There are two more primary Greek words I would like to investigate today that describe Scripture as the “Word” in the New Testament. The first is the Greek word logos; this refers principally to the totally inspired Word of God and to Jesus, who is the outworking or manifestation of the living Word. Logos is found in John 1:1; Philippians 2:16; Hebrews 4:12; and many other verses. The second Greek word translated “Word” is Rhema, which refers to the spoken word or revelational word. Rhema literally means an utterance (individually, collectively or specifically). Examples are found in Luke 1:38; 3:2; 5:5; and Acts 11:16 and many other verses. As we go through these readings I have placed the Greek number next to the word ‘Word’ as a reference, the reason why will become more clearer as we go through this study together.
John 1:1, AMP
In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (3056) (Christ), and the Word (3056) was with God, and the Word (3056) was God Himself.
Philippians 2:14-16, AMP
Do all things without grumbling and fault finding and complaining [against God] and questioning and doubting [among yourselves], 15 That you may show yourselves to be blameless and guileless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish (faultless, unrebukable) in the midst of a crooked and wicked generation [spiritually perverted and perverse], among whom you are seen as bright lights (stars or beacons shining out clearly) in the [dark] world, 16 Holding out [to it] and offering [to all men] the Word (3056) of Life, so that in the day of Christ I may have something of which exultantly to rejoice and glory in that I did not run my race in vain or spend my labor to no purpose.
Hebrews 4:12, NKJV
“For the word (3056) of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Hebrews 4:12, AMP
For the Word (3056) that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.
“Word” 3056 = Logos, what is the emphasis on this word?
3056 lógos (from 3004 /légo, "speaking to a conclusion") – a word, being the expression of a thought; a saying. 3056 /lógos ("word") is preeminently used of Christ (Jn 1:1), expressing the thoughts of the Father through His life and the Spirit.
3056 (lógos) is a common term (used 330 times in the NT) with regards to a person sharing a message (discourse, "communication-speech"). 3056 (lógos) is a broad term meaning "reasoning expressed by words."
(Vines dictionary of Biblical words)
Let us look at the full meaning of the Logos of God from scripture. My best way to explain Logos is that it is the philosophy of God to be lived out as a Life source, expressed through thought and life in the power of the Holy Spirit, this is the intent. Its emphasis is on acquired knowledge.
We can see in the Old Testament that just having the written Word was not enough for humanity to understand the will of God, humanity needed it demonstrated. We read in John one, ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.’ Then in verse fourteen we find out, ‘And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.’
We find that the Word of God was lived out as a Life source, expressed through thought and life in the power of the Holy Spirit in the form of a man called Jesus. We also find that Jesus understood the Logos of God and that all He had to do was speak it into existence.
Another reinforcing truth found in John chapter one is verse four and five, these verses quantify the authority and power of the Word of God (the Logos). John one verses four and five read like this; ‘In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.’
Let us unpack these verses a little. There are three words that stand out for me in these verses; they are Life, Light and shine. This eternal life He came to give us is the very nature of God, it is known as the Zoe’ of God or you could say the God kind of life. In John 1:4 we get a better understanding of what this life will do for us: “In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men.” One of the meanings of the word Light in the dictionary is ‘a state of understanding or awareness’ the Greek meaning is to shine and make manifest. So, we could read verse four like this, ‘In Him was the God kind of Life, and the God kind of Life was the state of understanding and awareness for men to shine and make manifest.’
Now that we have a deeper understanding of the Logos and how man is to live life (Zoe’) as his light, let us unpack what verse five reveals to us of John chapter one; ‘And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.’
We know that this world of ours is dark and getting darker! However, darkness is just the absence of light, and we are told by John ‘we must let our light shine.’ This verse is not saying we will change the darkness, it actually is telling us ‘that the darkness will not comprehend the light.’ This verse is telling us to let our light shine despite the darkness. Do not let the darkness put your light out or prevent it from shining.
Truth, power and authority is found in the Word of God (the Logos). If the God kind of Life was the state of understanding and awareness for men to shine and make manifest how do we do this? I relate the how to, as the Rhema of God. I liken it to the Rhema being the magnifying glass of Gods Logos. Light (Gods truth) is all around us but only when you concentrate that light through the revelation (of Rhema) into a person’s life does it become powerful enough to command respect and authority, and then its power (the power and the authority of the Logos) becomes manifest.
I want to look at some more meanings of the word Logos and see what the scriptures have to reveal to us now we have gained some more understanding.
• An embodiment of a concept or idea – the designation of authority
Luke 7:7-8, AMP
Neither did I consider myself worthy to come to You. But [just] speak a word (3056), and my servant boy will be healed. 8 For I also am a man [daily] subject to authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my bondservant, Do this, and he does it.
1 Corinthians 14:9, 19, AMP
Just so it is with you; if you in the [unknown] tongue speak words (3056) that are not intelligible, how will anyone understand what you are saying? For you will be talking into empty space!
19 Nevertheless, in public worship, I would rather say five words (3056) with my understanding and intelligently in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words (3056) in a [strange] tongue (language).
• In reference to a saying or a statement from the written word
John 2:22, AMP
When therefore He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said (3004 "speaking to a conclusion") this. And so they believed and trusted and relied on the Scripture and the word (3056) (the message) Jesus had spoken.
• The phrase “the word of the Lord.”
What is the word of the Lord? This is the revealed will of God as a direct revelation given by Christ, in this respect, it is the message from the Lord, delivered with His authority and made effective by His power documented and lived out. This is what happens when the Logos becomes Rhema. Have a look at these scriptures to see what I mean.
Acts 10:36-38, NKJV
The word (3056) which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all— 37 that word (4487) you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power…
Acts 10:44, NKJV
While Peter was still speaking these words (4487), the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word(3056).
These are great scriptures to lead to the next meaning of the word – Word. In Acts ten verse thirty six it is the word Logos, however, in verse thirty seven, it is the word Rhema and in verse fourty four “words” is Rhema and “word” is Logos. So, I conclude that the Logos is the written Word of God expressed through the life of Jesus that empowers our lives from within via the Holy Spirit to have the ability to live in authority and power through our actions. Whereas the Rhema is a different expression, let’s investigate.
Word 4487 = Rhema
Definition
1. that which is or has been uttered by the living voice, thing spoken, a verbal word
a. any sound produced by the voice and having definite meaning
b. speech, discourse
• what one has said
c. a series of words joined together into a sentence (a declaration of one's mind and heart made in words.)
• an utterance
d. a saying of any sort as a message, a narrative
e. concerning some occurrence
2. subject matter of speech, thing spoken of;
a. so far as it is a matter of narration
b. so far as it is a matter of command
c. a matter of dispute, case at law
The word ‘Rhema’ denotes "that which is spoken, what is uttered in speech or spoken from a writing;" in the singular, "a word." (Vines dictionary of Biblical words)
Logos has the power and authority, and Rhema demonstrates that power and authority as a personal revelation which is acted on and declared as truth in one's life. An Inspired knowledge, a personal revelation which is accepted and acted on. An understanding of what it means to speak and live from a ‘Rhema word’ or a personal revelation, which is backed up by the Logos. Hopefully, this knowledge helps you to interpret what the scripture is revealing to us as we apply the correct meaning.
After studying this topic, God revealed to me the answer to the most ask question and also the most declared statement and the reason for many people giving up on or choosing not to believe in God. The question or comment is this “If God is good all the time and He is the healer why did my family member die? They went to church, read their Bible, prayed and even tithed.” Up until now, I did not have an answer that I was confident to give. The best answer I could give was “I do not understand all the workings of God, His ways are higher than mine.” I am wanting to give you a reason to stick around because I am going to provide you with the answer to this question at the end of this study.
I want to investigate some more scriptures now, and by taking what we have learned from the understanding of these two emphasise embedded in the word “Word,” let us reveal this truth in the Word for ourselves today! I believe these findings will amaze you as they did me.
The first scripture I want to investigate is Matthew 12:36. This one has been preached and used as a way for people to watch every word they speak out of their mouth. I believe as we read the Logos of God we need to do what Jesus did and always relate it to the nature of God. The motto I live by is this; ‘God is good all the time, and all the time God is God.’ I believe God is loving and I do not believe that a loving God would hold me accountable for every idle word that I speak. I always had a problem with the way people interpreted this scripture in Matthew. It went against my Rhema of God, or you could say the revelation I gained about God.
Matthew 12:36, NKJV
But I say to you that for every idle word (4487) men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.
Hopefully, you noticed I placed the Greek reference number for the correct translation of the word -Word in this verse? So it should read; (But I say to you that for every idle RHEMA word men may speak, they will give an account of it in the day of judgment.)
I went to bed thinking and pondering on this word, and I had a dream. I was sitting down with God, and I said, Lord can you tell me how this scripture impacts a person’s life? This is what He said to me. There are many believers running around telling people I have given them a revelation and because they say ‘God told me’ they are using the authority and power of My Word (Logos), and by doing this, they cannot be challenged. So they are literally saying, I have a Rhema from God. I then asked God to give me some examples. He said people, say things like “I can live this way or that way because God has revealed to me that it is ok.” Another thing people say is this, ‘God has told them to go to a different church.’ Knowing full well that I (God) never told them, but by using my name, they are stopping any influence or challenge to their decision because “God said.” In other words, they are using the authority and power of My Word (Logos) as an excuse to sin.
By willingly choosing to live this way they are neglecting to live inline with the Logos Word of God, they need to know they will have to give an account for misusing my Word on the day of judgement, called the judgement seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10, Romans 14:10-13). Also by having the word Rhema, it is referencing one who has received the Logos as truth and a definite revelation, not just anyone. Let us read what John 12:48 has to say;
John 12:48, NKJV
He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words(4487), has that which judges him—the word(3056) that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.
The revelation of the context in which Jesus shares this compelling truth found in Matthew twelve is also very reassuring and gives us some insight into whom He was speaking to and the wisdom we need to understand the context of verse thirty six from Matthew twelve. Let us read Matthew 12:33-37;
Matthew 12:33-36, NKJV
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word (4487) men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words(3056) you will be justified, and by your words(3056) you will be condemned.”
I find verse 37 also very interesting it could read like this, ‘For by the way you live out the life source – the Logos (the word of God) you will be justified or condemned.’ Let me leave you with these words a minister said to me one day, ‘Don’t allow people to judge or condemn you or even tell you how you should be living based on the Word of God until you see their life oozing the life source and fruit of Gods Word.’
Let us have a look at some more revelational scriptures.
Matthew 27:14, NKJV
But He answered him not one word (4487), so that the governor marveled greatly.
We find here that Pilate asks Jesus if He had something to say for His defence, and we see that Jesus chooses not to speak one revelational Rhema word to him. So I take home from this that just because you can defend yourself by speaking revelational truth, you do not have to. Sometimes you just have to trust God. We also see in second Corinthians that every Rhema word needs to be backed up by more than your own personal revelation, it needs to be supported by other faith-filled believers who know and live from the Rhema word of God.
2 Corinthians 13:1, NKJV
This will be the third time I am coming to you. “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word (4487) shall be established.
In this scripture we are about to look at in Hebrews, it is indicating that the people no longer wanted to hear the Logos because it made them accountable to live by the Rhema they were receiving, this is also a sad truth for many churchgoers today, ‘in my opinion.’
Hebrews 12:19, NKJV
and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words (4487), so that those who heard it begged that the word (3056) should not be spoken to them anymore.
Let us read some verses from John that relate to the Word and see how we interpret them now.
John 3:34, NKJV
For He whom God has sent speaks the words(4487) of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.
John 8:20, NKJV
These words (4487) Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.
John 8:29-30, NKJV
And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” 30 As He spoke these words (4487), many believed in Him.
John 8:37, NKJV
I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word (3056) has no place in you.
John 8:47, NKJV
He who is of God hears God’s words(4487); therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.
Acts 2:14, NKJV
But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words (4487).
Acts 11:13-16, NKJV
And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, ‘Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter, 14 who will tell you words (4487) by which you and all your household will be saved.’ 15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered the word (4487) of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
Acts 13:42, NKJV
On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word (4487) of God.
2 Peter 3:2, NKJV
that you may be mindful of the words (4487) which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior.
Jude 1:17, NKJV
But you, beloved, remember the words (4487) which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:25
But the word (4487) of the LORD endures forever.” Now this is the word (4487) which by the gospel was preached to you.
Hebrews 11:3, NKJV
By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word (4487) of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
logos is reasoned speech, Rhema is an utterance, "the articulated expression of a thought that has become a personal revelation, a declaration by word, action and lifestyle."
Luke5:5, AMP
And Simon (Peter) answered, Master, we toiled all night [exhaustingly] and caught nothing [in our nets]. But on the ground of Your word (4487), I will lower the nets [again].
God takes responsibility to watch over His Word. His Word never returns void, and it will accomplish what it is sent out to do.
Jeremiah 1:12 NKJV
Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word.”
Isaiah 55:11, NKJV
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
God takes the responsibility to ensure that His Word will come to pass on the Earth. He has invested His Word through His Son (the Logos) so that someone can speak into existence His will for the Earth. All He needs is someone to speak into existence His will via His Word, the Logos and Rhema. As we can see in the example above, for His will to be accomplished in the Earth, His Word needs to be declared, and He watches over it to see His Word is fulfilled.
So, in my conclusive thought at this moment from this study, I see Logos as the Life source (Jesus as the word and expression of God through His life and then documented in the written Word.) I see Rhema as words spoken from that life source with revelation and the corresponding action, harnessing and utilising all the power and authority from on high that is made available for us through Christ Jesus.
Let us have a look at some more scriptures and see how they read to us now with this new revelation of the word ‘Word’.
Luke 24:10-11, NKJV
It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. 11 And their words (4487) seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.
Acts 10:44, NKJV
While Peter was still speaking these words (4487), the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word (3056).
1 Corinthians 4:20, NKJV
For the kingdom of God is not in word (3056) but in power.
Galatians 6:6, NKJV
Let him who is taught the word (4487) share in all good things with him who teaches.
Hebrews 6:5, NKJV
and have tasted the good word (4487) of God and the powers of the age to come,
Remember I told you I would answer the question or comment we hear a lot, “If God is good all the time and He is the healer, why did my family member die? They went to church, read their Bible, prayed and even tithed, they were the best Christian I have ever known.”
When I pondered on this question one night before I slept – I recall a revelation from God, ‘some people call it a vision because of my age.’ Whatever, anyway, this is what God revealed to me. The answer is clear when you understand my Logos; the answer is in My Word. Turn to Romans chapter ten.
Romans 10:8-10, NKJV
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
God said to me; it is not about going to church, reading your Bible, praying or even giving your finances, these are all things that need to be observed. However, if that were all it took to fight the good fight of faith, then everyone would be going to war unprepared, and many more would be taken out of the fight early.
Now that you know the power and authority of my Logos is only manifested when my Word becomes Rhema in a person’s life, you can see it is not about what you read, but what becomes a way of life, a revelation a heartfelt decision, your life source. That is how Bible Faith is developed, and you become equipped for the war for life. Now let us read that verse again from Romans ten but with the correct translation of the Word as Rhema and see how much more sense it makes in answering the posing question.
Romans 10:8-10, NKJV
But what does it say? “The Rhema word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the Rhema word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
The word salvation here is the Greek is the word ‘soteria’, and the Biblical definition is deliverance, preservation, safety, salvation, rescue and health. In an ethical sense, that which concludes to the soul's safety or salvation, wellness of being.
Paul goes on to teach us how to develop authentic Bible faith in verse seventeen of Romans ten; I believe this is to qualify the statement he made in verse eight, ‘that is, the Rhema word of faith which we preach’. We have thought for so long that Faith comes by us reading the Word of God. However, many people have read the Word until they are blue in the face. Especially when illness or pressure comes, they get out their Bible and their Concordance and look up every scripture on healing and the ones dealing with their situation. They write them down, stick them on their fridge and confess them daily, but still to no effect why? Because we have learnt through this study, that it is about allowing the Word to become Rhema and only then will we see the power and authority of the Word of God become manifest in our life. Let us read what Romans ten verse seventeen has to say.
Romans 10:17, NKJV
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the ‘Rhema’ word of God.
Let us now look at what this verse is saying to us. “Faith comes by hearing the Rhema Word of God.” Did you also notice that this scripture is repetitive on the word ‘hearing’, this is indicating that it is not a ones only thing to do? So I conclude that for us to develop Bible Faith, we need to continually be receiving personal Rhema words, and this only comes by having a relationship with the Logos Word of God. Not seeing the reading of the Bible as an accomplishment, but regarding the Word of God as our manual for life or our life source to be referred to daily.
Now let us look at another verse reinforcing this new revelation and truth we have discovered. This one is the clincher for me; I was genuinely amazed when I discovered this one and the power of what it was declaring, especially when I read the verse around it.
The significance of a Rhema word (as distinct from Logos) is exemplified in the command to take "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." In Ephesians chapter six verse seventeen; the reference here is not to the whole Bible as such, but to the individual scripture which the Holy Spirit brings to our remembrance for use in the time of need, a prerequisite being the regular storing of the Logos in your mind and heart.
Ephesians 6:17, NKJV
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Yes, you guessed it, the word ‘Word’ here is Rhema. So, the sword of the Spirit, or you could say, that the weapon we have been given to fight the good fight of Faith is the Holy Spirit and the Rhema word of God.
For too long we have thought it was the Logos or written word of God that is our sword. So, we have read and studied the Logos of God and believed that the more knowledge we have, the more power we have to fight the good fight of faith. However, knowledge without outworking is just theory. I believe that philosophy is the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline. The study of the theoretical basis of a particular branch of knowledge and experience: a theory or attitude that acts as a guiding principle for behaviour.
I think that this thought cannot be finalised any better than by reading these words from Paul as he penned an encouragement to all believers;
Ephesians 6:10-18, NKJV
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word (4487) of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.”
Let us close this topic with this reading from 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.
2 Corinthians 5:18-21, NKJV
Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word (3056) of reconciliation.
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Can I encourage you to make a determined decision to live out of the whole Word of God empowered with the Zoë - God kind of life and to be led by the Spirit of God in all that you do so that you can live in the actual abundance of God?
As you read this next verse in Romans 8:5 meditate and observe what Paul is telling the readers about the pursuit of worldliness versus the way of the Spirit.
Romans 8:5, AMP
For those who are according to the flesh and are controlled by its unholy desires set their minds on and pursue those things which gratify the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit and are controlled by the desires of the Spirit set their minds on and seek those things which gratify the [Holy] Spirit.
