When John calls Jesus 'the Logos,' is he referring to Greek philosophy?

When the Apostle John begins his gospel by identifying Jesus as “the Logos,” is he comparing Christ to an idea in ancient Greek philosophy? From one of our Ask Ligonier events, W. Robert Godfrey explains what is happening at the beginning of this gospel account.

[mikeh]

Just want to leave a comment, because..."worthy is Lamb of God!" Thank you Lord Jesus Christ for such outstanding and amazing Grace. We, the Body, Love you!

[paulmuhle]

You are speculating that there is only one way to interpret logos. Philo could have given you three different ways to unpack this logos. Are you relating to a Stoic understanding, Platonic understanding? Is logos the plan of God and Jesus was the one who revealed it? I have more questions than answers from your explanation.

[jessyjonas]

Phillip said unto him, Lord show us the Father and we will be content
" You've been with me all this time Phillip and you still don't understand? To see me is to see the Father...." John 14:8-10✝️

God became man
So that man can see what God is like

[jessyjonas]

" In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with 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

Jesus Christ is the eternal God
The second person of the HolyTrinity

[joshuamiller]

Obfuscation. Sounds like he says John is saying what he’s saying because of who the audience is. But don’t go learn about what the words meant to the original audience or anything like that. If John refers to Jesus as the Logos you’d think that learning what that meant to 1st century Greeks should be the absolute next thing to do. But no, don’t do that. Move along. Nothing to see here.

[jessyjonas]

Oh what a glory that will be
When my Jesus I shall see
What a hallelujah time
When we reach into that land
What a glory that will be
Amen

[approvedofGod]

The logos of John 1:1 is the spoken word of God or "Life." Connect John 1:1 to 1John 1:1, 2. You can also connect to Genesis 1. All these verses testify that the Logos is the spoken word or life of God that was with God at the beginning.

[Dr.Bitterbrains]

The old testament and new testament is full of Greek philosophy

[McCarthy]

It's crazy because you can trace the concept of the Logos back to the Zoroastrian "Asha" and the vedic "rta" and that concept traveled west and became the Logos and east and became the Dao, then it philosophically inspired Aquinas and Locke's "Natural Law", and Lockean Natural Law theory is what liberalism was largely based in and the United States founded on. Then the US and Britain spread liberalism across the world. Now this concept is seen in some way in all major religions and the dominant political philosophy of the last 200 years.

[jessyjonas]

" come let us make man
In Our image
According to Our likeness"
Genesis 1: 26✝️

The first clear indication of the triuniy of God.

Elohim- " in the beginning God ( Elohim), Genesis 1:1✝️

Elohim- The name of God, is a plural form of El.

The One true God
The only God
Triune God

God the Father
God The Son
God the Holy Spirit

[cjbasak]

See how game plays...

He says He used also Logos to get attention of Gentiles because philosophical Logos ... But he doesn't talk about what Logos in their philosophy!!!

Logos is second God or messenger in understanding Philo of Alexandria Paganistic philosophy.... Copied understanding and brought to John 1 1 !!!

[PeterShieldsukcatstripey]

Where did e michael jones get his ideas?

[MrHawkMan]

I think John's Logos is almost the opposite of the Greek idea. Heidegger recognised that the Greek concept of Logos (the truth behind language that philosophy is aiming at) is conceived as a union of opposites through a violent process. In a sense it is just another way of describing the Sacred whose etymological root is a 'blessing and curse'. But John logos shows that Jesus is not divinity who blesses and curses, expelling in violent forms the 'enemy' to restore order, which is how pagan gods are perceived. He is himself rejected and persecuted, and preaches Love not Violence. Christ is the true logos because of his Love not any Violence which is what the Greek idea of Logos means along with all other conceptions of the sacred across the world.

[kathleenlovett]

OHhhh! Many THANKS for the explanation. I really like to thoroughly understand things, especially things in the Bible.

[kathleenlovett]

This 90 second video just opened my eyes and suddenly gave me an understanding like no other! It was a reawakening 🙏 NAMASTE 🙏

[r.e.jr.]

So does Mr. Godfrey agree with the Logos Christology or disagrees?

[ChandraAnandInChrist]

Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος, καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν, καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος.

John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

[McCarthy]

Also the Logos in the Greek stoic sense embodied a moral philosophy very similar to that of Christ's. Many early Christian philosophers argued that the morality of Greek stoics and platonists was essentially Christian. Not theologically obviously but morally.

[achildofthelight]

The logos is the nature (laws) of the universe, all things seen and unseen are made through this nature.... ask and you shall receive.... just as Isaac asked his father -where is the lamb, and he answered - God will supply the lamb.... by the very nature of the universe of attraction, the lamb of God was born who died from the light to be carnal, to rise again during baptism, just to show us how to also rise up from amongst the dead, the carnal thinking of man.

[raygsbrelcik]

What's all the confusion about---GOODNESS! It really isn't that difficult
at ALL! GOD the FATHER is the SOURCE of the "LOGOS ( Word)."
Jesus, on the other hand----is the 'EXPRESSION' of that "LOGOS."
Jesus only "Speaks what his HOLY FATHER Commands him."
And he Speaks it just the way the FATHER teaches him.
JOHN 12:49.

GOD: The MIND, the THOUGHTS, the PLANS. HE IS the LOGOS.
JESUS: The "Anointed SAVIOR, " given "Power and Authority" BY his
FATHER.

Yeh----it's really as simple as THAT!