Here is something I wrote up on one of my papers on my
web page:
Rhema and logos are two Greek words in the New Testament that are translated as word in the English. Both are primarily used in reference to Gods Word. Some in the Faith Movement as well as other Christian groups believe that each word conveys two different aspect of how Gods Word is related to the hearer. The Assemblies of God dispute any distinction between the two:
A distinction is generally made by proponents of this view between the words logos and rhema. The first, it is claimed, refers to the written word. The second, to that which is presently spoken by faith. According to this view whatever is spoken by faith becomes inspired and takes on the creative power of God.
There are two major problems with this distinction. First, the distinction is not justified by usage either in the Greek New Testament or in the Septuagint (Greek version of the Old Testament). The words are used synonymously in both.
[1]
I am not aware of any faith preachers who are dogmatic about this distinction. As the Assemblies admit, there is very little to no literature from faith preachers on this subject. The closest that I could find to a written Word-Faith polemic on this teaching is Dr. David Yonggi Cho:
In his Greek lexicon Dr. Ironside has defined
logos as the said word of God, and
rhema as the saying word of God. Many scholars define this action of
rhema as being the Holy Spirit using a few verses of Scripture and quickening it personally to one individual person. Here is my definition of
rhema:
rhema is a specific word to a person in a specific situation.
[2]
Chos teaching on the rhema of Gods Word would be considered radical by many, but is somewhat defended by at least one Pentecostal scholar.
[3] It is interesting that Cho derived his understanding of these distinctions from Dr. Ironsides lexicon. Dr. Harry Allen Ironside was neither a Pentecostal, a Charismatic, nor was he Word-Faith. Even before Ironside, John Darby, one of the early leaders in the Plymouth Brethren movement, made the following comments on John 17:14, 17: Logos: the word of God in testimony, see 1Cor. 1:5, distinct from Rhema, the divine communications, ver. 8.
[4]
Two men who were neither Pentecostal nor Charismatic saw a distinction in the use of these two Greek words. The reader should observe the fact that the distinctions between the logos and rhema were not inventions created within the faith movement for the express purpose of promoting positive confession.
Now if the above were isolated incidents, we might still believe that the Assemblies has some ground for their otherwise distorted presentation of faith teachers allegedly distinguishing logos and rhema. Yet, research of several scholars proves that there is ample support for such a distinction. For example, W. E. Vine, in his dictionary says that Logos sometimes,
is used as the sum of God's utterances, e.g., Mar. 7:13; John 10:35; Rev. 1:2, 9.
[5] Furthermore he writes:
The significance of rhema (as distinct from logos) is exemplified in the injunction to take "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," Eph. 6:17; here the reference is not to the whole Bible as such, but to the individual scripture which the Spirit brings to our remembrance for use in time of need, a prerequisite being the regular storing of the mind with Scripture.
[6]
Others who (from the best of my knowledge), are well known experts in the original Bible languages, seem to agree with Vine:
No word (ouk rhema). Rhema brings out the single item rather than the whole content (logos). So in Luke 1:38.
[7] (A. T. Robertson)
The expression, the word of faith is
hrema tes pisteos. Logos, word, is not used here, but
rhema, the other Greek word for word.
Logos refers to the total expression of some idea or person.
Rhema is used of a part of speech in a sentence. Paul is referring here to the words themselves, which constitute his message of faith.
[8] (Kenneth S. Wuest)
Two words are commonly found where the NIV and the NASB read word. One is rhema, which typically focuses attention on a specific word or utterance. In contrast, logos is a broad term, sometimes including the entire Christian message and often used in technical theological senses.
[9] (Lawrence O. Richards)
Rhema, word, as distinguished from logos, word, in classical Greek, signifies a constituent part of a speech or writing, as distinguished from the contents as a whole. Thus it may be either a word or a saying. Sometimes a phrase, as opposed to rhema, a single word. The distinction in the New Testament is not sharp throughout.
[10] (Marvin Vincent)
It should be noted that Vincent did admit that the
distinction in the New Testament is not sharp throughout. The Assemblies in their position paper write, The distinctions between logos and rhema cannot be sustained by Biblical evidence.
[11] Unlike Vincent, the denomination takes an inflexible position.
Dr. Ken Chant, an Australian Pentecostal Bible teacher, is far from embracing the stringent position taken by the Assemblies of God. In his book,
Faith Dynamics, Dr. Chant cites and explains a number of Scriptures that, in his scholarly assessment, makes a clear distinction between the logos and the rhema. While Dr. Chant would more than likely agree with the Assemblies to some extent, he is far from completely embracing their dogmatic assertion:
Perhaps I should mention again that rhema and logos do not always reflect the distinctions I have been emphasizing. Both words are frequently interchanged in the NT and their inner meaning is often blurred. But in their fundamental significance a difference between them does exist, and this difference is highlighted in passages like those quoted above.
[12]
some Faith Teachers have erroneously made it an uncompromising rule that rhema and logos are
always distinct, then the Assemblies have done worse by their lack of flexibility on the matter. The problem with their dogmatic position is that a number of scholars are opposed to it.
___________________________
[1] Assemblies of God,
The Believer and Positive Confession, p. 10
[2] Yonggi Cho, Paul (David)
The Fourth Dimension, Volume One (South Plainfield, NJ: Bridge Publishing, Inc., 1979), p. 91
[3] Chan, Simon K. H.
The Pneumatology of Paul Yonggi Cho ,
AJPS 7:1 (2004), pp. 79-99
[4] Darby, John
The Holy Bible (Darby Translation), Accessed at:
http://www.awmach.org/webo/BDB/n_joh.htm (Last accessed: 19 January, 2005)
[5] Vine, W. E. (Editor)
Vines Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words (New York, NY: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1985), p. 683
[6] Ibid.
[7] Robertson, A. T.
A. T. Robertsons Word Pictures, from the E-Sword Bible Software. Comments on Luke 1:37
[8] Wuest, Kenneth S.
Wuests Word Studies From the Greek New Testament: Volume One (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1973), p. 177. Wuests comments on Romans 10:8
[9] Richard, Lawrence O.
Zondervan Expository Dictionary of Bible Words (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1985), p. 634. The Pentecostal Messenger commended this book.
[10] Vincent, Marvin
Vincents Word Studies, from the E-Sword Bible software
[11] Assemblies of God,
The Believer and Positive Confession, p. 10
[12] Chant, Ken
Faith Dynamics: Gods Way To Move Mountains (Werrington, Australia: Ken Chant, 1989), p. 140