What is the Word of God?

Status
Not open for further replies.

satz

Puritan Board Senior
When we say that Jesus Christ is the Word of God, what exactly does that mean?

What is the significance of the title 'word'?

I realize this is one of those things i jsut take for granted but really have no idea what it means.

Anyone can help or point to me to articles that can?
 
G3056
logos
log'-os
From G3004; something said (including the thought); by implication a topic (subject of discourse), also reasoning (the mental faculty) or motive; by extension a computation; specifically (with the article in John) the Divine Expression (that is, Christ): - account, cause, communication, X concerning, doctrine, fame, X have to do, intent, matter, mouth, preaching, question, reason, + reckon, remove, say (-ing), shew, X speaker, speech, talk, thing, + none of these things move me, tidings, treatise, utterance, word, work.

Before there was anything physical, there was spiritual. God has always been; he has no beginning anf no end. The word of God spoke everything into existence. "In the beginning, there was the word- and the word became flesh, i.e Jesus, and lived among us............


[Edited on 2-4-2005 by Scott Bushey]
 
Sorry, I don't have my notes with me but if you can get access to Leon Morris' commentary on the gospel of John, he has a great treatment of this very fulfilling study.
 
hmm...ok, here's where i am confused. If Jesus is the 'word' of God, how does that interact when the times when we are told of the Father speaking?

What is the relation between the two?

Maybe i am not looking at this from the right angle...
 
Joh 1:18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

Joh 5:36 But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.
Joh 5:37 And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen,
Joh 5:38 and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent.


Joh 6:46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father.

Joh 14:9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?

If you have heard the Father, you have heard the Son; If you have heard the Son, you have heard the father.........

[Edited on 2-4-2005 by Scott Bushey]
 
I especially like the beginning of Hebrews in this respect. At sundry times and in diverse manners, he has spoken by the prophets....but in these last days he has spoken by his son. Or something like that. Christ is the ultimate benediction --- good word --- from the Father.

Thinking on this makes me exceedingly happy to be a Christian. :D
 
Satz:

This may or may not be helpful, as I am not sure if it directly addresses your issue. But I do think it is related. It is excerpt from some notes of mine on Genesis 1.

Christ too is seen in these early chapters, although not as explicitly as the other two persons of the Trinity. Christ is seen in God’s speech. For example, “God said, Let there be light,’ and there was light.” Notice that God is using words to create. He does this throughout the creation account. These words are manifestations of the ultimate Word, Christ.
Christ is a divine person of the Trinity. John tells us of the work of Christ in creation:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
John 1:1-3. Note that Christ is the Word. The Word was “with God,” which expresses distinction in persons. The Word also “was God,” which expresses unity in divine nature. He was with God “in the beginning” – using the language of Genesis 1:1. We see Christ the Word manifested in the words the Father used to create.
For this reason, the New Testament attributes creation to Christ. In the passage above, John expressly says that through Christ the Word “all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” Paul wrote to the church at Colosse: “[Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:15-17; see also Heb. 1:2; 1 John 1:2-3.
Please note that Christ the Word is eternal, with no beginning or end. The words God spoke in time were manifestations of the eternal Word, not the Word itself. For example, a man can silently think words in his mind and then orally speak them. The words were formed in his mind prior to audible speech. Similarly, Christ the Word is and way and always has been the wisdom and Word of God. Paul wrote, for example, “but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” 1 Cor. 1:24; see also Prov. 8. He was manifested in time at the beginning of the world.
So we see in the early chapters of Genesis that it is the Christian God, the Trinity, who creates. It is not Allah or some other god.
 
I have heard also that WORD(Logos) was written as such so that the Greek Jews who John wrote to would understand that Jesus was the underlining Speech of all existence.So no man could question about who John was declaring who Jesus is.The Greeks understood from philosophy that the word LOGOS was not something simply to overlook.

Eph 3:9 And to make all [men] see what [is] the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

Edit to add: I Got 200 posts now!:banana::banana::banana:

[Edited on 2-4-2005 by Average Joey]

[Edited on 2-4-2005 by Average Joey]
 
We must also remember that the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament probably was Jesus.Simply said that the word Angel means Messenger.Messenger means to carry what?The Word!Or in the case with "The Angel of the Lord" He could be called "The Word".At least that is what I have heard.

That IS NOT to imply Angels as Christ.But this title "The Angel of the Lord" applies to Him only.

Is this correct?

[Edited on 2-4-2005 by Average Joey]
 
Our confessions also say that the preached word of God IS the word of God. Thus, Christ - medium AND message - is spoken forth.

I still don't know where I originally heard the dictum, but I still love it and haven't heard a good argument against it: "All preaching is about Christ." I'd even go so far as to say all preaching IS Christ.
 
Originally posted by ARStager
Our confessions also say that the preached word of God IS the word of God. Thus, Christ - medium AND message - is spoken forth.

I still don't know where I originally heard the dictum, but I still love it and haven't heard a good argument against it: "All preaching is about Christ." I'd even go so far as to say all preaching IS Christ.

That is AWESOME!Preaching IS Christ!

How about the Gospel IS Christ.

[Edited on 2-4-2005 by Average Joey]
 
It is awesome. And aweful --- inducing both dread and delight. So the preacher mounts the pulpit with fear and trembling, but knows that he has no choice in the matter. He's constrained to mount it, open the scriptures, and say "Thus saieth the Lord." He thus placards Christ before the assembly. He fears and trembles because he knows that anything he says must be Christ, and any error is the propping up of an idol with the mere inscription "this is Christ".

At the same time, we gather to hear preaching with the promise that the Word is living and active --- we can expect the ALREADY portion of our ALREADY/NOT YET eschatology to be quite real and present --- potent, even. Omnipotent, in fact. Sharp. Piercing. Having the power to circumcise our stony hearts.

I've been quite impressed with Ezra and Nehemiah lately --- read I think in Neh. 9 the story of the preaching of the Word and note the way the people respond. Chapter 10, I think, is all contrition and repentance. Then there's celebration, too! Also, note the physical size of the pulpit built for the preaching.

Christ is put into our eardrums in preaching. That's why it's so offensive and foolish to the perishing, but so sweet to those who are being saved. He's the just judge and yet the justifyer of the wicked. And he's penetrating our eardrums - like it or not. I like it --- except momentarily when he clears away my idols. But I'd rather be called a whore than a bastard, eh? Cf Hosea 1/Heb. 12

[Edited on 2-4-2005 by ARStager]
 
We are on the right track here. We know about God through one method--revelation. How does God reveal himself? By natural and supernatural revelation. How did God create the world? By his ... Word. "By Him were all things created, and without Him was not anything made that was made." He continued to speak to man, before and after the fall. Heb. 1 is vital and precious here. God has come to be with us, Emanuel. He has spoken to us in as personal a way as is possible, or conceivable.

"Logos" is not related (at least not directly, maybe indirectly) to Greek philosophy, nor the concept of logic (ala Clark), but to the Hebrew/biblical concept of God's spoken revelation. Jesus, the Son of God, is the ultimate Word or revelation from God. He gave it all, he embodies it all, it all speaks of him.
 
Lots of good comments here.

The Word (Second Person of the Trinity) is the personification (if that is the right way to express it) of God's self-revelation by Whom all things are created and sustained. Gen. 1; John 1; Heb. 1

The Word (spoken, written) is God's ordained way of communicating with man by which we are instructed, converted and sanctified by the work of the Holy Spirit. Rom. 10; 2 Tim. 3.16-17

Jonathan Edwards wrote a good treatment of how it is that the Scriptures are the Word of God: http://www.jonathanedwards.com/sermons/Doctrine/Scripture.htm
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top