This evening as I looked up at all of the stars in the sky I got the feeling of both the immensity of creation and the awesome display of God’s power. As I took in the majesty of it all I was reminded of a passage in Romans:
“Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made” (Romans 1:20).
Logos is the Greek that underlies the English rendering Word. Such as when we read:
Logos is the Greek that underlies the English rendering Word. Such as when we read:
“In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:1-3).
“And the Logos became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth…” (John 1:14).
The word Logos, from which is derived the concept of logic, reason, word, utterance, is used here to describe the Son of God. I like what one commentator said concerning the background for the term that John uses:
“Ancient Greek philosophers associated the Logos with the order and design of the universe or with the intelligible expression of the mind of God as he sustains and governs it.”
“…for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible… all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16a, c, 17).
God spoke the Word (Logos) and the universe was created ex nihilo (out of nothing) and it is sustained by divine activity, a moment by moment conservation, by which creation is kept from slipping back into the nothingness from which it came. This Logos emanates truth, beauty, cradling existence within his very being, permeating every facet of creation and human existence. In the sixth century B.C. a Greek poet Epimenides wrote these famous words that were later quoted by Paul to those at Athens:
God spoke the Word (Logos) and the universe was created ex nihilo (out of nothing) and it is sustained by divine activity, a moment by moment conservation, by which creation is kept from slipping back into the nothingness from which it came. This Logos emanates truth, beauty, cradling existence within his very being, permeating every facet of creation and human existence. In the sixth century B.C. a Greek poet Epimenides wrote these famous words that were later quoted by Paul to those at Athens:
“…for in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
Before the time of Moses or Abraham, before any writings of the Old Testament were ever penned, the universe was the inspired text through which God’s Word came to man.
This is the concept of general revelation which is still relevant to us today, and it is this concept that leads us to listen to creation and to ponder the image of God within us. Everything reflects God in its own way. The material world as we experience it once existed as a mere concept in the Divine mind from eternity past. His very self has been imprinted upon it, the very thoughts of his mind coming to actualization, granted being as a representation of what was conceived.
Before the time of Moses or Abraham, before any writings of the Old Testament were ever penned, the universe was the inspired text through which God’s Word came to man.
This is the concept of general revelation which is still relevant to us today, and it is this concept that leads us to listen to creation and to ponder the image of God within us. Everything reflects God in its own way. The material world as we experience it once existed as a mere concept in the Divine mind from eternity past. His very self has been imprinted upon it, the very thoughts of his mind coming to actualization, granted being as a representation of what was conceived.
We live within this Logos as it has given shape to our existence. It is for this reason, that this Logos became what we are, taking on the nature of created matter. It is this Christ that is the radiance of his glory, the exact representation of his being, the image of the invisible God, the fullness of deity in bodily form.
It is not the inspired Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek text that is the sole voice of God and source of our theology. In fact the written text is just an inscripturated part of the spoke words, interpretations of the Old Testament, reflections upon the creation, and insights into the human experience. It is everything which God has granted unto us that shows forth his word which dwells richly within us.
The creation shows forth his power, his care, and governance. God is the Governor of his creation and he has endowed us with this political image by which the societal and social structures are a reflection of his own governance of the universe. It is by this governance that God gives us a framework for education, discipline, and accountability. It is within this God-ordained structure that our rational faculties are shaped and enlightened by his grace as we yield ourselves to the sources of theology, that is to engage in those words from God, words about God, and words to God.
The creation shows forth his power, his care, and governance. God is the Governor of his creation and he has endowed us with this political image by which the societal and social structures are a reflection of his own governance of the universe. It is by this governance that God gives us a framework for education, discipline, and accountability. It is within this God-ordained structure that our rational faculties are shaped and enlightened by his grace as we yield ourselves to the sources of theology, that is to engage in those words from God, words about God, and words to God.
The Spirit of Christ works in and through these endeavors as he works in and through creation. All of these sources of theology are taken together to form a holistic approach to God’s revelation. For it would be a mistake to assume that the inspired Scriptures comprise the Word of God in its entirety, as opposed to simply containing aspects of the Word of God. Properly speaking, the Word of God, is not a book, it is a person that holds the universe in existence and invites us to learn all that we can.
In this educational process we reason more clearly and more accurately reflect the mind of God. In humility we consecrate ourselves to the processes by which God shapes and molds us, and he has granted unto us the creativity to fashion those structures which facilitate the formation of each and everyone of us to be prepared for anything that God has in store for us.
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