Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Tonight’s Study, Session 23: The Word

Introduction: Though God has always revealed Himself in some way, the incarnation is the clearest, most compelling revelation of who God is – of His holiness, love, and power. Because Jesus is one with the Father, He is uniquely able to communicate God’s heart and mind. As logos, or “the Word,” everything about Jesus – His teaching, miracles, suffering, death, and resurrection – speaks to us of God. Our destiny depends on how well we listen. Will we believe, or will we turn a deaf ear to the message of God’s love?

The key Scripture verse where the name the Word is found is John 1:14.

God Reveals His Name in Scripture

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. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-3, 10-14)

Understanding the Name

John’s gospel begins by calling Jesus the Logos (LO-gos), the “Word.” Though Logos was a term used in Greek philosophy, John echoes a Hebrew mindset by using it to refer not to a rational principle or an impersonal force but to the one who created the universe by speaking it into existence. Unlike the prophets who merely spoke God’s word, Jesus is God’s dynamic, creative, life–giving Word.

Furthermore, John says, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The Greek for “dwelt among” is linked to the word for “tent” or “tabernacle.” Jewish readers would have immediately recognized this as a reference to the tent of meeting, in which God’s glory dwelt prior to the building of the temple in Jerusalem. Jesus, the Word made flesh, became a man so that through His miracles, teaching, and way of life we could perceive God’s glory. He is the Word calling out to us, healing our deafness and bringing us back to God.

No wonder Jesus responded to Philip by saying: “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works (John 14:9-10). We are to respond to Jesus, the Word, with both faith and faithfulness, reproducing Christ’s life so that the Word may become flesh in us.

Praise be to God for creating everything through His all-powerful Word. He spoke and all came into existence. Ask the Lord to open your ears to hear what He is saying. Focus on His name Logos, the “Word” in Psalm 33:6-9.

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deep in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. (Psalm 33:6-9)

PROMISES FROM THE WORD

Luke 11:27-28: And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!” But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

James 1:22-25: But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

Practical Application of Knowing Jesus as the Word

• Following Jesus’ teaching is crucial. Knowing Him involves obeying the written Word (the Bible) and living according to His instructions.
• A personal relationship with Jesus as the Word transforms daily life. Spending time in God’s Word strengthens this relationship and reveals His plan, purpose, and will.
• Abiding in Jesus (the Word) leads to fruitfulness. Remaining connected to Jesus allows the Holy Spirit to produce fruit as a result of obedience.
• Knowing Jesus as the Word impacts our understanding of God and His identity. People learn about Jesus’ character, promises, and plans. This knowledge helps people see themselves as God sees them, leading to transformation.
• Sharing the Gospel (the “good news” embodied by Jesus) becomes a natural extension of knowing Him. We become witnesses of God’s love and truth.
• Trusting God becomes easier, even without full understanding. Studying God’s Word and seeking understanding helps one recognize the incomprehensible nature of God’s ways and choose to trust
• Knowing Jesus as the Word provides wisdom, direction, hope, and help for every situation. It guides actions in aligning with God’s will and purpose.

Conclusion: Human words will absolutely fail us, but the Logos (the Word) enriches us and actually dwells within us. Jesus is the Word that transforms our lives and abides with us forever. We can totally trust in God’s Living Word, Jesus Christ and His written Word, the Bible. Both are unchanging, everlasting, and transformative to all who would believe, trust, and obey. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1).

Next Week, Session 24: The Cornerstone