18/01/2017
Question: "How can Jesus and the Bible
both be the Word of God?"
Answer: The phrase “word of God” appears
often in the Bible and can have a slightly
different meaning depending on context
and the Hebrew or Greek word used. John
1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word.
And the Word was with God and the Word
was God. He was in the beginning with
God.” Here, Word is a title of the Lord
Jesus. The term translated “Word” is logos,
which basically means “the expression of a
thought.” Logos can be thought of as the
total message of God to man (Acts 11:1; 1
Thessalonians 2:13). Jesus embodied that
total message, and that is why He is called
the “Logos,” or “ Word,” of God (Colossians
1:19; 2:9).
Logos is also used many times when
referring to the written message of God
(John 17:17; 1 Timothy 4:5; Revelation 1:2;
Colossians 1:25). Hebrews 4:12 says, “The
word of God is alive and active. Sharper
than any double-edged sword, it penetrates
even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and
marrow; it judges the thoughts and
attitudes of the heart.” Jesus showed a link
between the written Word of God and
Himself, in that He is the subject of the
written Word: “You study the Scriptures
diligently because you think that in them
you have eternal life. These are the very
Scriptures that testify about me” ( John
5:39).
Another Greek word used for “word” is
rhema. Rhema refers to the actual spoken/
written words of God (Hebrews 6:5). When
Jesus was being tempted by Satan, He
answered, “Man does not live by bread
alone, but by every word [ rhema] that
proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew
4:4). We are told in Ephesians 6:17 to “take
the helmet of salvation and the sword of
the Spirit, which is the word [ rhema] of
God.” Jesus demonstrated we need the
actual recorded words of God to overcome
Satan’s attacks.
The phrase “word of God” means more than
the printed words on a page. God is a
communicator and has been speaking into
the human realm since the beginning. He
speaks through His creation ( Psalm 19:1),
through ancient prophets (Hosea 12:10;
Hebrews 1:1), through the Holy Spirit (John
16:13; Acts 16:6), through Scripture
(Hebrews 4:12), and through the Person of
His Son, Jesus Christ (John 14:9). We can
learn to know God better by seeking to
hear Him in every way that He speaks.
