Word: Graphḗ Rhéma Lógos

Q:

When is the Word of God not the Word of God?

A:

When it’s the Word of God.

OK?

Got that?

No?

I’ll try again.

When is the Word of God (Scripture) not the Word of God (spoken to the writers of the Scripture and to us)?

When it’s the Word of God (God Incarnate: Jesus the Christ).

Greek Word Study: Word

Graphḗ Rhéma Lógos

Sometimes English is too limiting to fully express an idea.

Especially if the idea is from another language that has various “words” where English merely uses one “word.”

(Whew! I didn’t know how challenging it would be writing about the word “word.”

Please stick with me through the convolutions of language.)

In fact, the Greek language uses three different words usually translated using the one English word – “word.”

They are graphḗ, rhéma, and lógos.

(Notice: Lógos is NOT to be confused with “legos” the blocks, nor with “Legolas” the elf.)

Graphḗ: Scripture

The Greek word used for Scripture, the Holy Bible, the Book that many today call “the Word,”  is graphḗ.

graphḗ1124 a writing, scripture; passage of scripture

Please note:

Whenever the word graphḗ, Scripture, is used in the New Testament, it ALWAYS refers to the Hebrew Scripture, the TaNaK, what Christians call the OLD Testament.

The NEW Testament, as we know it, DID NOT EXIST at that time.

16 All Scripture1124 is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.                                                                2 Timothy 3:14-17 NASB

Thus, when Paul instructs Timothy re: Scripture, he is referring to the Hebrew Bible.

Paul is NOT referring to the NEW Testament. There IS NO New Testament in his day.

And Paul is NOT AWARE his writings will be canonized as part of the NEW Testament.

Graphḗ is the Greek root of English words, such as:

  • Graphic: images, usually drawn, not photographs; vivid descriptions
  • Graph: a visual display of information, a diagram; a written symbol that is used to represent speech
  • Graphite: the “lead” in a pencil – a writing instrument

Rhéma: Spoken Word

Before writing this article, I did not know much about the word “rhema.” I had heard “rhema” used in preaching some years ago. But I didn’t even know if it were Greek or Hebrew!

In my research, I found the word “rhema” was Greek, and that it is used for words that are spoken.

rhéma4487 a word, by implication a matter; a  thing spoken … saying …command … report … promise

In the New Testament, rhéma is used for the spoken word of God and the words of Yeshua.

63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words4487 that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.                                                                       John 6:63 NASB

       

Rhéma is also used for the spoken word of God, as written in Scripture.

I was surprised to learn that the word for the “word” of the sword of the Spirit is rhéma, not graphḗ, the Scripture, as I had understood from various teachings through the years.

17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is [the] word4487 of God.                                                                  Ephesians 6:17 NASB

Nick Zaccardi, in his article, Rhema – The Key to Victory, remarks

You may not want to hear this, but the Bible is not our sword.  The sword is a spiritual weapon.  As a matter of fact, the devil doesn’t fear the Bible.  He has it memorized.  There are even times that he uses it against God’s people.

It’s the rhema – Word of God that’s our spiritual weapon.  But does that mean I don’t need the Bible?  Absolutely not!  We are to study in order to show ourselves approved to use the rhema. (2 Timothy 2:15)

[emphasis mine]

I found other definitions of rhéma:

  • here: (‘it refers to divinely inspired insights. It represents a divine devotional truth “quickened by” God and then “expressed through” the heart and mouth of man.’)
  • here: (“which is used to refer to the instant, personal speaking of God” and “It’s by the rhema word that we can know God subjectively, in our personal experience.”)
  • here: (“Some charismatics view rhema as the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to them at the present moment. They believe they should be guided by the Holy Spirit through inner feelings, impressions and experiences.”)

Lógos: Concept, Idea, or Thought:

Another Greek word used for the spoken words of God and of Jesus the Christ is lógos.

33 With many such parables He was speaking2980 the3588 word3056 to them, so far as they were able to hear it;                                                                         Mark 4:33 NASB

The biblehub.com definition:

lógos3056 a word (as embodying an idea), a statement, a speech; divine utterance

(from légō3004, “speaking to a conclusion”) – a word, being the expression of a thought; a saying. 

The definition of logos in the Hebrew – Greek Key Word Study Bible NASB (p1852) begins

lógos3056; intelligence, word as the expression of that intelligence. From légō3004, to speak. Logos is the articulate utterance of human language. … Logos, when it refers to discourse, is regarded as the orderly linking and knitting together in connected arrangement of words of the inward thoughts and feelings of the mind.

John 3:34 [34“For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.] says that Jesus Christ being sent of God speaks exactly God’s utterances which those who are of God understand and those who are not of God do not understand.

In addition, there are various meanings (Agree, disagree? You decide.) of lógos defined by some Christians as a part of their doctrine:

  • here: (logos is used to refer to the constant, written word, which is recorded in the Bible)  
  • here: (Logos is God’s thoughts and concepts; it’s the truth, revelation and understanding of God.) [emphasis original]

While lógos can be considered the ideas, the intelligence, the mind of God, another understanding is common among Christians.

The understanding is that The Logos IS The Christ, The Son of God, Jesus, also called Yeshua.

Ho Lógos: The Son of God:

The phrase used for The Word (the Son of God) is Ho Lógos.

Ho3588 [a form of] the definite article “the,” signifying a specificity

The definition of lógos, from biblehub.com above, continues

lógos3056 (“word”) is preeminently used of Christ (Jn 1:1), expressing the thoughts of the Father through the Spirit.

John makes explicit his understanding of Yeshua as embodying the thoughts, intellect, the mind of the Father.

1 In the beginning was the3588 Word3056, and the3588 Word3056 was with God, and the3588 Word3056 was God.                                                              John 1:1 NASB

The definition of lógos in the Hebrew – Greek Key Word Study Bible NASB (p1852) continues

In John 1 Jesus Christ in His preincarnate state is called ho Logos, the Word, meaning first immaterial intelligence and then the expression of that intelligence in speech that humans could understand.

A further thought on John and The Lógos, from Got Questions?:

Logos is used in many ways, yet in John’s Gospel Logos is a clear reference to Jesus, the God who both created us and lived among us. Logos became a theological term important to Christians in the early church and remains a concept of significant influence today.

Graphḗ, Rhéma, Lógos

I was interested in how the various words for word were used in the Bible and how they nuanced my understanding.

So, I checked  them out!

Graphḗ and Lógos

After the resurrection, the disciples believed both what the Scriptures said about the Messiah and what Yeshua had told them about Himself. The two “witnesses” reinforced one another.

22 So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the3588 Scripture1124 and the3588 word3056 which Jesus had spoken.                                                                       John 2:22 NASB

The core Bible verse of My Word On The Word is Acts 17:11, which compares the unbelievers of Thessalonica and the believers of Berea.

11 Now these [the Bereans] were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the3588 word3056 with great eagerness, examining the3588 Scriptures1124 daily to see whether these things were so.                                                                       Acts 17:11 NASB

I believe, we too, are to study Scripture, know Scripture, and compare Scripture to what we are being taught.

As I have read and studied the Bible for myself, I have found things that I have been taught does not agree with what I read and see for myself.

As an example I remarked above, I was taught the Sword of the Spirit is the Bible (Ephesians 6:17).

However, as seen on https://biblehub.com/interlinear/ephesians/6-17.htm the Greek shows clearly that the “word of God” is NOT the graphḗ of God. Rather it is the rhéma of God.

The Sword of the Spirit is not merely the words on the pages (head knowledge). Instead, the Sword of the Spirit is the words of life and power (heart knowledge), the rhéma of God.

Rhéma and Lógos

One way to see the difference in rhema and logos is finding them in the same passage together.

48 “He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings4487 [the3588 words4487 of Me], has one who judges him; the3588 word3056 I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.                                                                John 12:48 NASB

In John 12:48 the “sayings” are the rhéma spoken by Jesus to His followers. The lógos that He spoke revealed the mind of God.

23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word3056 of God. 24 For, “ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF, 25 BUT THE WORD4487 OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER.” And this is the word4487 which was preached to you.                                                            1 Peter 1:23-25 NASB

Here, in 1 Peter 1:23-25, Peter says the lógos of God is imperishable, living, and enduring. He then quotes from Isaiah.

6 A voice says, “Call out.” Then he answered, “What shall I call out?” All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field 7 The grass withers, the flower fades, When the breath of the LORD blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word1697 of our God stands forever.                                                       Isaiah 40:6-8 NASB

The Greek uses the word rhéma4487. In the passage from Isaiah. The Hebrew word used is dabar1697. Dabar is the typical word used in the phrase “the word of God” in the Hebrew Bible.

dabar1697 speech, word (a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing)

Graphḗ and Rhéma

Rhéma is the Spirit-guided and reveled understanding of the graphḗ.

The rhéma we receive, whether as a scriptural insight or as personal direction, must agree with the whole of the teachings, as transmitted by the graphḗ.

To quote from Got Questions:

The test of the authenticity of a rhema from God is how it compares to the whole of Scripture. Orthodoxy says that God will not speak a word that contradicts His written Word, the Scriptures, so there is a built-in safeguard to prevent misinterpretation. The obvious danger is that one who is not familiar with the logos can misinterpret or misunderstand what he or she perceives to be a rhema

Nevertheless, even intense study of the Scriptures can lead us astray.

We can be like the Pharisees and search the scriptures, but, without the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, never come to know the Father or to know the Son.

39 “You search the3588 Scriptures1124 because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; 40 and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.                                                      John 5:39-40 NASB

Leon Fontaine, in Understanding This One Word Leads to Unlimited Blessings!, writes

[John 5:39] says that reading the graphe, or Scriptures, isn’t like reading a magical book. That’s because it’s not just about reading and knowing facts; it’s about understanding God’s concepts—His logosIt’s about absorbing the revelation of who Jesus is and who you are in Him.

You see, the more you study God’s Word and spend time with Him, discovering His thoughts, ideas and love for you, the more you’ll grow to comprehend God’s concepts. Then, this understanding of Jesus and the truths in God’s Word fuels your faith and confidence in Him so you can experience more of His promises for you!

[emphasis original]

If we read a little farther, we can see how far the Pharisees have strayed in their reading of the Torah – the writings of Moses.

46 “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote1125 about Me. 47 “But if you do not believe his writings1121, how will you believe My words4487?”                                                            John 5:46-47 NASB

If they (and we) cannot seek and find God and His Anointed One in the Hebrew TaNaK (and in the Christian Scripture), then we, like the Pharisees, cannot believe and come to Him, and follow Him.

Graphḗ to Rhéma to Lógos

Graphḗ is to be read and studied, under the aegis and direction of the In-dwelling Holy Spirit.

Then, through spiritual disciplines such as meditation, prayer, etc., we can receive the Rhéma word of God.

By the power of the Holy Spirit we deepen our revelation of and our relationship with The Lógos.

So, how do I understand “My Word On The Word”?

My Rhéma (revealed by The Lógos) On The Graphḗ

     

Blessings,

TLThomas

  • What do you think about the popular use of the phrase “the Word” to refer to the Bible?
  • How does considering “the Word” (Scripture) as/is the same as “The Word” (Christ) affect the understanding of the relationship between Scripture and the Son of God?
  • How does this affect our relationship with “The Word”-Who-Is-God?

For a (volatile) “Christian” “discussion” on “the Word” versus “The WORD” see:

God, The Word, Beth Moore, and Twitter

It’s ok to doubt, if you check it out!

Be a Berean!

10 The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.                                                                    Acts 17:10-11 NASB

I hope you enjoyed this foray into the Greek language.

  • What else would you like to explore with me?
  • What else would you like to understand more?
  • Or, even to begin to understand?

Write your topic or question in the comments to let me know.

Together we can Check It Out!

TLThomas © 2021

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