The Word of God: Three Distinctions

Rhema. Logos. Graphe. — Revelation. Formation. Preservation.

When we hear the phrase “the Word of God,” we often default to thinking of the Bible. And that’s not wrong, but it is incomplete. Scripture gives us a fuller, richer picture of what the Word truly is. The Word is not only written, but living. Not only spoken, but embodied. Not only eternal, but personal.

In the Greek language of the New Testament, three distinct terms are used to describe the Word. Let’s begin with a simple framework that help us reflect on this:

• The Written Word — Scripture (Graphe)
• The Eternal Word — Son (Logos)
• The Living Word — Spirit (Rhema)

Each expression of the Word helps us engage with a different dimension of God’s communication. Graphe anchors us in God’s story. Logos reveals the fullness of God in the person of Jesus. Rhema brings revelation that is alive and present. All three work together to shape us into the likeness of the Son.

As we’ve been sitting in John 17 in our teaching series, we’ve seen that the Gospel of John doesn’t just mention these three, he weaves them together into a single narrative arc.

Let’s explore them more fully and then look at how John brings them to life.

The Instructional Nature of the Written Word

“Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.”
—1 Corinthians 10:11

Graphe refers to Scripture which is what has been recorded and preserved for our learning. When Jesus, Paul, or any of the New Testament writers refer to “Scripture,” they are pointing directly to the Hebrew Bible, what we now call the Old Testament. The Law (Torah), the Prophets (Nevi’im), and the Writings (Ketuvim). This was the sacred library Jesus knew, quoted, and fulfilled.

The written Word is historical as much as it is instructional. It grounds us in the character of God and in His covenantal faithfulness. It invites us to trust the story we’re part of, to live with wisdom, and to anticipate what God is doing now.

Today, under the new covenant, when we say “Scripture,” we are referring to both the Old and New Testaments. Both is the full witness of God’s Word through His people, fulfilled in Christ, and passed down and preserved through the apostles. The same Spirit who inspired the Hebrew Scriptures inspired the writings of the early church, giving us a unified testimony of God’s redemptive work from beginning to end.

The Architectural Nature of the Eternal Word

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son… through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.”
—Hebrews 1:1–3

Logos speaks of the Word as eternal, creative, and embodied. Jesus is not just the messenger. He is the message. The Word made flesh. The divine logic behind all things. He is the blueprint, the perfect image of God, through whom all things were made and by whom all things are held together.

But Logos is not only about origin. It is also about order and formation. The same Word that created the cosmos also sustains it. Logos is the spiritual architecture of reality, the divine structure that not only holds creation together but also reshapes us from within.

The eternal Word, as revealed in Jesus is the form of Truth itself, and it carries the full weight of the Father’s nature and intention. When we encounter Jesus, we are not just hearing truth, we are being aligned with His reality.

The Revelatory Nature of the Living Word

“When the Helper comes… the Spirit of truth… he will bear witness about me.”
—John 15:26

Rhema is the Word that is alive in the moment. It’s what the Spirit is saying now. It’s not in conflict with Logos or Graphe, but it brings them to life within us. Rhema is how faith is awakened. Paul writes, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the Word (Rhema) of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)

These are the words that pierce our spirit during prayer, or when Scripture suddenly becomes personal, or when the Spirit speaks something unmistakable into our present situation. Rhema is the now-Word that flows from the eternal Logos and aligns with the written Graphe.

How John Weaves It All Together

Since we’re spending time in John 17, it’s worth stepping back to see how the entire Gospel of John weaves together the living dynamics of the Word. John isn’t just telling stories — he’s crafting a work of art. The Gospel of John is a theological masterpiece that takes us into a literary journey through the movement of revelation, formation, and preservation.

John opens with Logos: “In the beginning was the Word…” (John 1:1). He starts with eternity, with the preexistent Christ, the divine blueprint of creation. But John’s recognition of Jesus as the Logos was not abstract. It was rooted in revelation. The Logos had been hidden in plain sight through the Hebrew Scriptures—the Law, the Prophets, and the story of Israel. Jesus was the fulfillment of everything they had read, longed for, and lived through.

As the narrative unfolds, Jesus begins to speak. “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” (John 6:63). This is Rhema. These Spirit-charged present-tense words carry life and power. They awaken hearts, confront broken systems, and invite transformation. Rhema appears in moments of revelation, when something eternal touches the present.

But something pivotal happens in John 17. As Jesus prepares to go to the cross, He prays to the Father and reflects on what has taken place. He says, “I have given them the words you gave me, and they have received them… They have kept your word” (John 17:8, 6). This is where Rhema becomes Logos. The words He spoke have now taken root. They have formed something. The disciples are no longer just listeners, they are carriers of the truth.

Then Jesus prays, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). He is sending them into the world not just with knowledge, but with formation. They have been shaped by what He said. As Rhema becomes Logos and they go out, that Logos will multiply in others.

By the end of the Gospel, John makes his purpose clear. “These are written so that you may believe…” (John 20:31). This is Graphe—the written Word preserved so that others might encounter the same Jesus through testimony. The Word that was spoken became flesh. The flesh became witness. And the witness became Scripture.

This progression from rhema to logos to graphe is no accident. It is the movement of heaven into earth, of revelation into formation, of personal encounter into lasting truth.

Everything Revolves Around the Son

As we take all this in, we are reminded that the Spirit and the Scriptures do not stand on their own. Both revolve around the Son. When either one is separated from Him, we fall into distortion. The Bible without Jesus becomes rigid and lifeless. The Spirit without Jesus becomes unanchored and subjective. But when both are centered in Christ, they lead to transformation.

We are invited into the same divine progression — rhema to logos to graphe.

We hear the Word.
We are formed by it.
And we carry it forward.

We are a people shaped by revelation, built on truth, and grounded in story.

We listen for the voice of the Spirit.
We look to the life of the Son.
We return to the witness of Scripture.

And through all of it, we are being conformed to the image of Christ.

This is the power of the Word of God.
And this is the invitation we say yes to together.