Greek Word of the Week

Rhema-(4487) from rheo meaning to speak or make a statement. Rhema means specific words, or statements. In John 15:7 Jesus said they we are to abide in His rhema. Unfortunately it is translated as word. John 1:1 says that in the beginning was the word. Word here is actually logos which really means logic or reason. So word is used in two different places but are in reality two different Greek words. Matthew 4:4 Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy, saying that man cannot live by bread only but from every (rhema) that proceeds from the mouth of God. So what is the difference between rhema and logos then? Logos is the general expression of the thoughts of God while rhema is the specific subject matter or promises that God imparts. There are specific promises that God made to Abraham that dealt only with his descendants and those that only dealt with gentiles. But God's characteristics are the general logos that we must understand in order to accept and understand the specific. Jesus gave specific instructions to the apostles such as unconditionally love one another, unconditionally love your enemies, and trusting Him for salvation. But when He says Spirit, the God in John 4:24 He is stating what is logos or the general information about God. Both logos and rhema are meant to work together to show individuals what God wants us to know about Him. Does this require that we create a new vocabulary to let people know exactly what we mean? It actually might help to become more specific about what we quote so that other believers understand what is the specific and general information about God. It also reminds us what promises are to Israel and to the church so that we do not claim what isn't ours.