Logos and Rhema-A lesson about verifying things for myself.

 Logos and Rhema-A lesson about verifying things for myself. 

 

I have heard for years that Logos was the written Word of God and that Rhema was the spoken Word of God. I believed this to be true but until a couple of weeks I had never looked up the definitions for myself.  I just took other people’s word for it. When I actually looked up the definitions for myself it was another lesson on why it is always important to verify thing for myself. 

 

Following definitions are from Strongs.

Logos-something said (including the thought); by implication, a topic (subject of discourse), also reasoning (the mental faculty) or motive; by extension, a computation; specially, (with the article in John) the Divine Expression (i.e. Christ):--account, cause, communication, × concerning, doctrine, fame, × have to do, intent, matter, mouth, preaching, question, reason, + reckon, remove, say(-ing), shew, × speaker, speech, talk, thing, + none of these things move me, tidings, treatise, utterance, word, work.

 

Rhema-an utterance (individually, collectively or specially),; by implication, a matter or topic (especially of narration, command or dispute); with a negative naught whatever:--+ evil, + nothing, saying, word.

 

Neither of these definitions mention anything about written.

 

I have been fortunate enough through my brief journey here to have come into contact with many different people who possess many different talents and abilities.  One of those is a man who God has gifted with languages.  Of the many languages he knows one of these is what we call New Testament Greek. He has studied the language and has taught it at college level.  So, I sent him an email to ask him for clarification and better explanation. He sent me the following.  He could of went into more detail but he kept it simple because he knows that my gifting is not languages.  I found it very helpful. 

 

As you already know, language is tricky.  Its usage changes over time.  There was a time when these words were never really associated with each other because they had a different emphasis.  At other periods of time they were used almost interchangeably.  Today the Charismatics put a great emphasis on rhema as a prophetic utterance.  This is not completely wrong but I wouldn’t handle it that way.

 

Logos is the Word.  It’s not a word.  It is the WORD.  It’s a proper name for the LORD Jesus Christ.  It is a definitive statement about something.  In Ancient Greek they thought of it this way.

 

Onoma - is the subject.

Rhema - is things said about the subject.

Logos - is the definitive statement about the subject or the heart of the discussion about the subject.  Logos is still used this way to this day.

 

For example:

 

Bios - life

Logos - the definitive statement or discussed about the subject.

Biology - the study of life

 

Soterios - salvation

Logos -    the definitive statement or discussed about the subject.

Soteriology - the study of salvation

 

etc.

 

Whenever you see -ology at the end of a word, it comes from Logos.

 

Some people say Rhema is partial knowledge.  I understand where they are coming from when they say that but it is also not a completely true statement.  Just think of rhema as talking points or something that was said.

 

**** Jhn 12:48  He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, (rhema) hath one that judgeth him: the word (logos) that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

 

(Thank the Lord for putting people in my life who are talented in ways I am not. Who can use their talents to help me.) 

As I see it God’s Word (rhema and logos) is powerful.

 

Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word (rhema)of God;

 

Hebrews 4:12 For the word (logos) of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

 

 

When I was a kid, my Dad would give me instructions before he went to work.  Sometimes they were just verbal and other times they were written.  Thing is either way I was held accountable for those instructions.  Sometimes I would forget something.  When the instructions were verbal I had a small excuse because it is easy to forget something that someone tells you but when they were written I had no excuse because they were on paper to remind me. 

 

 

As I found out the definitions that I had been told for logos and rhema were not really correct.  I don’t believe that those who gave me those definitions were trying to deceive anyone.  I think it was more a case of ignorance and misunderstanding that was passed on and on by well-meaning people who just took other people’s definition as the truth, me among them.

Really it doesn’t matter how the Word of the Lord is communicated to us, be it written or verbal, if it is really the Word of God it is powerful, it is the truth and we will be blessed from it if we walk in it.  

 

Please don’t take my word for it. Verify it for yourself and take God’s Word for it. He is perfect and He never fails.