I. Greek Culture

• Greeks used this term not only for spoken words, but also of the unspoken words still in the mind (wisdom/reason)
• According to Stoic philosophy, word is the ordering principle of the universe

II. Old Testament

• Creative (Gen. 1:3,6,9,11,14,20,24,26; Palsm 33:6; Isa 55:10-11)
• Commanding (Amos 3:1)

III. New Testament in general

• Revelation--word is no longer an impersonal and abstract principle, but a person that was seen and touched by humans (I John 1:1-2)
• Power--(Rev. 19:13)

IV. Gospel of John (1:1-14)

• Eternity (v.1--In the beginning was the Word)
• Personality (v.1--and the Word was with God)
• Deity (v.1--and the Word was God)
• Creating (v.3--Through him all things were made) c.f. Col. 1:16.
• Animating/life living (v.4--In Him was life): The term "life" is found 36 times in John, while no other NT books uses it more than 17 times.
• Revealing (v.4--and that light was the light of men): Life was created before all others (Gen. 1:3). In Biblical sense life and light are together. An authentic and meaningful life must be with truth (Palsm 36:9).
• Incarnate (v.14--The Word become flesh and made his dwelling among us)