Names and Titles of Jesus

Jesus, the Word (Logos)

John opens his Gospel by calling Jesus ‘the Word’ (in Greek, the Logos): ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God’ (John 1:1). A word is how a person makes themselves known. To call Jesus the Word is to say he is God speaking, God’s own self-expression, who then ‘was made flesh’ and lived among us.

What the Bible says

What it reveals

John deliberately echoes the first words of the Bible, ‘In the beginning.’ God created by speaking; his Word was there before anything was made, and that Word was God. Then comes the astonishing turn: the eternal Word ‘was made flesh.’ The God who spoke the stars into being took on a face and a name. If you want to know what God is like, John says, look at Jesus.

What it means for you

You do not have to guess what God thinks of you. In Jesus, God has spoken clearly, ‘full of grace and truth.’ The Word is not a distant idea but a person you can come to know. Reading the Gospels is listening to God speak in the plainest language he has: a human life.

Frequently asked questions

What does it mean that Jesus is the Word?

It means Jesus is God's self-expression, the way God makes himself known. John 1:1 says 'the Word was God', and John 1:14 says 'the Word was made flesh': the eternal God became human in Jesus.

What is the Logos in the Bible?

'Logos' is the Greek word John uses for Jesus in John 1:1, translated 'Word'. It carries the sense of reason, speech, and self-revelation. John uses it to say Jesus is God speaking, present at creation and now made flesh.