LOGOS: Understanding John's Theology
HOW DID THE ORIGINAL READERS UNDERSTAND THE TERM LOGOS?
During the time the Gospel of John was written, the term logos was familiar to both Jews and Greeks. It was widely used in philosophy and theology. To best understand what John meant by logos, we need to look at how people of his time understood the term.
1. Hellenistic Logos
According to Greek philosophy, logos referred to the Divine Reason that orders the universe—the rational principle or idea that governs and sustains all things. It was believed to be the power that brings order to chaos and keeps everything in harmony. For the Stoic philosophers, logos was the rational force that governed the cosmos. The founder of this school of thought, Zeno of Citium, even equated logos with Zeus, their supreme god who permeates all things.
It’s also worth noting that the English word “logic” comes from this same Greek root, logos.
2. Jewish Logos (Word, Law, Wisdom)
The Jewish understanding of logos shared similarities with the Greek view but was much broader and richer in meaning. For them, logos was not merely “reason” but God’s self-expression—His divine revelation. In Jewish thought, logos combined the concepts of God’s Word, Law, and Wisdom—that is, God revealing Himself to humanity.
God’s Word. It was commonly known that God created all things through His Word (Gen 1; Ps 33:6; 147:15), and that His Word itself bore divine qualities because it came from Him (Isa 40:8; Ps 107:20; 119:105). During John’s time, the Targum—the Aramaic translation of the Old Testament—was widely used among the Jews. In the Targum, the phrase “the word of the Lord” (Memra) often replaced “Lord” or “God.” For instance, Genesis 1:1, which reads, “In the beginning, God created...” was rendered in the Targum as “In the beginning, the word of the Lord created…” This shows that for the Jews, the Word was considered equal in status to God Himself. Hence, the term Memra (Aramaic) or logos (Greek) could be used in reference to God.
God’s Law. For the Jewish people, the Law was God’s revelation of His character. Whatever God is, His Law reflects. Because God is holy (Lev 20:26), His Law is also holy (Rom 7:12). (See also Ps 19:7–8; Prov 6:23.)
God’s Wisdom. Wisdom was also highly valued among the Jews. They regarded it as “God’s first creation” (Prov 8:22–23) and often personified it in their writings. From this, we can see that for the people of that time, logos referred to an abstract, non-personal concept—something like divine reason, revelation, or wisdom.
3. Philo's Logos
The understanding of logos during John’s time was heavily influenced by a Jewish philosopher named Philo of Alexandria. Philo combined Greek and Jewish ideas about logos and added his own insights. For Philo, logos was the divine reason or ideas within God’s mind, expressed outwardly through words that manifest in the world. In other words, logos was the means by which God interacted with the physical creation. Philo also described logos as a mediator—a bridge between the infinite God and the finite world. This idea can be illustrated by how our own thoughts become spoken words—through them, we connect and communicate with others.
John's Logos: A Person
For both the Greeks and Philo, logos was impersonal—it did not possess the qualities of a person. It could not think or act independently. Logos was simply a principle or concept, much like “peace,” “truth,” or “justice.”
John used the popular term of his day, with all its philosophical and religious meanings, but gave it a radically new and deeper definition. For John, Logos is not an abstract idea but a Person—not merely a concept about God, but God Himself. In fact, John made an astonishing claim: Jesus is the Logos (John 1:17). Notice that in the following verses, John uses personal pronouns—“He” and “Him”—to refer to the Logos.
Though John’s concept of Logos has parallels to the philosophical and Jewish meanings known at the time, it goes far beyond them. John’s Logos is personal, living, and divine. The Logos is not just an expression of God—He is God incarnate in Jesus Christ.
THE LOGOS ACCORDING TO JOHN
According to John, Jesus is the One who governs and sustains the universe. The Greeks believed that the "Divine Reason" orders all things—but John declared that this is none other than Jesus Himself. He is the principle behind everything—the Logic behind Creation. “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:3). Jesus is not merely part of creation; He is its very source, the rational and divine cause behind the existence of everything.
John also presents Jesus as the perfect revelation of God to humanity (v.18). The teachings of Jesus were not simply messages about God—they were the very words of God Himself (John 14:24; 3:34; 14:10; 17:8). However, Jesus’ words were not divine merely because He spoke them; they were divine because He is the Logos. He was not just the messenger of God’s Word—He is the Word of God incarnate. Jesus is both the Revealer and the Revelation.That is why most modern English translations render Logos as “Word.” It captures John’s point: Jesus is the living, personal expression of who God is.
In the opening verses of his Gospel, John draws a deliberate parallel between the Law given through Moses and Jesus, the Logos.
a. When the Law was given, God’s presence dwelt among His people in the Tabernacle (Ex. 33:9–10). But in Jesus’ time, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling [literally, ‘tabernacled’] among us.” (v.14)
b. When the Law was given, only Moses saw God’s glory (Ex. 33:12–23). But in Jesus, “We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son.” (v.14)
c. When God revealed His glory to Moses, it was described as “abounding in love and faithfulness” (Ex. 34:6)—the same expression John echoes when he says Jesus came “full of grace and truth.” (v.14)
d. When the Law was given, no one could see the full glory of God—not even Moses (Ex. 33:20). In contrast, Jesus has seen the Father’s full glory, for He Himself is God (v.18).
John’s message is clear: what the Law revealed partially, Jesus, the Logos, revealed completely.
Through Jesus, grace and truth came to us (v.17). By using the term Logos, John introduces Christ as the Mediator—the One through whom God personally interacts with the world. John writes that “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (v.14) How did God do this? By becoming one of us. Through the incarnation, God connected with humanity in the most intimate way possible. That’s why one of Jesus’ titles is Emmanuel, meaning “God with us” (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:22–23).
Scripture further affirms this truth: “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Tim. 2:5); “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant.” (Heb. 9:15); “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6). Through the Logos, God Himself has entered our world, revealing His glory, grace, and truth in human form.
Christ as Logos: An Outrageous Claim
By using the term “Logos” to refer to Jesus, John was making a bold and even shocking claim for his time. He was declaring that the word everyone thought they understood was, in fact, used in ignorance. The logos they knew only pointed to the true Logos—One who was far more than an abstract idea. And John confronted them with this reality: they did not even recognize Him. (v.10).
IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD
By opening with the phrase “In the beginning,” John intentionally directed his readers back to Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” From the very start, even before creation itself, God already existed. And John declares that the same is true of Jesus—the Logos. If God is eternal because He existed from the beginning, then Jesus, the Logos, is eternal as well. Take note: from the very beginning, the Word was!
John was also drawing a parallel to the Genesis creation story. In Genesis, everything came into being through God’s Word (logos). Likewise, John affirms that through the Logos, which is Christ, everything was made (v.3). In Genesis, light appeared before life (light on Day 1, life on Days 5–6). In John’s Gospel, the Logos is described as both life and light (v.4).
By stating that the Logos was already present from the very beginning, John was showing his readers that the Logos is far greater than wisdom (also associated with logos). The Jewish people believed that wisdom was God’s first creation. “The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; I was formed long ages ago, at the very beginning, when the world came to be… Then I was constantly at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence,” (Prov 8:22-23, 30 NIV). But John makes it clear that the Logos was not created—He already was from the start.
In Jewish culture, wisdom was more than just practical knowledge, skill, or intellectual understanding like science or art. For the ancient people, wisdom meant order. Wherever there was order, there was wisdom. This explains why they believed that before God created everything else, He first created wisdom. Before God set the universe in order, wisdom already existed in His mind. Wisdom, then, was understood as the reason that orders the universe (which is similar with the Hellenistic idea of logos). John used this familiar concept to introduce Jesus, who surpasses even wisdom itself.
If wisdom was believed to be God’s first creation, then Jesus existed before wisdom, because He Himself created it! “Through Him all things were made.” (John 1:2) According to John's theology, Jesus is not a created being but the Eternal Creator Himself. Paul affirmed the same idea, “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Col 1:16-17 NIV) or simply, “In the beginning was the Word.”
AND THE WORD WAS WITH GOD
John presents Jesus, the Logos, as being with God from the very beginning (vv.1–2). This parallels the portrayal of wisdom in Proverbs 8:30, which is described as being with God from the start. Here, John is declaring that Jesus was with the Father from eternity—in other words, Jesus is eternal just as the Father is.
The Father did not create Jesus “in the beginning,” because they have always existed together. The Jews referred to God as their Father (Deut. 32:6; Isa. 64:8), and during His earthly ministry, Jesus revealed who the Father truly is (Matt. 11:27; John 1:14, 18; 5:30, 37, etc.).
John was also making a clear distinction between Jesus (the Word) and the Father (God)—which means that Jesus is not the Father, and the Father is not Jesus. Notice as well that John says the Word was with God in the beginning, not in God. This shows that the Word is not merely a part of God, but a distinct Person who exists in eternal relationship with the Father.
Jesus is described as being at the right hand of the Father (Luke 22:69; Acts 7:55–56; Rom. 8:34; Eph. 1:20; Col. 3:1, etc.). This phrase, “the right hand of the Father,” is rooted in a Messianic prophecy (Ps. 110:1). When we examine how this expression is used throughout the New Testament, it clearly represents a position of honor, authority, and power (see Mark 14:62; Luke 22:69; 1 Pet. 3:22), as well as close fellowship with God the Father.
The phrase does not mean that God literally has a physical hand, nor does it imply that Jesus is merely God’s assistant or subordinate—absolutely not! Rather, it signifies that Jesus shares in the Father’s authority, glory, and intimate relationship. John echoes this same truth in verse 18 when he says that the Son is “in closest relationship with the Father” (NIV)—or as other translations put it: “in the bosom of the Father” (KJV), “at the Father’s side” (ESV), “near to the Father’s heart” (NLT). Being "in the Father's bossom/ side" literally means, being "in the Father's lap," an idiom of greatest possible intimacy, used many several times to describe devoted care of a parent to his/ her child (Num 11:1; Ruth 4:16; Lam 2:12). To put it simply, “The Word was with God.
AND THE WORD WAS GOD
John was clearly declaring that Jesus, the Word, is God. It was crucial for John to make this point right from the beginning, because the very purpose of his Gospel was to lead readers to faith: “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:31 NIV)
Take note: the Jews did not believe that God had a “Begotten” or “Only Son” in a unique sense, because they firmly held to the truth that God is one. And rightly so—even the Apostle John believed this, and Jesus Himself affirmed it: “This is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God…” (John 17:3 NIV)
Yet that was not the whole truth. For the same Jesus who claimed to be the only Son of God (John 3:16) also claimed to be God Himself (John 1:1, 18). To the Jewish mind, such a claim was blasphemy—a serious offense against God! To say that one is the Begotten Son of God was, to them, equivalent to claiming equality with God, because whatever the Father is, so is the Son. That’s why they hated Jesus and sought to kill Him: “For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” (John 5:18 NIV).
John used the Greek phrase “Monogenēs Theos”, which literally means “Only (Mono) Begotten (Genēs) God (Theos)”, to describe the Son—Jesus—in verse 18. By using these words, John wanted to emphasize that Jesus is the one and only Son of God—unique, incomparable, and special. At the same time, he was declaring that Jesus Himself is God. John also used the same root words (mono and Theos) when recording Jesus’ prayer to the Father: “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only (mono) true God (Theos), and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3 NIV). In other words, the Gospel of John reveals that Jesus is the Only Begotten God, just as the Father is the Only True God—or simply put, “The Word was God.” Stay Curious.
Sources and Studies:
Walton, J. H., & Keener, C. S. (2016). Wisdom. In NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible. Zondervan.
Lovett, C. S. (1970). John: Personal New Testament Commentary (Vol. 4). Lovett’s Light for Laymen.
Brown, C. (Ed.). (1975). Word. In The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology (Vol. 3). Zondervan.
Douglas, J. D. (Ed.). (1963). Logos. In New International Bible Dictionary. Zondervan.
Vincent, M. R. (1887). Logos. In Word studies in the New Testament (Vol. 2). Scribner’s.
Guzik, D. (2018). John 1 – The Word and the Witness. Enduring Word. https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/john-1/
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