Jesus as Logos (The Word of God)

Introduction

The pre-existent Christ is an important study within the field of Christology. The works of the pre-existent Christ is often overlooked in the teaching ministry in the local church. One of the works that is overwhelmingly overlooked is the work of the Logos. One cannot discuss Christology without discussing the pre-existent Christ. Likewise, a discussion about the pre-existent Christ cannot be discussed without discussing Him as Logos; they are inseparable. The pre-existent Christ as Logos is an important theological discussion. This paper will discuss the pre-existent Christ as Logos and the important works of the Logos in the Old Testament, as the Word of God, and in the New Testament.  

Christology

An understanding of Christology and the pre-existent Christ should first be established before discussing the Logos. In theology, Christology and the pre-existent Christ is the foundational knowledge of Logos. There cannot be an understanding of the latter if the former two are not fully understood. It should be understood by all Christians, but specifically the leaders in the church who lead flock by the ministry of teaching and preaching. Malphurs wrote, “To excel at leadership and make the greatest contribution to your organization and God’s Kingdom, you need to know and cultivate and thus maximize your strengths.”[1] This is true for Christian ministers and teachers in the field of theology especially in the study of the Person of Christ.

Orr explains that Christology is, “the conception of the Person of Christ in the technical sense.”[2] The problem is that when most think about the Person of Christ they automatically think of Christ in the New Testament. Christology does not simply only deal with the Person of Christ, but the works and offices of Christ throughout all history. There is much more to Christ than what is read about Him in the New Testament. His incarnate works is amazing however, there is much more that Christ has done before He was born in the manger. As part of the study of Christology another doctrine often goes missed. The doctrine of the pre-existence of Christ is rarely is taught in today’s churches.  

The Pre-existent Christ

One reason for many to leave out the teaching of the pre-existent Christ is because it can be a difficult teaching at times. There are also very different views on Christ’s pre-existence. The teaching of this doctrine must first begin with the right belief of Christ Himself. Geisler and Turek wrote, “While most religions have some beliefs that are true, not all religious beliefs can be true because they are mutually exclusive-they teach opposites.”[3] This is also true in many of the different Protestant denominations.

As do many of the other Gospel writers, Mark sets straight that Jesus was the Son of God. It is important that a correct view of Christ is set forth as divine and that He had a pre-existence. Mark 1:1 state, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” A simple definition of the word gospel is “good news.” It is not always good news to those that are not believers. However, for the believer the Gospel is good news because it is the revelation of the divine Christ and good tidings that He brings. Mounce stated, “The gospel is the joyous proclamation of God’s redemptive activity in Christ Jesus on behalf of humans enslaved by sin.”[4] After stating that this was the “good news” Mark wanted to make clear that Jesus was the Son of God.

The word pre-existent suggests that there was a prior existence before something actually became a visible or living matter. This is also true for the pre-existence of Christ. Before Christ emptied Himself to become a Man that was born of a virgin, Christ had a prior existence. In John 6:38 Jesus said, “I came down from Heaven.” In speaking of Christ as the Son of God Horton wrote, “the title (Son of God) also implies a unity of being and nature with the Father, uniqueness of origin and preexistence.”[5] Not only did Jesus perform many works in the New Testament, He also performed many works in His pre-existence, but not all believe in the pre-existent Christ.

False Views

There have always been eccentric views of Jesus, much more in the past two centuries. Evans stated, “Jesus as a historical figure continues to attract attention at all kinds of level.”[6] The attraction of Jesus mystifies people of all walks from atheist who say that He was a great teacher to those who shapes Him into their own view of a type of christ that suits their needs. Jesus Christ captures minds because He made a huge impact in the world.

As noted, not all denominations (or religions) had the same idea of the pre-existent Christ. Catholics believed that Israel’s history pointed to a Man who would fulfill the purposes of God. Not all fully teach the Deity of Christ. Herbermann stated, “The ancient world was given to Pantheism and creature worship; Israel only, not because of its “monotheistic instinct”, because of the periodic interposition of God through His prophets, resisted in the main the general tendency to idolatry.”[7] Herbermann’s statement is not very clear whether Catholics truly had a monotheistic view or if the Catholic stance of Christ is that He is Divine, if He was the Son of God, or if there was a prior existence of Christ. In the same encyclopedia Jesus is only mentioned briefly and in the context of the New Testament. Along with the statement about Jesus the encyclopedia gives the names of Jesus without mentioning His names of divinity or pre-existence. In speaking of Catholicism and their thinking of pluralism, May wrote, “A book with the title Catholics in the Free Society was thought to raise an insoluble problem. It was a sobering reminder that this way of thinking is still firmly entrenched in their own churches.”[8]

Another belief system should also be mentioned in order to get an understanding of the false views of the Deity of Christ. Gnosticism has a dualistic belief in Christ. The dualistic belief leads Gnostics to believe that flesh is evil therefore, God could not possibly inhabit a human. Thiessen says, “Gnosticism taught that the divine Christ came upon the human Jesus at His baptism and deported shortly before Jesus’ death.”[9] This false view leaves no interpretation of the pre-existent Christ. Without a belief in a truly divine Christ, Christianity is not a “religion” that can really do what Christ said and most importantly deliver people from evil in the present nor could He ascend to Heaven.

What Jesus Said About His Pre-existence

The Gospels recorded a lot of what Jesus said about His own divinity. His statement in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one”, almost got Him stoned. In Jewish customs it would be a high crime of blasphemy to claim to be God. Jesus also stated that, “Before Abraham was born, I am” (John 8:58). There are a list of “I am” statements about Christ, but claiming that “He was before Abraham” truly claimed that He existed long before He was actually born. There are a lot of claims by Jesus Himself that claimed His deity however, there are other verses that were “stated” by others such as His Apostles and the Apostle Paul that claim His deity.  

There are other claims in the New Testament about the deity of Christ. In Titus 2:13 Paul encourages believers to wait for the coming of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.” 1 John 2:2 says, “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”  This verse is important in the argument against those who do not believe in the deity of Christ or His pre-existence. Without a pre-existent Christ Who was divine, the payment for sins could not have been made. His coming in human form to pay for the sins of everyone is a great example of His works. This leads to the discussion of the work of Christ as the Logos.

The Logos

The ground work has already been laid that Christ was Divine yet human and there was a pre-existent state of Christ. As noted, there are many works and offices of Christ, but now the discussion can turn to His divine work as Logos. Logos can be described as Divine Wisdom of God or Word of God. Christ as Logos is an important doctrine that should be fully understood by all Christians. It is the Divine Wisdom of God in which the world was created, that is read (when the Bible is read), that leads Christians, and it will be the Word of God by which all humans will be ultimately judged. A more conservative Catholic wrote, “If the Logos was created and divine, God did not become man or redeem the world, and all the consequent mysteries of the faith are dissolved.”[10]

Schultz wrote, “In less than a lifetime they (Israel) undergo a miraculous deliverance from the mightiest emperor of the day, receive a divine revelation that makes them conscious of being God’s covenant people, and have imparted to them a code of laws in preparation for occupying the land of patriarchal promise.”[11] This is a demonstration that the Logos performed which was the Divine Christ. Orr states, “God who is made known in Scripture is regarded as One Who actively reveals Himself.”[12] God has been pleased to reveal Himself throughout Israel’s history through the use of the Logos. To be sure that Christ is the Logos there must be a more appropriate description.

Orr explains, “When Jesus is taken at His own valuation, and the great fact of His resurrection is admitted, the alleged contradictions between the Jesus of history and the Christ of faith largely disappear.”[13] Christ cannot be just a figure in the New Testament nor can He be just a great teacher when all evidence has been explored. This means that Christ is the Lord throughout all history. A further development of Christ as Logos can now be discussed.

Walls states that, “Jesus is not to be interpreted by Logos, Logos is intelligible only as we think of Jesus.”[14] This is one of the strongest statements that describes Christ as Logos other than what we find in the Gospel of John which will be discussed later. Walls’ statement makes it clear that Christ is the Logos. Though He is revealed through both Testaments, the Word of God, the Logos can only be interpreted in Light of Jesus as God. He has revealed Himself to His creation for an ultimate end. The revelation of Him concerning His pre-existent state can be seen in various ways such as through Israel, the prophets, and obviously through theophany’s.

Logos in Creation

Most are of the agreement that Moses was the author of the Pentateuch. In the Pentateuch Genesis is found as the first book of the Bible. Genesis is the beginning of all things with the exception of God. It is a record of the creation of earth and man. In Genesis Moses records how God’s creation came about which was through His Word. Enns states, “The beginning describes the time of God’s creation. This is not a myth; it is a historical event.”[15] It is a historical event in which the pre-existent Christ was active as God and as Logos.

Genesis One

The greatest set of Scriptures that represent the pre-existent Christ are Genesis 1-2 and John 1. One of the greatest statements concerning the pre-existent Christ at creation was made by Richardson who said, “The doctrine of the God who creates the world by the word of His mouth is not only in the prophetic understanding of God as Lord of history but also in the apostolic testimony concerning God as the Lord of the Church.”[16] The same God who created the world is the same God who is represented in the Gospels as Jesus Christ. Richardson further says, “God is the God whose final and clearest revelation is seen in Jesus Christ.”[17] The Logos was at work in the creation account in Genesis 1:3, “Then God said…”. He spoke all of creation into existence in this manner. The Word (the Logos) went out from the mouth of God as an agent of creation.

On the sixth day there is prelude to creating man that is the most magnificent proof of the Godhead. Genesis 1:26 starts out, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness (emphasis added).” There are several explanations on the Us and Our statements in this verse. Some would have others to believe that God was speaking to the angels. However, Wiersbe comments, “God couldn’t have been talking with the angels about His plans because angels weren’t made in God’s image (“Our image”) and angels had nothing to do with the creation of Adam.”[18]

The angel theory falls through in light of Hebrews 1:6, “But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him.” This statement explicitly demonstrates that Jesus was pre-existent before the angels and that they were in a lower status than Him thus, they worshipped Him. Another verse in the Book of Hebrews also makes it impossible that God would have been talking to the angels when He stated, “Let Us”. Hebrews 1:14, “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherent salvation?” Angels are agents of God that are sent forth to fulfill His marching orders. Michael the Arch Angel and Gabriel are excellent examples of this. They are powerful angels yet, they are sent as an agent for God to either fight the evil forces in the heavenly realms or to send a message to others.

John 1:1-3

John 1:1-3 states, “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 nothing was made that was made.” The statement made by the Apostle John is one of the most profound statements that clearly states the pre-existence of Christ and His work as the Logos. Borchert stated, “The first three verses of the Gospel (of John) contains three basic affirmations that are fundamental to Christian theology: affirmation that links God and the beginning, linking the Logos (Word) with the beginning, and the Logos existed before creation began.”[19] John’s Gospel is known for displaying the divine character of Jesus. Throughout His Gospel it is evident that Christ was the divine Son of God who was sent to spread the message about the Heavenly Kingdom; not the kingdom of Israel. That is why in the Prologue of the Gospel of John he sets right the relationship between God and the Logos.

To many, Jesus’ earthly Words were too hard for them to take in and understand. In most cases the Rabbis of the Ancient times thought of His teachings as blasphemy. That was one of the most important reasons of the Gospel of John to demonstrate His divinity and that He was the Logos. As the Logos, Jesus’ earthly words were as divine as they were throughout the Old Testament. There were some that did accept His word as divine Truth. For those who accept Christ as He is Edersheim comments, “To those who took not this position (rejected His words), Jesus, His Words and Works, were henceforth a mystery.”[20] The mystery of His Works and especially His Words remained a mystery until after His resurrection. To those who will not come to the saving faith of Him the mystery will remain a mystery.

The Word of God

In discussing the Son and how He came into existence as a lowly human St. Gregory had an excellent answer. By “solving the puzzle” St. Gregory stated, “Perhaps you will answer: by His will and His Word.”[21] The answer is easily found in the Word of God because it is the revelation of Himself through the Logos (or the Word) and it is only by those who are in His will that can understand the Word of God. This is why in earlier times and even today many consider the Bible or the Word of God as sacred because it is the Logos. It is rightly considered sacred due to its very nature. The words on each page were divinely inspired by God who spoke it to men to write the pages of the Bible. It can be stated that the Bible is spoken through His Word just as creation was; the Word as God.

In Matthew 4:4 Jesus stated, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Bread will only sustain a person for a short time, but the Word of God sustains a person for an eternity. Again, Jesus made statements such as, “It is written” (Matthew 4:7 and 4:10). Geisler stated that, “Jesus’ view of the Bible is of particular interest to evangelicals, since He is held to be God incarnate and hence, whatever He affirms has divine authority.”[22] His view should be held in high regard since it is written by His very own breath.

In Jesus’ time the New Testament had not yet been written. This would be a task for those who He would divinely choose to write the Holy pages. During His lifetime Jesus did affirm the divinity of the Old Testament. In Matthew 5:17 Jesus stated, “Do not think that I come to abolish the Law and the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” The Law and the Prophets that Jesus spoke about was the entire Old Testament. The Law was given to Moses through the Word of God and the prophets received prophecy from the Word of God thus, through the Logos. The Logos as the pre-existent Christ had His part in giving the divine instructions of the Old Testament.

The New Testament

As noted, Jesus affirmed the Old Testament as the divine Word of God. He also did the same for the future New Testament speaking to the Apostles. Geisler again states, “Not only did Jesus confirm the Old Testament to be the Word of God, He also promised the same for the New Testament.”[23] An example of Jesus affirming the New Testament is in John 16:13, “But, when he, the Spirit of Truth, comes, he will guide you into all Truth.” Jesus as Logos would still be working to inspire the writers of the New Testament.

There is also a striking remark in the writings of the Apostle Paul. He was the one who used the word gospel more than any other writer in the New Testament. Dunn states, “In the midrash of 2 Corinthians 3:7-18 and most explicitly in 3:14: “up until the present day the same veil remains un-lifted over the reading of the old covenant, because only in Christ is it taken away.”[24] The Apostles knew that it was Christ that filled the pages of the Old Testament as a revelation of Him and that it is Christ as Logos that would eventually fill the pages of the New Testament letters. Paul states in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” That inspiration is the whisper of God to righteous men to write the letters of the New Testament. That inspirational whisper is still the work of the Logos; the divine Christ.

Conclusion

As part of theology Christology should be well understood by Christians, but especially for those who are teachers and ministers. As a branch of Christology the pre-existent Christ is an important subject in the church today. Christ performed many works and one of the works that he performed in His pre-existence was that of being the Logos. He was the divine Logos that was involved in creation, through the Old Testament, and continued to work in the New Testament. There was great evidence given by scholars and biblical texts that proved that the Word of God, the Logos, was and is the Son God; Jesus Christ.

 

 

 

 

Bibliography

Borchart, Gerald L. The New American Commentary: Volume 25A. Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Publishing, 1996.

Dunn, James D.G. The Theology of Paul. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans Publishing, 1998.

Edersheim, Alfred. The Life and Times of Jesus The Messiah. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1997.

Enns, Paul. The Moody Handbook of Theology. Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2008.

Evans, Craig A. “Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels.” Journal of Biblical Studies and Scripture (2006): 4-25.

Geisler, Norman. Systematic Theology: Volume Two. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bethany House, 2003.

Geisler, Norman and Turek, Frank. I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Publishing, 2004.

Hardon, John H. Catholic Dictionary. New York, New York: Image Publishing, 2013.

Herbermann, Charles G. The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York, New York: Catholic Way Publishing, 2014.

Horton, David. The Portable Seminary. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Publishing, 2006.

Malphurs, Aubrey. Being Leaders: The Nature of Authentic Christian Leadership. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2003.

May, John D’Arcy. “Living Buddha, Living Christ?” Inter-religious Dialogue and Crisis of Christology, Lutheran Theological Journal (May 2003): 2-12.

Mounce, R.H. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Edited by Walter A. Elwell. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2001.

Orr, James. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Volume One. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans Publishing, 1939.

Orr, James. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Volume Three. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans Publishing, 1939.

Schultz, Samuel J. The Old Testament Speaks. Wheaton, Illinois: Harper and Brothers Publishing, 1960.

St. Gregory of Nazianzus. On God and Christ: The Five Theological Orations and Two Letters to Cledonius. Yonkers, New York: St. Vladimirs Seminary Press, 2002.

Thiessen, Henry Clarence. Lectures in Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans Publishing, 2006.

Walls, A.F. Logos in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Edited by Walter A. Elwell. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2001. 

---

[1] Aubrey Malphurs, Being Leaders: The Nature of Authentic Christian Leadership, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2003), 102.

[2] James Orr, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Volume I, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans Publishing, 1939), 2338.

[3] Norman L. Geisler and Frank Turek, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist, (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2004), 46.

[4] R. H. Mounce, Gospel in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, ed. Walter A. Elwell, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2001), 513.

[5] David Horton, The Portable Seminary: A Master’s Level Overview, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Publishing, 2006), 132.

[6] Craig A. Evans, Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels, Journal of Biblical Studies and Scripture (2006): 4.

[7] Charles G. Herbermann, The Catholic Encyclopedia, (New York, New York: Catholic Way Publishing, 2014), Kindle Loc. 134396.

[8] John D’Arcy May, Living Buddha, Living Christ? Inter-religious Dialogue and the Crisis of Christology, Lutheran Theological Journal (May 2003): 3.

[9] Henry Clarence Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans Publishing, 2006), 206.

[10] John Hardon, Catholic Dictionary, (New York, New York: Image Books, 2013), 33.

[11] Samuel J. Schultz, The Old Testament Speaks, (Wheaton, Illinois: Harper & Brothers Publishing, 1960), 43.

[12] James Orr, The Encyclopedia Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Volume III, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans Publishing, 1939), 1913.

[13] James Orr, 1667.

[14] A.F. Walls, Logos in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, ed. Walter A. Elwell, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2001), 697.

[15] Paul Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology, (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2008), Kindle Loc. 624.

[16] Alan Richardson, A Theological Word Book of the Bible, (New York, New York: McMillan Company, 1960), 90.

[17] Richardson, A Theological Word Book of the Bible, 90.

[18] Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament Genesis-Deuteronomy, (Colorado Springs, Colorado: Cook Communications, 2001), 17.

[19] Gerald L. Borchert, The New American Commentary: Volume 25A, (Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Publishing, 1996), Kindle Loc. 2536.

[20] Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishing, 1997), 492.

[21] St. Gregory of Nazianzus, On God and Christ: The Five Theological Orations and Two Letters to Cledonius, (Yonkers, New York: St. Vladimirs Seminary Press, 2002), Kindle Loc. 1311.

[22] Norman Geisler, Systematic Theology: Volume One, (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bethany House, 2002), 266.

[23] Norman Geisler, Systematic Theology, 269.

[24] James D. G. Dunn, The Theology of Paul the Apostle, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans Publishing, 1998), 173.