Fracturing The Logos of the Gospel

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Fracturing The Logos of the Gospel

I have a deep fascination with the Greek word “Logos.” In fact, I’ve been dwelling on it and its usage in the New Testament and the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament)* for quite some time. One of the more interesting usages of the word is in Acts chapter 15 where” logos” is used in a unique way.

But first, a little history: In John 1:1 it says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” There is little question that “the Word” (λόγος Logos) here in this passage is referring to Jesus. In the same chapter, verse 14, John writes “The Word (λόγος Logos) became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth..” But, is that all it’s referring to?

It has become fashionable to limit the (λόγος Logos) to Christ alone. For example, in Hebrews 4:12 “For the word (λόγος Logos) 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.” Many misapply this verse by saying it is talking about “The Word of God,” “The Scriptures,” or “The Bible” ONLY. It is not. It is presenting the logos as a unified idea. Christ AND His Words.

The principle motivation for fracturing the (λόγος Logos) from the person Jesus, I believe, is to attack the bible or the written Word of God and detract from its authority. Some, who’ve had the noble intention of elevating Christ as “All,” have, in some cases inadvertently fractured the Logos. While logos has a wide variety of uses in the New Testament, there are two principle ideas in most of them:

1. A “word” (logos) is that by which we communicate our will; by which we convey our thoughts; or by which we issue commands the medium of communication with others.

2. The Son of God may be called “the Word,” because he is the medium by which God promulgates His will and issues His commandments. We see this in the case of Hebrews 1:1-3:

“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.

The logos is both the medium and message. The logos is message by medium. The medium without message or message without medium is a fractured logos. This also applies to the written logos, the scriptures. I am not declaring an absolute, but building a robust foundation for a thesis that I will develop in a series of posts related to this one.

Back to Acts 15. Peter, speaking to some others regarding a developing problem in the church says, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe.” One phrase leaped out at me here:

“The Word of the Gospel.”

“The Logos of the Gospel”

For those who wish to separate the message and the medium this phrase will simply not make sense. Additionally, there are those who claim that “the gospel” only refers to Jesus the person. If we strictly applied these concepts to Acts 15:7 then we’re left with “The Jesus of the Jesus.” There are many other examples where the logos get’s fractured.

In the book “Scripture As Logos: “Rabbi Ishmael and the Origins of Midrash” The authors states:

“The logos is simultaneously the instructor and the content of its instruction.”

Here is where I would normally ask you, the reader, a few questions. Instead, I’d be glad to entertain some of yours. If you have a question, please ask in the comment section. Lord willing, I will be using your questions and other materials to write a piece called “The Fractured Logos.”

* Some Old Testament usages of logos:

And Jehovah said unto Moses, Is Jehovah’s hand waxed short? now shalt thou see whether my word (logos) shall come to pass unto thee or not. (Numbers 11:23)

And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel; And he said unto them, Set your heart unto all the words (logous) which I testify unto you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, even all the words of this law. For it is no vain thing (logos) for you; because it is your life, and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over the Jordan to possess it. (Deuteronomy 32:45-47)