Jesus is the Logos
At the heart of Christian theology is the belief that Jesus is the Logos, or Word of God. This truth has shaped the church’s understanding of the person and work of Jesus Christ, the nature of revelation, and the relationship between God and humanity. The term “Logos” is most famously introduced in the prologue of the Gospel of John, where it is used to describe Jesus’ preexistence, divinity, and role in creation and redemption. This article will explore the foundations of Jesus as the Logos.
The Meaning of Logos
The Greek word logos is rich in meaning and history. In its most basic sense, logos means “word,” “speech,” “reason,” or “expression.” But looking more at depth into classical Greek philosophy, logos refers to rational principle, order, or the underlying logic of the universe. In the context of Hellenistic Judaism, particularly in the writings of Philo of Alexandria, logos was used to describe the intermediary through whom God created and sustained the world.
However, the New Testament, and especially the Gospel of John, gives the term a unique and profound significance. John 1:1 opens with the declaration: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Here, logos is not just an abstract principle or impersonal force, but a personal, divine being who is both distinct from and yet fully identified with God. The logos is the ultimate self-expression of God, the one through whom God reveals himself and accomplishes his purposes.
Jesus as the Logos of God
John 1:14 continues: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” This affirms the incarnation: the eternal Logos, who was with God and was God, entered human history as Jesus of Nazareth. In Jesus, the invisible God is made visible, the transcendent becomes immanent, and the divine communicates directly with humanity.
The Logos is not only the agent of creation but also the source of life and light for humanity. John 1:3-4 states, “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” This follows the Genesis creation account, where God speaks the world into existence. The Logos is the divine Word by which all things come to be, and in whom all things hold together.
The apostle Paul echoes this theme in Colossians 1:16-17: “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Here, Paul identifies Jesus as the preeminent one in creation, the one through whom and for whom all things exist.
Logos as the Image of God
A crucial aspect of the Logos doctrine is Jesus being the image of God. Paul writes in Colossians 1:15, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” The Greek word for “image” (eikon) conveys the idea of exact representation or manifestation. Jesus, as the Logos, perfectly reveals the nature and character of God to humanity. He is not a reflection or copy; he is the true embodiment of God’s being.
Hebrews 1:3 says, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” Jesus is the definitive revelation of God, the one in whom the fullness of deity dwells bodily (Colossians 2:9). To see Jesus is to see God, for he is the Logos made flesh.
Are Jesus and God the Same?
The question of whether Jesus and God are the same is both profound and nuanced. The New Testament affirms both the unity and the distinction between Jesus and God the Father. John 1:1 asserts, “the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The phrase “with God” indicates a distinction of persons, while “was God” affirms the full deity of the Logos.
This tension is at the heart of the doctrine of the Trinity, which holds that the one God exists eternally in three persons: Father, Son (the Logos), and Holy Spirit. Each person is fully and equally God, yet there is only one God. The Son is not the Father, nor is the Father the Son, but both are of the same divine essence. This is not a contradiction, but a mystery that transcends human comprehension, as the church has confessed from its earliest days.
The early church fathers, such as Justin Martyr, recognized this distinction and unity. Justin wrote, “God begat before all creatures a beginning, a certain Power… who is called by the Holy Spirit, sometimes the Glory of the Lord, sometimes the Son, again Wisdom, again an Angel, then God, then Lord, and Logos.” He further explained that God conversed with someone numerically distinct from himself in the creation of man, yet this one was truly brought forth from the Father and was with the Father before all creatures (see, Ante-Nicene Witness to Jesus’ Deity).
Jesus himself affirmed both his unity with and distinction from the Father. In John 10:30, he declared, “I and the Father are one,” indicating a unity of essence and purpose. Yet he also prayed to the Father and spoke of being sent by the Father (John 17:3, 21). The apostle Paul, in Philippians 2:6, describes Jesus as “being in very nature God,” yet humbling himself to take on human form.
The Logos and the Written Word
It is important to note that the term logos is also used in the New Testament to refer to the written or spoken message of God. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Here, the logos is the dynamic, powerful message of God that brings conviction and transformation.
Jesus, as the Logos, is the subject and fulfillment of the written Word. In John 5:39, Jesus says, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.” The Scriptures point to Jesus as the ultimate revelation of God, the one in whom all the promises and purposes of God find their “yes” (2 Corinthians 1:20).
Christian Faith and Life
Jesus as the Logos is a reality that we can build our strong foundation on. This truth affirms that God is not silent or distant, but has spoken definitively and personally in Jesus Christ. The Logos is God’s ultimate self-revelation, the one who makes God known and accessible to humanity. As John 1:18 declares, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”
The Logos doctrine grounds the Christian understanding of salvation. Through the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God has acted to reconcile humanity to himself. The Logos enters into the brokenness of the world, bears the penalty of sin, and offers new life to all who believe. As Paul writes in Colossians 1:19-20, “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
Finally, the Logos provides the pattern for Christian living. Believers are called to be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29), to reflect the character and love of God revealed in Jesus. The indwelling Spirit enables us to grow in Christlikeness, bearing the fruit of the Spirit and participating in the mission of God in the world.
Conclusion
The identification of Jesus as the Logos is a foundational truth of the Christian faith. The Logos is the eternal Word, the perfect image of God, the agent of creation, and the redeemer of humanity. In Jesus, the fullness of God is revealed, and through him, the way to God is opened. The doctrine of the Logos calls believers to worship, trust, and follow Jesus as the one who is both fully God and fully man, the living Word who brings life, light, and truth to the world.