The “WORD” - Logos and Rhema
Two Kinds of “Words”
Col. 3:16 Let the word (Gk., logos, expression) of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words (Gk., rhema, spontaneous speaking of Christ) abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Ephes. 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word (Gk., rhema, spontaneous speaking the Christ) of God:
John 6:63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. NIV
2 Cor. 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
1 Cor. 4:20 For the kingdom of God is not in word (logos), but in power.
There are two Greek words, “logos” and “rhema,” that are translated “word(s)” in English.
1) “Logos” refers to God in the person of Jesus of Nazareth and also the written word of Scripture, which we call the Bible. Both are used of God for expressing, explaining, and defining our wonderful Lord. In the Bible, “word”, in the Greek, has two words. Logos principally is the “expression of a thought” (Vines Expository Bible Dictionary). The expression of God’s thought may be seen in more than one way, by the scripture, and as expressed by the life of the incarnated Jesus of Nazareth. John 14:9a Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Jesus Himself was the express image of God; He declared God and made God shown. However, not all who saw Jesus recognized God or Christ. Not all may see or recognize the image or expression of God as what it is, unless it is revealed to them by revelation of God’s Spirit to their spirit. You may note this when Jesus asked Peter “Who that men say that I am?” (Matt. 16:13-17) and then “Who do you say that I am?” Then Peter said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God”. And note Jesus’ reply, “flesh and blood hath not revealed this but my Father who is in Heaven”. So, though Jesus was the WORD as logos seen daily by Peter for about 3 years, it took revelation that was of God by His Spirit to reveal to Peter just who Jesus actually was.
Jesus of Nazareth was the “logos”, as the incarnate WORD, to be the expression of God, Whom no man had seen. What He spoke at the time of His incarnation was also the logos. What we read in the Bible of what He said was the logos, … but, today He is alive in us, still incarnate – in us, as the Spirit of life and truth, indwelling the human spirit of every rebirthed child of God (John 14:17, John 15:26, John 16:13). When He speaks spontaneously within us and we hear Him, perceiving what is said today in us, this is the “rhema” word.
So the “word”, as “logos”, is objective, for all to see, as is the written word on paper in the Bible, or in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, seen by those who there at that time; … but the “word”, as “rhema”, is subjective, alive, and powerfully operative, for each one to hear personally, individually, as the may be spoken to by the indwelling Spirit of Christ – these “words” are “spirit and life”(John 6:63) to us as we receive them.
2) This second Greek word for “word” is “rhema.” Rhema is the living, instant, spontaneous, subjective word spoken within us by the Spirit of Christ just at the time we need it. Rhema is “that which is spoken, or uttered, via speech. It may be conveyed in writing, but only if it is under the enlightening power of the Spirit”. Thus, the Bible can be either logos or rhema, depending upon the operation of revelatory enlightening power of the Spirit of truth and life.
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance - defines “rhema” Number <G4487> with “usage notes” saying, “denotes, that which is spoken, what is uttered in speech or writing;” in the singular (therefore, not universal word but a specific word or words spoken to that person)”
The rhema, as the “spoken word,” is uttered orally at the time it is spoken; this is always rhema. Those same words may be recorded in writing and they are logos; the recorded “logos” words may become “rhema” only when the Spirit quickens those “logos” words, making them alive to us.
The Spirit is always dwelling within us (Rom 8:9-10), giving us some living, lighted words at the right time to meet our needs, so long as we will receive it; or we may drown it out by our self-will and independence. These word quickened by the Spirit are always rhema, living and operative. Living words that are spoken within our spirit occur spontaneously, by His indwelling Spirit of life; these are not of our self at all – they are a function of the pure grace of His life and light flowing from in our spirit. John says, by this anointing we “know all things” (1John 2:20, 27), at the time we need to know it.
To be sure, the Scripture may be rhema to us; reading the written word by the Spirit’s anointing is rhema – the necessary element is the living Spirit that brings us revelation. Reading the written word as the letter or command to us is death. Paul said, “The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life”. Hence Jesus spoke of a time when His sheep would “hear” his voice and follow Him (John 10:27). For this, Jesus said He would abide in us and we need to abide in Him (Jn.15:4-5).
We as Christians are admonished to and need to attend to the living rhema within, allowing it to have its full way within us. In order to allow the living word to have its free way within us, we must go along with it; concentrating on the inner rhema will make the living Lord so real to us in our spirit. It will make us realize that Christ is so available and practical. We shall sense the moving and the working of the Lord who energizes us inwardly.
The Bible is sometimes referred to as the Word, but actually it is the Scripture and not the word for us to be taken spontaneously. The spontaneous “word” is the “rhema” – Christ alive, speaking in our spirit as the Spirit of truth. If we try to apply the Scripture apart from the Spirit, we would likely be following the “letter”, and gain little in genuine understanding, and it may be deadening, both to others and ourselves (2Cor 3:6).
This is seen, for example, when Christians try to apply Old Testament laws and promises to others and themselves, when these laws and promises actually belong to the Jews only. We in “the dispensation of grace” (Eph 3:2) ought not read or take to heart mail from God belonging to other folks – such as the Jews. We as children of God, by new birth, have no outer law, but we do have the law of normal functioning of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, who dwells in us as our new and spontaneous life.
When the Bible refers to people receiving God’s “word” or “the word of the Lord came to” someone, it is referring to people receiving God’s spontaneous speaking within them by the Spirit of the Holy – the living WORD. The Old Testament often speaks of the Prophets and Patriarchs having God speak to them, apart from the Scripture – it was by the Spirit of the Lord who came upon them, speaking into their spirit whereby they heard Him who is Spirit (Jn 4:24). Christ at that time did not yet irrevocably abide in any man as He does today. In each case (even before the resurrection of Christ) they were energized by such living words, gaining faith to carry out exploits.
In fact, we will only commit ourselves effectively to what we have heard personally for ourselves in our spirit – not by second hand hearing. Jesus said, John 8:47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
The Spirit speaking the rhema within man never speaks differently or contradicts the “revealed” written logos – the Scripture of the Bible, as applicable to the dispensation in which we live. However, the Spirit of Christ speaking as the rhema (living word) well may be in conflict with your or my interpretation of the Scripture that perhaps came to us as result of what we were taught, heard preached or by study, but was not yet revealed to us by the Spirit as rhema. In this way we may be in error in our understanding. Paul said the “natural man” (natural in Gk. is “psuchikos”, meaning “of the soul”); the man of the soul (by his mind) “cannot receive the things of the spirit, since they are only spiritually discerned”. 1 Cor. 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
The inner speaking of the rhema always corresponds with the Spirit revealed written word or the logos, rightly divided (2Tim 2:15). For example; perhaps you read the written logos, Bible, in the morning but fail to understand it in a living way, while you are going through your day, the Spirit speaks to you from within, giving you revelation of the right meaning and even the right emphasis to something of the Scripture, and by this revelation the “logos” has become the “rhema”. Then the outward, written word has become the living word within your spirit. In this way the “logos” becomes the “rhema”; the outer written word becomes the inner spoken word. This then is revelation for which Paul prayed for the Ephesians in 1:17.
If a believer has yet to see and believe the reality of the indwelling Christ as the Spirit of Truth, he is left to the erroneous teachings of tradition and of religious fables, which are passed on by much of organized religion. Most of us go down the dead ends of religion’s offerings many years before we come to see Christ is alive as the WORD indwelling us.
Some suggests that, though we are saved by grace, it is our responsibility to work in order to grow and keep ourselves acceptable to God. One of those “works” they promote is man’s effort “study of Scripture” – be a good Berean. I certainly agree and I do study the Bible, as the Lord leads and permits me. Some may sight the following scripture as authorization to “study”. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word (logos) of truth. 2 Tim. 2:15 In this scripture the word “study” is better translated “be diligent”. (Spoudazo, Greek 4704, Strong’s, spoo-dad'-zo; from Greek 4710 (spoude); to use speed,) Such diligence may include study but the essence of the word used here commends us to speed ourselves, as in being suitably “paced” workman, “rightly dividing the word (logos, written word) of truth”. The “word of truth”, no doubt, is that which is of the “Spirit of Truth”, Christ in us is the Truth. Once again we see that we are dependent upon the grace of God by the Spirit of Truth as we seek Christ in the written “word”, in order to receive revelation of the Truth – As Jesus said, the Spirit will reveal Christ to us (Jn. 16:13-15).
I personally study the written Scripture and regard it as the most important, tangible, inheritance left to us, but the Scripture does not in itself give life – only Christ is life – He is the Living WORD, the living expression of God. When we pursue the truth of God via study, it is not we who make it work for us – it is God who may thereby anoint the Scripture to our spirit to reveal Christ in the Scripture, making it then the rhema WORD, specifically for us (Jn 6:63).
Within the written Scripture and spoken words of Jesus was God Himself, the life source (Psalm 36:9). “Now the Lord (Christ) is the Spirit” (2Cor 3:17) and His words, which are Spirit and life, are now spoken within our spirit to be life to us.
“It is the spirit that quickeneth (gives life); the flesh profiteth nothing: the words (rhema) that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63 Paul cautions, “Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.” 2 Cor. 3:6
Hence, it is Christ we seek as “spirit and life” – not simply correct Biblical information and interpretation that we may derive from rightly divided Scripture, because Christ is the one and only central “thought expressed” of the logos, which we call Bible Scripture. He is seen to be God’s life to indwell man. When the Spirit anoints words that express “God thought”, (yours and mine) those words become the currency of the spirit, to convey life and light. All that is given to us from God is first received by our receiving spiritually anointed words as light. I received spiritually anointed words the day I heard the Gospel and received Christ, to be regenerated back in 1968.
God has spoken to man at different times and by diverse manners throughout the ages.
“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person,” Hebrews 1:1-3a
We as Christians now hear His Son in us. Today, “in these last days, (Heb1:2) we come to know God the Father “by His Son” who is the expression, declaration and image of the Father (Heb 1:2-3, Jn 1:18). Jesus was the declaration of God to man on earth, but the risen Christ is the Word of God now speaking within the born-again believer as a sixth sense within. His spoken words are spirit and life to man and now “in man”. The Son, as the seed (Gal 3:16, 1Pet 1:23, Gk.” sperma or spora”) of the Father, indwells every believer making them the Father’s children (Rom 8:16); but only those children who listen and are led by hearing Him within will come to know God – growing to be “sons” (Rom 8:14). It’s the Son who reveals the Father (Luke 10:22) and it is the Spirit that reveals the Son (Jn 16:15). Now, since Christ has become the Spirit (2Cor 3:17), it is God, in Christ, as the Spirit, that reveals the Godhead to us (Col 2:9-10). For today’s believer, during this dispensation of the mystery of the grace of God (Col 1:26-27), Christ is not at arms length or outside of man, but rather it is the Spirit of Christ who indwells the human spirit of each believer (1Cor 6:17, 1Jn 4:13, Col 1:27).
It is sad that many believers are robbed of knowing the living Word Himself, which is the speaking of Christ, who is within them shortly after they received Christ. Many Christians are robbed of this by several common things of religion’s offerings, as listed by Paul in His prison epistles.
Most Christians are taken away from hearing the indwelling Christ as the Word in favor of outer guidance from men, laws, and precepts. External issues, such as follow, may rob us of the living and operative intimacy we may have by His indwelling. Religion often promotes these that take the place of Christ within.
1) External, objective, study of the Scripture – Paul spoke of some that were, “Ever learning (by study of scripture), and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth”. 2 Tim. 3:7 Jesus told the Pharisees, John 5:39-40 (Ye) Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
2) Listening and submitting to the hireling authorities, based upon mans traditions and fables – from pastors or leaders, calling themselves shepherds. “Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.” Titus 1:14 Christ is the one Shepherd to those whom God has birthed to the intimate living relationship they have by Christ’s indwelling Spirit and life – They know His voice as the indwelling word. “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 12But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep” John 10:11-12a My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: John 10:27
3) Narrow doctrine, “putting God in a box”, religious doctrines, handed on by men, as laws. “Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?” Col. 2:22 The Christian’s only doctrine is by the indwelling Christ. Our guidance is by the living word (Christ), who is now living and operative within us, by the literal indwelling Spirit of Christ.
These listed three items serve to emasculate the Seed of life, which is Christ (Gal 3:16) in the newly birthed child of God as that child’s guiding life (Col 3:4). These make the WORD of God (Christ indwelling them) of no effect as Jesus told the Pharisees. “… ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition”. Matthew 15:6b Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 40And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. John 5:39-40
4Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. Galatians 5:4
To these scriptures we may say, “Yes, those Pharisees missed it,” but I must point out that the very same condition prevails in most of the organized and even fundamentalist evangelical religious organizations of men today. Yes, they teach scripture but at the same time, by their traditions and lifeless spoken or implied laws, they emasculate the living word, making it of no effect (Gal 5:4). Their tradition and lifeless, rhemaless (Christless), Spiritless teaching of Scripture as “law”, make the Christian life to be at arms length and works based, where you must try hard to earn and keep relationship with God.
This latter approach to the Christian life has brought sleepiness upon many Christians, but Christ dwells in each of us as our hope of glory (Col 1:26-27) and He shall give us light. Ephes. 5:14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. <END>