The Logos of Life
by Dudley Ross Spears
via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 17 No. 1, 31 March 1991
The "Logos" is the Christ, the Son of the Most High God. John uses a term ordinarily meaning" a word" and applies it to the timeless and changeless Christ. There are a few cases where "logos" is used to express reason, account, or motive. But John’s application of it to Christ presents Jesus of Nazareth as the eternal "logos" of God Almighty. A. T. Robertson wrote,
"John’s introduction at once lifts his narrative out of mere biography and shows the eternal relations of that Logos (the Son of God, Jesus Christ). He achieves this by employing the Greek word "Logos" (Word), which has philosophical affinities with Plato and the Stoics, as well as Philo, who frequently uses it. But John’s Logos is personal, not a mere Platonic idea, nor a Philonic abstraction (at times Pantheistic)." [Epochs in the Life of the Apostle John, p. 170].
The term Logos is not applied to Christ outside of John’s writing. However, the idea of Jesus' eternal nature and deity is presented throughout the New Testament. That Jesus was, is, and ever shall be deity is a clear affirmation of the New Testament. Those who deny the deity of Christ before, during, or after the time He was seen in the flesh are guilty of heretical teaching.
I John 1:1 reads, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of Life" (or the Logos of life). Through Christ, life was generated in the beginning. Through the word of God, life came into existence. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was nothing made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men" (John 1:1-3). One is reminded of Genesis 1:3 as God simply spoke light into being.
Jesus Christ is God’s wisdom manifested in the flesh to mankind (Hebrews 1:1-3), and Jesus is the only one qualified to "reveal" God to man. John wrote, "No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him" (John 1:18). It is interesting to note that the term translated "declare" is from the same word that exegesis came from. It was used both in the Septuagint and classical Greek for interpreting the Divine will. A. Plummer notes,
"In this Prologue (of John’s Gospel), we notice what may be called a spiral movement. An idea comes to the front, like the strand of a rope, retires again, and then reappears later on for development and further definition. Meanwhile, another idea, like another strand, comes before us and retires to reappear in like manner. Thus, the Logos is presented to us in verse 1, is withdrawn, and again presented to us in verse 14. The Creation passes next before us in verse 3 to reappear in verses 10 and 11. Lastly, the testimony of John is mentioned in verses 6, 7, repeated in verse 15, taken up again in verse 19, and developed through the next two sections of the chapter." [Cambridge Greek New Testament for Schools and Colleges].
There is no way to understand deity and not accept Christ as partaker of that deity. The great benefit all mankind receives is that this logos became flesh and dwelt among men, by which the world is privileged to behold the majesty of God, the glory that passes to glory.
To accept the fact of Jesus as the Eternal Logos is to put faith in Him as the Son of God and commit to Him loyal and unquestioning obedience from the heart.
