Understanding God: The Significance of Logos in the Gospel of John-Part 1
What is Logos?
Who can understand the mind of God? Certainly not I! 😊But the more we read and study His Word, the better we will know Him!
The Greek word in our English translation of John 1 for “the Word” is “Logos.” Logos means speech, a word, a decree, or utterance someone has said. It also refers to the mind such as reason. However, there are also philosophical underpinnings to the term logos that would have been understood by those in John’s lifetime.
Key Questions to Answer
In my Bereshit-Part 3 post, I stated that I believe that there is an order in Genesis that each person needs to grasp in some capacity in order to understand the purpose of Jesus. The first question was “Who is God?” and then we explored why God chose to start the Bible with identifying himself as Elohim in the Noticing and Wondering Routines Part 1 and Part 2.
So the question for the next few series of posts is—
- Why did John (through the Holy Spirit) decide to start his Gospel identifying himself as Logos?
Before we dive in, read the passage on your own substituting Logos in place of Word. Then complete the chart in the Stop and Reflect section below.
John 1: 1-18(NIV)
1In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Logos became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
15(John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and[b] is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
Stop and Reflect
Reread John 1: 1-18 again inserting the word Logos for Word. This time categorize everything you read about Logos into five categories: time, place, identity, actions, and responses in the graphic organizer below.
We will follow-up with my thoughts on the next post.
Graphic Organizer
Bible Studies
Teaching Tip: When teaching a difficult passage, it’s always helpful if you as an educator create a graphic organizer for your students to help them organizer their thoughts.
If you like this post on Logos, check out my Genesis 1 Homework on John 1 found on my Genesis page.
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