers a ledger entry and the eternal Son. God's speech runs through all of life, from accounts to Athens to the manger. Logos also gives English its -logy suffix — theology, biology — every “study of” is literally a word about.
Logos vs. rhema: less than the seminar promised
A popular teaching splits logos (the written, general Word) from rhēma (G4487 — a personal, spoken word for the moment). The distinction preaches better than it parses: the New Testament uses the two with broad overlap — Scripture is called rhema in Ephesians 6:17 (“the sword of the Spirit, which is the word [rhēma] of God”), and everyday sayings are logos constantly. Word study's first lesson is exactly this: meaning comes from usage in context, not from etymology-driven systems. Trace both words through their occurrences and let the pattern speak.
Verses that carry the weight
- John 1:1–18 — the prologue: Logos as God, Creator, Light, made flesh.
- Hebrews 4:12 — “the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword.”
- 1 John 1:1 — “the Word of life” — heard, seen, handled.
- Revelation 19:13 — the rider on the white horse: “his name is called The Word of God.”
- Luke 8:11 — “the seed is the word of God” — the parable that explains every sermon since.
Open the word, not just a definition
Open λόγος (G3056) in By The Water — the same word shown in the app's own screenshots — and read its definition, morphology, and every occurrence; then run a Textual Analysis on John 1:1-14 to see each Greek word tagged inline.
Frequently asked questions
Why does John call Jesus 'the Word'?
Because Jesus is God's full self-expression: as your words carry your thought to others, the Son makes the invisible God known (John 1:18). The title also claims Genesis 1 — the God who spoke light now speaks salvation in person.
What is the difference between logos and rhema?
By dictionary, logos leans toward the message and rhema toward the utterance — but New Testament usage overlaps heavily (Scripture is rhema in Ephesians 6:17). Treat any rigid two-tier system with caution and study actual occurrences.
Does logos mean 'logic'?
Logic (logikē) descends from logos, and Greek philosophy did use logos for cosmic Reason. John borrows that resonance but fills the word biblically: the Logos is personal, creative, and incarnate — not an abstract principle.
Where else does the Bible personify God's word?
Psalm 107:20 ('He sent his word, and healed them'), Isaiah 55:11 (the word that accomplishes its mission), Proverbs 8's personified Wisdom — threads the New Testament gathers up in John 1 and Hebrews 1:1–2.