Laleó, Rhéma, and Logos - The Word of God

Recently we've been reconsidering many of the things we thought we understood regarding doctrine and faith. We have begun to question certain beliefs, church structures, and practices of the western church. Too often we have discovered what we think are unbiblical doctrines and activities. This causes us concern. We have deemed this our “Rethink.”Our questions include, how did we arrive at our doctrines? Does the Bible really teach what we think it teaches? Why do churches do what they do? What is the biblical basis of church leadership structure? Why do certain traditions get entrenched?

It's easy to be spoon fed the conventional wisdom, but it's an entirely separate thing to search these things out for one's self. In the past we have read the Bible with these unexamined understandings and interpreted what we read through those lenses. We were too lazy about our Bible study, assuming that pastors and theologians were telling us the truth, but we rarely checked it out for ourselves.

Therefore, these Rethinks are our attempt to remedy the situation.

We should note that there is more than one way to interpret doctrine, more than one way to think about the faith, and more than one way to read the Scriptures. We would not suggest that our way is the only way, or the right way; we are not Bible scholars. But we believe that one doesn't need to be in order to rightly divide the Word of God.
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There are a variety of words used in the NT regarding speaking, like chatter, babbling, heresy, exhorting, and rebuking. Some of these words are found in the Greek only once, while others are found hundreds of times. For our purposes, we will examine three common Greek words.

Laleó

Laleó appears 297 times in the NT. It means to utter or form words with the mouth, to speak. Some verses that use this word:

Jn. 4:49 The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

Mk. 4:38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

He. 1:2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 

Laleó seems more about the mechanical act of uttering words. Notice these verses refer to speaking, but then go on to address the nature of what is being spoken. The act of speaking is subsequently contextualized as to content.

Rhéma

Rhéma it is used 70 times in the NT. It means spoken word, made "by the living voice." Some verses that use rhéma: 

Jn. 3:34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.

Ep. 6:17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

He. 1:3 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.

Notice that rhéma is contemporary speaking, not words spoken an hour ago, last week, or a hundred years ago, but rather words spoken by an alive person speaking right at the moment. Present tense.

Logos

Logos is mostly translated as "Word," although it is also translated "statement," "sayings," and "accounting." It means

a word, being the expression of a thought; a saying. 3056 /lógos ("word") is preeminently used of Christ (Jn 1:1), expressing the thoughts of the Father through the Spirit.

[3056 (lógos) is a common term (used 330 times in the NT) with regards to a person sharing a message (discourse, "communication-speech"). 3056 (lógos) is a broad term meaning "reasoning expressed by words."]

Here are some verses that use the word logos:

Lk. 3:4 As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the desert, `Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.

Jn. 2:22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

Ac. 6:2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.

1Co. 15:54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” [Isaiah 25:8]

It seems that logos is descriptive of more significant things than just general speech. Especially since John tells us the Logos was made flesh (Jn. 1:1, 14). We would suggest that logos is most often the articulated words of God, represented by Jesus Himself, the Word of God.

Is Scripture "the Word?"

Scripture is the written down words that have been communicated by God. However, God has said much else that has not been written down. But what has been written down was done so by the purpose of God so that man could read and know what God wants him to know.

The Greek word for Scripture is graphé ...used 51 times in the NT – always of holy Scripture...

Some verses that use the word:

Ac. 17:11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

2Ti. 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

It is very common for Christians to refer to the Bible as "the Word." However, the Bible itself never does this. Only graphé is ever used to describe the written down words of God. This means that we confuse terms when we refer the Bible as the "Word." Why is this important? Because if we use the wrong definition we will mistake the meaning. 

For example, none of these verses refer to the Bible, but rather Logos: 

2Ti. 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

Tit. 2:5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no-one will malign the word of God.

Ja. 1:18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

1Pe. 3:1 Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives...

These versed are also not about the Bible, they use Rhéma:

He. 6:4-5 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age...

1Pe. 1:25 but the word of the Lord stands for ever.” [Isaiah 40:6-8] And this is the word that was preached to you.

Why is this important? Because if the Word is not the Bible and is instead something else, we would read a verse like Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and think it's referring to the Bible when it's not. 

Conclusion

The reader can see how a misunderstanding like this could lead to greater problems. Unfortunately, not even a careful Bible student would read the Bible in its English form and be able to discern these various contexts. Thus the translators lead us astray.