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Why “Word” Is Not Enough: Understanding the Logos in John 1

“To understand Logos is, in a very real sense, to understand John’s Gospel itself.” — Charles Ellicott

There are few words more fascinating—or more edifying—than the word Word, or logos, in John 1. It is as though all the ancient streams of thought flow into it, only to find their fulfillment in Christ.

What follows is a modernized version of the great nineteenth-century commentator Charles Ellicott’s explanation of this word in the Gospel of John. It captures the meaning of logos as beautifully as anything I have read. Reading it will repay you richly in encouragement and Christmas wonder, and it will help you understand the Gospel of John more deeply. Here it is:

Why John Chose the Word Logos

One of the greatest difficulties—and one of the greatest keys—to understanding the Gospel of John lies in a single word: λόγος (Logos).

Our English Bibles translate it as “Word.” But that translation, helpful as it is, cannot fully carry the meaning John intended. To understand Logos is, in a very real sense, to understand John’s Gospel itself.

Why “Word” Isn’t Enough

From the earliest centuries, translators struggled with this term. Latin versions rendered it Verbum, but some also used Sermo (discourse) or Ratio (reason). One early Latin translation of Athanasius even rendered Logos as “Verbum et Ratio”—Word and Reason—capturing its double meaning.

That double meaning is essential.

In Greek, logos refers both to thought and to expression—to reason within and speech without. Aristotle distinguished between the logos within (thought) and the logos without (spoken discourse). The Stoics sharpened this distinction, speaking of the logos endiathetos (the word within the mind) and the logos prophorikos (the word expressed outwardly).

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Confessions: Why We Don’t Just “Stick with the Bible”?

One of the most common questions that Presbyterians get is, why do you have a confession? Why not just stick with the Bible?

Of course, this is not a Presbyterian issue. It is a Christian issue. Confessions or statements of faith are nearly universal in denominations and independent churches. Whether we are talking about Methodists, Episcopalians, Baptists, or the so-called non-denominational church down the street, they all have their statements of faith.

Why? Because Christians know that they are called to teach the truth. God wants us to explain, summarize, and defend the truth—not merely repeat the words of the Bible. That’s why Christians everywhere do this.

When they confess, there is a remarkable degree of unity in our statements of faith. The Presbyterian theologian Thomas Peck, reviewing Philip Schaff’s The Creeds of Christendom, said that this collection “must impress us also with the real consensus of the Evangelical Churches upon [many matters], and the most important” (“The Creeds of Christendom,” Southern Presbyterian Review 29, no. 2 [April 1878]:218). This is still true. See examples of this in my collection of statements here.

Why Not One Statement for Everybody?
We said there are many. Why can’t we have a single statement of faith that all Christians agree on? It’s rather simple: because all Christians do not agree on all things—even important things. Continue reading “Confessions: Why We Don’t Just “Stick with the Bible”?”

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Anxiety, Pride, & Redemption: The Story of Hagar, Sarah, and Abraham

According to the Christian faith, the fundamental human problem is not lack of money, better government, or more education. It is that our relationship with God is broken. Out of that brokenness—what the Bible calls sin—flow addictions, injustices, and abuses of every sort.

Sin is not just doing bad things. It is living out of sync with what we ought to be and do before God. It deserves condemnation, but it also calls forth sympathy, because sin is tangled up with something all of us know well: anxiety.

American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr suggested that sin is rooted in anxiety. We can see the dangers and pressures of this world, but we can’t control them. That anxiety is not sin in itself, but it becomes the occasion for sin. Under pressure, we either trust the Lord or try to take control. That second response is pride.

Genesis 16 shows this pattern clearly in the story of Sarah, Abraham, and Hagar.

Anxiety: When Waiting Hurts
Sarah’s story begins with a simple but painful statement: “She had borne him no children.” In her world, a woman’s honor and identity were tightly connected to childbearing. On top of that, Abraham carried a promise from God that he would have descendants, but years had passed and nothing had happened. No children. No clarity about Sarah’s role. No visible progress.

That is a perfect breeding ground for anxiety.

When we feel out of control, we want to do something—anything—to relieve the tension. Sarah did what was common in her culture: she offered her servant Hagar to Abraham so that she might “obtain children by her” (Gen. 16:2). It was a logical, socially approved solution.

But it was also a violation of God’s design for marriage: one man, one woman, one flesh. It was a common-sense solution that was completely wrong. Continue reading “Anxiety, Pride, & Redemption: The Story of Hagar, Sarah, and Abraham”

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4 Crucial Qualifications for Church Leadership

“[An elder must be] hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.” – Titus 1:8

When we think of a church leader, we often think of someone who knows the Bible or theology well. These are crucial—yet far from sufficient.

In his letters to Timothy and Titus, the missionary and church leader Paul outlines the qualifications for officers in the church, those officially ordained to lead the people of God. His lists give us a picture of what a Christian leader should be. They apply first to officers, but they also describe what all Christian leaders—and really, all Christians—should aspire to.

These qualifications are primarily moral. They describe a person’s character and their way of relating to God and others. Based on Paul’s lists, I want to highlight four key traits: a welcomer of outsiders, pious, community-minded, and self-controlled. Let’s explore each in turn.

Welcomer of Outsiders

The Greek word behind “hospitable” literally means lover of foreigners. It is the opposite of fear or suspicion toward people who are different from us. Our English word “hospitality” can make this sound like simply having friends over. But someone can be very “hospitable” in that sense while never welcoming outsiders.

Jesus expresses this distinction clearly in Matthew 5:

For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? (vv. 46–47)

Everyone greets their friends. Christian leaders must go further. They must welcome the outsider.

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Becoming a People Fit for Fellowship with the Triune God

The Life We’ve Always Wanted

What if we could live in fellowship with God so deeply satisfying that every other desire, need, and hurt receded into the background?

I recently read the story of Brian “Head” Welch, the lead guitarist of the heavy metal band Korn. He had everything—fame, money, and every indulgence that success could buy. Then, in 2005, he left it all behind. Why? Because he found something better: Christ. That is what true fellowship with God can do. It gives us something richer than everything else combined.

Jesus called this “eternal life.” He said, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3). According to Jesus, real life consists in communion with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is life lived in fellowship with God Himself.

We Need to Change to Experience It

Eternal life is a gift of grace that we do not deserve (Rom. 6:23). It is freely available to all—no matter where we have been or what we have done. God stands ready to receive us. His character does not change. But we must change if we are to enjoy His life.

What kind of people must we become in order to live this life of fellowship? Three characteristics mark those who are growing into it:

  • God awareness
  • God-rooted confidence
  • Godward affection

These qualities are not something we produce by sheer effort. The good news is that all who have received God’s gift of life are “being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18). This is the Spirit’s ongoing work.

Yet we are not passive in it. Scripture calls us to lean into what God is already doing: “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Phil. 2:12–13). Paul holds together the mystery of divine and human agency in spiritual transformation with perfect balance.

Let us consider these three characteristics more closely and how we can participate in God’s transforming work that conforms us to Christ.

Continue reading “Becoming a People Fit for Fellowship with the Triune God”

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