Is Jesus Christ the Word of God – What ‘Logos’ Truly Means

What’s in a name? Or, in this case, a title.

I must’ve been seven or eight. I was sitting in a stuffy Sunday school room, and the teacher kept saying “Word of God.” For me, that meant only one thing. The book. You know, the massive, leather-bound Bible on the pulpit? The one that smelled like old paper and had pages so thin you were afraid to turn them. The “Word of God” was a thing. A heavy object. So, you can guess what happened when I first really read the Gospel of John. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

My brain just… stopped.

Wait. What?

A book becomes a person? My seven-year-old brain couldn’t build that bridge. It was the first of many, many puzzles that sparked a lifelong fascination for me. It’s a puzzle that sits at the very heart of the Christian faith: Is Jesus Christ the Word of God?

Now, the simple Sunday school answer is “yes.” But that “yes” doesn’t mean much, and it’s honestly pretty shallow, until we figure out what “Word” actually means in this context. It’s not just a synonym for “messenger.” The original text uses a word with a massive history, a word that’s really the bedrock of the whole idea: Logos.

Figuring out what John meant by “Logos” is the key to understanding the core claim of Christianity. It’s not just a title; it’s a job description, a statement of identity, and a cosmic revelation all rolled into one. So, let’s actually dig into that. What does this one Greek word truly mean?

More in About Jesus Category

Was Jesus Christ Created

Is Jesus Christ the Father

Key Takeaways

• First off, the “Word of God” (Logos) in John’s Gospel doesn’t mean the Bible. It points directly to the person of Jesus Christ.
• This term, Logos, was already a huge deal for two different audiences: Greek philosophers (who saw it as the universe’s divine ‘reason’) and Jewish thinkers (who saw it as God’s creative power).
• John (who wrote the Gospel) brilliantly picked this one word, Logos, to show that Jesus was the fulfillment of both of those big ideas: the personal, divine Creator who holds all things together.
• The “Word made flesh” (the Incarnation) is this radical idea that God didn’t just send more rules or another messenger. He decided to communicate Himself by becoming one of us.
• Because of this, Jesus is seen as the final, complete “Word” from God—the perfect living picture of who God is.

What Does ‘Word of God’ Even Mean? It’s Not Just a Book.

So, let’s tackle my childhood confusion right away, because it’s the hurdle most of us trip over. In our world, “word” means text. But in the ancient world? A “word” was electric. It was dynamic. A spoken word had power. It carried the speaker’s intent, their will, their very personality. Your “word” was your reputation. It was your bond. In a very real sense, it was you in action.

Now, when the Bible is called the “Word of God,” it’s because it’s seen as God-breathed (that’s from 2 Timothy 3:16). It’s the inspired, written story. But when Jesus gets that same title, it’s something else entirely. It’s a claim of identity.

Here’s the simplest way I can put it: The Bible is the written word. Jesus is the living Word.

That difference is everything. The Bible points to the Word (John 5:39), but it isn’t the Word. The Word is a person. This is the radical bombshell John drops in his very first sentence. He’s not introducing a book. He’s introducing a being.

Where Did This Idea of ‘The Word’ (Logos) Come From?

So, where did John get this term? He didn’t just pull it out of thin air. He was a brilliant communicator, and he chose a word that would immediately connect with everyone in his audience: the Greeks and the Jews. The Logos was a hot topic. It was a concept people had been debating in Greek lecture halls and Jewish synagogues for hundreds of years.

Was ‘Logos’ a Greek Philosophy Thing?

You bet it was. For hundreds of years, Greek philosophers had been obsessed with the Logos. As early as 500 B.C., the philosopher Heraclitus described the Logos as the universal principle of reason, the divine logic that brought order to the chaos of the cosmos. He saw it as an impersonal, rational “fire” that guided all things.

Later, the Stoics (a very popular school of thought) leaned in even harder. For them, the Logos was the “soul of the world.” It was the rational principle, the “operating system” of the universe, that gave structure and meaning to reality. To live wisely, in their view, was to live in harmony with the Logos.

So, when a Greek-speaking person heard John say, “In the beginning was the Logos,” their ears would have perked up. They’d think, “Ah, he’s talking about the divine reason, the meaning of the universe!” They were half right.

How Did Jewish Thinkers Use the ‘Logos’ Concept?

John was also speaking to his own people. The Jewish world had a similar, though distinct, idea. In the Old Testament, the “word of the LORD” was a creative force. God spoke, and the universe leapt into existence (Genesis 1). His “word” accomplished His will (Isaiah 55:11). The concept of “Wisdom” (Proverbs 8) was often personified as a female figure who was with God at creation.

By the first century, a brilliant Jewish philosopher in Alexandria named Philo had merged these two streams of thought. He used the Greek term Logos to describe the intermediary between a perfectly holy, transcendent God and the material, messy world. For Philo, the Logos was the “mind of God,” the pattern of creation, the “first-born Son of God” (a metaphorical title).

This was the intellectual world John lived in. Everyone was talking about the Logos.

So, What Did John Do Differently in His Gospel?

John steps into this global conversation and drops a theological bombshell. He takes all this philosophical and religious speculation and makes it breathtakingly concrete.

He opens his Gospel with this bombshell: “In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God.”

Let’s break that down.

1. “In the beginning…” John is deliberately echoing Genesis 1:1. He’s saying the Logos is eternal, existing before creation.
2. “…the Logos was with God.” This asserts distinction. The Word is not the same person as the Father. There is a relationship.
3. “…and the Logos was God.” This asserts identity. The Word is not a lesser being, not a demi-god, not an impersonal force. The Word shares the very same divine nature as God.

John affirms everything the Greeks and Jews were saying… and then raises the stakes. He’s basically saying, “Hey, you philosophers talking about a cosmic ‘Reason’? You’re right. And you theologians talking about God’s ‘Wisdom’ in creation? You’re right, too. But you’re all missing the biggest piece of the puzzle. This Logos… is a Person. And my friends and I? We know His name.”

Why Call Jesus ‘the Word’ Instead of ‘the Son’ Right Away?

John was building a bridge. By using Logos, he grabbed the attention of his entire world. He met them where they were. He used their own vocabulary to introduce a radical new idea.

He essentially says: “You know that ultimate ‘Reason’ that holds the atoms together? That ‘Divine Principle’ you’ve been searching for? Well, guess what? He’s not just a principle. He’s a person. And my friends and I, we’ve seen him. We’ve touched him. We ate breakfast with him.”

This set the stage for the most shocking sentence in his entire prologue.

“And the Word Became Flesh…” What Does That Really Mean?

This is John 1:14. “And the Logos became flesh and dwelt among us.”

This is the doctrine of the Incarnation. It is the single most unique and scandalous claim of Christianity.

The abstract became concrete. The infinite became finite. The invisible became visible. The divine principle that orders the stars took on human skin, was born in a dirty stable, got splinters in his hands as a carpenter, felt hunger and thirst, and walked on the same dusty roads as everyone else.

Why Was This Idea So Shocking to the Ancient World?

We’ve lost the shock of this today, but to the first-century ear, this was madness.

To the Greeks (especially Gnostics, who were on the rise), the physical world was a prison. Matter was corrupt, a “shadow” of the real, spiritual world. The divine was pure, and the physical was evil. The idea of a perfect, divine Logos willingly becoming corruptible matter? It was repulsive. It made no sense.

To the Jewish people, God was holy. He was transcendent, separate, and “wholly other.” The idea that He would become a human—a man—and that this man could be executed as a criminal… it was a deep, profound blasphemy to many.

But John states it as a fact. God, in the person of the Logos, did not just send a message. He became the message.

My ‘Aha’ Moment with the Incarnation

I’ll be honest, this was a tough concept for me for years. It felt too… messy. Too physical. I struggled with it. My “aha” moment came when I was thinking about communication.

If I truly, deeply want to communicate my love to my family, what’s my best option?

I could write them a list of rules to follow (“the Law”) to earn my approval. I could send messengers (“the Prophets”) to tell them I love them.

Or… I could just go to them. Right?

I could walk into the room, sit with them, share their joys, hurt with them in their pain, and tell them “I love you” face-to-face.

Which way is more powerful? Which “word” is more complete? It’s the last one. It’s not even close.

This, for me, is the Incarnation. God, who in the past had revealed Himself through the Law and the Prophets, finally delivered His ultimate message. He didn’t just send another prophet. He didn’t just inspire another book. He came Himself. Jesus is God’s final, ultimate, and most personal “Word” to us.

If Jesus is the ‘Word,’ What is He Communicating?

This is the real “so what?” of it all. If Jesus is God’s “Message,” what is the message?

The answer is simple: the message is God Himself.

Is Jesus God’s Ultimate Message?

Yes. The author of the book of Hebrews (another brilliant, first-century writer) puts it this way: “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…” (Hebrews 1:1-2).

Jesus isn’t just another in a long line of prophets. He is the climax of all God’s communication. Prophets delivered a message from God. Jesus is the message. He doesn’t just speak the truth; He says, “I am the truth” (John 14:6).

How Does Jesus Reveal God’s Character?

This is the core. John 1:18 says, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” The Greek for “made him known” is exēgēsato. It’s where we get our word “exegesis,” which means “to explain” or “to interpret.”

Jesus is the “exegesis” of God.

Want to know what God is really like? The message is to stop looking only at a thunderstorm or a set of ancient laws. The message is: Look at Jesus.

• When you see Jesus welcoming the outcast and eating with “sinners,” you see God’s inclusive grace.
  • When you see Jesus healing the sick and blind, you see God’s restorative compassion.
  • When you see Jesus flipping tables in the temple, you see God’s burning hatred of hypocrisy and injustice.
  • When you see Jesus weeping at his friend’s grave, you see that God is not distant from our pain.
  • And when you see Jesus on the cross, you see the unfathomable depth of God’s sacrificial love.

Jesus is the full and final revelation of God’s heart. He is what God has to say.

But How Can a Person Be a Word?

This logical hurdle still trips people up. A word is a “thing.” A person is a “being.” How can they be the same?

Let’s go back to the power of a word. Think about your word. Your word is the expression of your mind. It’s your invisible thought made visible and audible. When you give someone your “word,” you are binding your very character, your integrity, to that promise. Your word represents you.

Now, apply this to God.

The Logos is the perfect, eternal, and complete expression of the mind of God. He is everything God thinks, everything God wills, everything God feels, and everything God is… expressed as a Person. He is not a separate creation. He is the generation of God’s own self-expression.

Is Jesus God’s ‘Binding Promise’?

Absolutely. The Apostle Paul, writing to the church in Corinth, says, “For all the promises of God find their ‘Yes’ in him” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Jesus is God’s “Yes.”

Yes, I love you. Yes, I will forgive you. Yes, I will redeem this broken world. Yes, I will not leave you alone.

Jesus isn’t just a messenger who carries the promise. He is the promise. He is the Word, the Mind, and the Heart of God, made tangible and visible for all of us.

What Other Parts of the Bible Support This Idea?

While John is the only one who uses the specific title Logos, the concept is all over the New Testament. The other writers just used different, but parallel, terms to describe the same reality.

Did Paul Talk About This, Too?

He did, constantly. Paul just used a different set of favorite words to say the same thing. Just look at this passage from his letter to the Colossians. He writes that Jesus…

“is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible… all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:15-17)

This is a perfect description of the Logos!

• “Image (Eikon) of the invisible God” = This is the visible expression of the invisible God.
• “Firstborn (Prototokos) of all creation” = This means he’s the preeminent one, the heir of all things.
• “By him… through him… for him all things were created” = He was the agent of creation (just like John 1:3).
• “In him all things hold together” = He’s the rational principle, the Logos, that sustains the entire universe.

Paul and John are saying the exact same thing. Jesus is the Creator, Sustainer, and Ruler of the cosmos.

What About the Book of Hebrews?

The author of Hebrews opens his entire book with one of the most powerful descriptions of Jesus, mirroring John’s Logos concept perfectly:

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” (Hebrews 1:3)

• Radiance of glory: Think of it this way: just as light is the expression of a star, Jesus is the expression of God.
• Exact representation (Charaktēr): This is the Greek word for a perfect stamp, like the image on a coin. Jesus is the perfect imprint of the Father’s nature.
• Sustaining all things…: And there it is again. That’s the Logos job description!

The entire New Testament is unified in this: Jesus is the ultimate and complete revelation of God.

What Does Believing Jesus is the ‘Logos’ Mean for Us Today?

This isn’t just ancient philosophy. This idea has profound, real-world implications.

Does This Mean We Can’t Find God in Nature?

Not at all! In fact, it means the opposite. The Stoics were right that a logos is visible in creation. Paul agrees in Romans 1:20 that God’s “invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.”

But creation is a general revelation. It tells us that God exists. It shows us He is powerful, creative, and loves order.

Jesus is the specific revelation.

Creation is like reading a breathtaking book of poetry by an anonymous author. It’s beautiful, but you don’t know who the author is. The Incarnation is the author stepping out from behind the pages, introducing himself, and inviting you to dinner. Jesus tells us who God is: personal, loving, sacrificial, and gracious.

A Universe with a ‘Logos’ vs. One Without

I’m an avid hiker. I spend a lot of time in the mountains. Before I really grappled with this, I would look at a sunset, a vast canyon, or a complex ecosystem and see… “physics.” That’s it. Just a beautiful, intricate, but ultimately impersonal system. A product of time, chance, and mindless natural law.

Now, when I see that same sunset, I see artistry.

Because I believe the Logos is a person, I no longer see a random universe. I see a personal one. The “natural laws” of physics are, in this view, simply the “word” or the “will” of the Logos by which He “sustains all things.” The universe isn’t a cold, empty machine; it’s a “poem” (the Greek word for “what is made” in Romans 1 is poiēma, from which we get “poem”) written by a personal Artist.

It changes everything. It reframes our view of science, art, and reality itself. The universe isn’t just random “stuff”; it’s a message. And that message is about someone. (If you’re a philosophy nerd like me, the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s entry on “Logos” is a fascinating, deep dive). Believing Jesus is the Logos means believing that the universe is personal, purposeful, and held together by the same love that led him to the cross.

The Ultimate Answer: Why John Called Jesus ‘The Word’

So, we circle back to our main question: Is Jesus Christ the Word of God?

According to the Christian faith, the answer is yes. John used this specific term, Logos, to make a revolutionary, all-encompassing claim. He called Jesus the “Word” because…

• Jesus is the ultimate Communication from God, the climax of all His messages.
• Jesus is the divine Reason (the Logos) who created the universe and holds it together.
• Jesus is the Fulfillment of all human philosophy and religious longing—the answer to our search for meaning.
• Jesus is God Himself, made visible, tangible, and knowable.

He is not just a prophet who spoke the word of God. He is not just a king who ruled for God. He is not just a priest who mediated for God.

He is the Word. He is the Mind of God. He is the living, breathing, personal revelation of the Father’s heart, spoken from eternity, who stepped into time to call us His own.

FAQ – Is Jesus Christ the Word of God