A Cartoon Bubble Floating in Space?

Logos: A Word That Became The Word

Since this is a blog about words, I thought we’d start with some words about a word that means “word.”

Are you tracking me?

In ancient texts, “logos” is a Greek term that often translates simply and neatly as “word.” We can thank logos for all kinds of words in English:

Logic — the use of reason to establish validity or truth.

Prologue and Epilogue — the introduction and conclusion of a play or book.

Biology, Geology, Anthropology, etc — the scientific study of life, earth, humanity, etc.

Apology — regretful words spoken to your wife after you tick her off (should be accompanied by flowers).

A Word That Isn’t Just a Word

But logos doesn’t only mean a word uttered or scrawled on parchment. Sometime in the 6th century BC, as the myths of the gods and goddesses began to crumble under the weight of rational philosophical concepts, the term took on a deeper meaning. Thinkers such as Heraclitus, Plato, and Aristotle described logos as an abstract entity that infused order and reason into the fabric of creation. It was an ineffable “something” that served as the invisible skeleton of the universe, giving it structure and coherence, but possessing no personality, will, or consciousness.

The logos gave human beings the power of reason and communication. Without it, we would be grunting apes or squabbling gulls, able to breed and fight, but not distinguish between what is right or wrong, good or evil, just or unjust. Aristotle explained that our power to reason and communicate is why we can build bustling cities and fruitful societies. So I suppose you can thank the logos for McDonald’s and reality TV, if you believe that fast food and mindless entertainment are the pinnacles of human civilization.

Cosmic Concept to Flesh-and-Blood

Sometime at the close of the first century AD, a man named John gave the logos a radical makeover. This is how he describes it in a letter that eventually became the fourth Gospel of the New Testament: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

As a kid, I imagined a literal word floating in space next to God. I had no idea what the word was, but it was big and mystic and shimmering, floating in a comic-like bubble up in heaven. It wasn’t until I entered seminary as a young man that I discovered John used the word “logos” in his opening verse:

“In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God.”

I see what you did there, John. You borrowed a lofty philosophical concept and used it to convey a profound theological truth. The Logos was not an intangible something, it was an actual Someone who “lived among us…full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

The New Testament was written in Greek. It was the lingua franca of the day, the dominant language of the Eastern Mediterranean. John’s use of logos in his opening chapter was a stroke of genius as he sought to convince a Greek-speaking audience that the divine principle was not “up there” somewhere. The Logos had come to this planet, taking on real flesh, living our life. This was a bold, radical idea — akin to casting a brilliant light into the shadows of abstract thought. John’s revelation shattered the boundaries between heaven and earth, inviting the world to glimpse the divine within the ordinary, the transcendent within the immanent.

The Logos Among Us: Bridging Heaven and Earth

What does this mean for us today? It means that the ultimate source of reason, order, and truth isn’t distant or detached from our daily existence. Instead, the Logos walked our streets, shared our meals, and experienced our joys and sorrows. It means that the foundation of all reality cares deeply about us and has chosen to participate in it fully, even to the point of suffering and death.

But the story didn’t end on a bloody cross. The story continues today because the Logos was, and is, a Living Word, breathing faith, hope, and love into any soul that dares to believe.

NEXT: Bara, the Word of Creative Power

A Word, Please is a blog that explores the amazing words of the Bible. One Word = Endless Truth