The Word of God can be identified as two things. The Word of God is another name for the Bible comprising the Old and New Testament, but the Word of God, or the Word of the Lord, is also an individual being. The Word of God appears all through the Old - and especially the New - Testaments. Who is "The Word of God?" (Picture credit to: Urban Asprines, Oneil)
The Greek word logos, (λóγος) which means "word", "discourse" or "reason" is also used to identify this being. So who is the logos, the Word of God? John 1:1-5 gives us the answer we seek. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
John 1:14, 17-18 continues, "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son who came from the Father, full of grace and truth... For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made Him known." Who is the Logos, the Word of God? Jesus Christ, the Messiah is the Word of God.
Often in the Hebrew Bible, we read, for example, "Then the word of the Lord came to Jehu son of Hanani concerning Baasha," (1st Kings 16:1) "Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite." (1st Kings 21:28) The phrase "the word of the Lord" appears all throughout the Old and New Testament. More often than not, the phrase simply means that God was conveying a message through Word to someone, but there are certain instances where it appears that the Word of God in the Hebrew Bible is a being.
Since John identified the Word of the Lord as Jesus, it is easy to see that He truly did appear quite often in the Hebrew Bible. In previous entries we have identified the pre-incarnate appearances of Jesus as the "angel of the Lord" ("angel" means messenger, in some cases), and have noted that Jesus is in much prophecy, the prophecies of Isaiah are one example. (See entries: "Who Is 'The Angel of the Lord?'", "The Holy Trinity (Part Two)")
 |
| "Logos" is Greek for "Word," "Reason," or "Discourse." |
One such appearance "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worship him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." (Daniel 7:13-14)
Put succinctly as possible, the Son of Man is God the Son: Jesus. Psalm 33:6, 9 says, "By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of His mouth... For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm." The Greek logos is again used for "word." Many scholars have noted just how close the Greek for breath, pneuma, and logos indicate a personality.
Luke 1:2 says, "just as those who from the beginning [arche] were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us." (ESV) Note again the usage of logos - word. Luke is describing the beginning - and the Word. 1st John 1:1conveys, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen our eyes, which we have looked at our hands have touched - this we proclaim concerning the Word of life." (NIV)
Once again, John goes on to note that Jesus is just that: the Word of life. Jesus is the Logos. We know that Jesus is the Creator. Hebrews 1:1-3 tells us, "In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom also He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven."
Here, the author of Hebrews is conveying that the Word is "powerful." Whether it be God's spoken Word, or Logos (Jesus Christ), the Word is powerful. In fact, we read in Hebrews 4:12 that "the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." In other words, God's Word - the Bible, is "alive and active." It has power, it has substance. Speaking the Word of God has purpose and power.
Ephesians 6:17 confirms this, "Take the... sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Also note that Colossians 1:15-17 says, "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 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." Jesus is the Creator, as aforementioned.
Jesus himself says, "Very truly I tell you... before Abraham was born, I AM!" (John 8:58) This was a significant claim that someone could make. Why? In the Hebrew Bible, the Angel of the Lord (or rather, the Messenger of the Lord) appears to Moses in the Burning Bush. (Exodus 3) The messenger declared, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." (Exodus 3:6) Here, this is significant because the Angel of the Lord is actually claiming to be God.
In Luke 20:37, Jesus (who we know is also God) confirms the historicity of this event. Now, Exodus 3:13 conveys, "Moses said to God, 'Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?' God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" So when Jesus claims, "...before Abraham was born, I AM!" (John 8:58), Jesus is claiming to be the messenger of the Lord, and the messenger of the Lord claimed to be God!
There are many other important things to note that give evidence and credence to the angel of the Lord being the pre-incarnate appearances of Jesus on Earth, as well as the Commander of the Lord's Army (Joshua 5:13-15), appearing to protect three Israelites who had been thrown into the furnace (Daniel 3:25), appearing to speak with Sampson's parents (Judges 13) and to inform Gideon that he was to defeat the Midianites (Judges 6), and other important things.
Jesus, as the "angel" of the Lord (not an angel Himself, but a messenger, we have established His identity as Logos and Creator) also appears to Hagar in the desert (Genesis 16), Jesus spoke to Abraham when Abraham was tested via Isaac (Genesis 22), He appears in the account of Balaam and the donkey (Numbers 22:21-41), He appeared to Israel at Bokim ca. 1380 (Judges 2:1-4) and he also appears to the prophet Zechariah several times. (Zechariah 1:9-21; 3:1-10; etc)
God spoke the universe into existence. "Let there be light," and there was light. (Genesis 1:3) By the Word of the Lord, when God spoke, He created. God spoke, the Spirit acted, and the Son created. Jesus, the Word, Created. Justin Martyr, an early apologist (ca. 150 AD) argued, "I shall give you another testimony, my friends, from the Scriptures, that God begot before all creatures a Beginning, [who was] a certain rational power [proceeding] from Himself, who is called by the Holy Spirit, now the Glory of the Lord, now the Son, again Wisdom, again an Angel, then God, and then Lord and Logos."[1]
So who is the Word of God? Jesus is the Word of God. Jesus is the Logos. God's self-expression with the Greek concept of "reason" (logos) behind everything is clearly evident in this. Jesus had to become incarnate, or rather, to use John's words, Jesus "became flesh" (John 1:14), "And being found in human appearance as a human being, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross!" (Philippians 2:8).
Troy Hillman
Sources:
[1] Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, Chapter 61.
If the Angel of the Lord in the New testament is the preincarnate Jesus Christ how is it that the the Angel of the Lord appears in the form of a full grown man but Jesus started off as a baby in a womb. Did the Angel of the Lord have a physical body or was it a spiritual form
ReplyDeleteHello:
DeleteI have been learning a lot these past couple years, with daily zeal, about 2nd century christians, some about later centuries too. Keep in mind the NT was written in koine greek (peasant class language of the time). The word for Angel (Angelos) simply means Messenger. It is someone God sent. Our english translations take liberties to always imply a creature made by God, but not necessarily as in the case of His son.
The Bible and early christian support the following understanding of who Christ is. Before creation, the Father, who has never had a beginning, and is Spirit (John 3), from his bosom, brought forth the Word (John 1). This Word through the power of the Father, created all things (Philippians and Colossians). So at this time, they shared and still do, the same Holy Spirit, but now, like water can be poured into a separate glass, are two separate entities (but are one in that they share their Spirit). Jesus said "I and the Father are one" "I am in the Father and He is in me." (John). Many OT prophesies speak of his coming to earth to be among us. He did that as recorded in Matthew 1 and Luke 1. Hebrews speaks of a "Body you prepared for me" and this is when Jesus took on humanity. So 2000 years ago and even now sitting at the right hand of the Father, he has Flesh and Holy Spirit. We have flesh and soul. With His resurrection, he became a prototype of what God will do for true Christians at the Resurrection and End of the Age. This is the promise and hope available for all cursed men; this curse is due to our own sin, but Adam's sin let it enter this world (temptation).
So in summary, Jesus had a beginning in both His Spirit state and Humanity. First the Spirit state, although His Spirit has always existed because prior to being given to His son, it was with the Father. However, when God "begat" His son, this was His beginning as the Word and Wisdom of God spoken of in OT & NT passages.
As for His Humanity, 2000 years ago, born of a Virgin under the power of the Father through His Spirit, gave that prophesied body to His son allowing Him to live and teach among us, leading us, if we will follow and obey, Him back to the Father. See also the book of Hebrews speaking of OT prophesy "Today I have become your Father and you have become my Son."
So the Father begat the son in both Spirit state and Humanity. The virgin birth was necessary for his humanity to be begotten by the Father.
God bless and peace!
Jesus.Brett@gmail.com
I recommend you check out these early christian sources for yourself: www.scrollpublishing.com www.earlychristianfellowship.com
As the Angel (Messenger) of the Lord, Jesus did not need a physical body, because He had not yet to die for our sins. It is not illogical, irrational, unreasonable or contradictory to believe that Christ could have a spiritual body as the Messenger of the Lord and then a physical body in His human form. It would not have mattered either way if, as the Pre-Incarnate Jesus, He had a physical body, because it would not have been the same kind of physical body He had in His incarnation: a human body, descendant of King David, born to a virgin.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of the pre-existence of Jesus Christ, permit me to quote an article which explains this a bit better: "The biblical argument for the pre-existence of Jesus is certainly multi-faceted. Pre-existence is defined as existence in a former state or previous to something else. In the case of Jesus Christ, His pre-existence means that before He became a Man and walked upon the earth, He existed as the second Person of the triune God. The Bible not only explicitly teaches this doctrine but also implies this fact at various points throughout the Gospels and Epistles. In addition, Jesus’ own actions reveal His divine identity and, as a consequence, His pre-existence.
Several places in the New Testament explicitly teach Jesus’ pre-existence. Jesus said, “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began” (John 17:5). This passage alone is sufficient to show that the Scripture supports Jesus’ pre-existence, but it is just one of many such passages. Jesus Himself explicitly taught His own pre-existence (John 3:13, 6:33, 38, 62; 8:23; 16:28). Christ even said that He existed prior to Abraham’s birth (John 8:58-59) even though Abraham’s birth preceded Jesus’ own birth by many centuries! Several texts present Jesus as pre-existing with His Father (Romans 8:3; 1 John 1:2; Galatians 4:4). Several passages even identify Jesus as the Creator (John 1:2-3; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:2).
Probably the most powerful evidence for the pre-existence of Christ was the very behavior of Jesus Himself. He was often doing and saying things that only the God of Israel had the right or power to do. Jesus’ healing of the paralytic in Mark 2 was done to demonstrate His authority and His ability to forgive sins (Mark 2:3-12). Jesus’ Jewish audience was well aware that such actions were reserved only for Yahweh. Jesus’ actions in Luke 7 drew a similar reaction (Luke 7:48-50).
That Jesus pre-existed in His divinity is further proven by His being the object of worship repeatedly in the Gospels (Matthew 28:9, 17; Luke 24:52; John 9:38; 20:28). Never did Jesus reject such adoration. He saw such worship as entirely appropriate. Jesus implied that he had authority over the Sabbath (Mark 2:28) as well as the authority to abolish the law (Matthew 5:21). Such behavior is sheer blasphemy coming from anyone short of a divine (i.e. pre-existent) Person.
In addition, Jesus identified Himself as the divine Son of Man (Mark 14:61-64) and claimed to be able to raise Himself from the dead (John 10:17-18)! This turned out to be the very miracle that He claimed would authenticate His radical claims and ministry (Matthew 12:38-40, 16:1-4). Jesus accomplished this grand miracle and gave convincing proof of it (Luke 24:36-43; John 20:26; 21:1-14; Acts 1:3-6). This miracle established Jesus’ claim to deity and thus provides further confirmation of His pre-existence."[1]
For more information on "The Messenger of the Lord," see entries: http://thetruth-blog.blogspot.com/2010/07/who-is-angel-of-lord.html and http://thetruth-blog.blogspot.com/2010/11/holy-trinity-part-two.html
God bless you.
[1] "Does the Bible support the pre-existence of Jesus?." Got Questions.org. Got Questions Network, n.d. Web. 23 Jul 2011. .
Melchizedek....was hw also Jesus?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time to comment. Instead of repeating what has already been written, we will direct you to another article, "Who Was Melchizedek," which you can find here: http://thetruth-blog.blogspot.com/2011/07/who-was-melchizedek.html
God bless you.
I'm sorry but it's confusing . You started to declare that the word of God is the Bible au pair to our Lord Jesus and then conclude to be Jesus.
ReplyDeleteIf I am not mistaken, Bible is the english form for the greek word Biblos, wich means "book". The writings in this book have the narration of episodes where God spoke and other facts among the church, written by men inspired by God.
This same book states by the hand of one of the direct disciples of Jesus that he is the word of God incarnate. No statement is to be found that in the future a compilation of writings would be called "word of God". Or even to take the same title as God himself, by the hand of men.
Who is greater: the book or God incarnate? Do not forget that everything we teach God will ask for justifications.
May God bless you!
We apologize for the confusion. Jesus is identified as the Word in the Johannine writings (John 1; 1st John 1:1; Revelation 19:13). God is "the Word," yes, but the Bible is sometimes also called "God's Word" or the "Word of God." Why? One example is found in 1st Peter 1:23, which calls the Scriptures the "living and enduring word of God." Therefore, it is not blasphemous nor is it idolatry to call Jesus "the Word" and call the Bible "the word of God." No, Jesus is not the Bible, but both are called the Word. Scripture also contains various "Thus saith the LORD" statements, which could be appropriately collected and titled as "The Word[s] of the LORD," or, "The Word of God." Who is greater? God incarnate is greater. But biblically, both Jesus and the Scriptures are called "The Word," but with different intent and different context.
ReplyDeleteNice post. I was checking constantly this weblog and I
ReplyDeleteam inspired! Very helpful information specifically the closing phase :) I care
for such info a lot. I was seeking this particular info for a very long time.
Thank you and best of luck.
My weblog; handgun Targets
Can I simply just say what a relief to find a person that truly understands
ReplyDeletewhat they're talking about on the net. You certainly realize how to bring an
issue to light and make it important. More and more people really need to
look at this and understand this side of your story.
I was surprised that you're not more popular given that you most certainly have the gift.
Here is my web blog :: handgun targets ()
This maybe the closest on how Jesus Christ really look with that skin tone not the white or black skin one
ReplyDelete