Understanding Rhema

The Essence of Rhema — From Written to Spoken to Lived

Many ask: “What is a rhema word, and why does it matter?” In Scripture, three key Greek terms are often translated as “word”: Logos, Graphe, and Rhema. Understanding how they relate will help you hear God and walk out His will with clarity.

What is a Rhema Word?

There are three foundational Greek root words often translated as word in English. Namely, (logos, graphe, and rhema). The New Testament was originally penned in Greek, the shared language of the Eastern Mediterranean and the early church. When the King James Version was completed in 1611, it translated both the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament into the formal English of its time. Yet beneath these translations lie the original Greek expressions that carry profound and spiritual nuance.

Let's look at each of these Greek words.

1) Logos — The Mind and Counsel of God

LOGOS is from (Strong's 3056), and it is the expressed word — God's thoughts, God's truth, God's wisdom, God's plans, God's counsel, God's mind.

John 1:1 — “In the beginning was the Word (Logos), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

2) Graphe — The Written Word

The second word is Graphe (Strong’s 1124). It is the written word — the physical text of Scripture. Anything that is inscribed, in writing, documented, or recorded can be considered graphe. Graphe can be seen as the container or vehicle through which God's thoughts come to us.

2 Timothy 3:16 — “All scripture (Graphe) is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

3) Rhema — The Spoken, Quickened Word

RHEMA (Strong’s 4487) is the spoken word — a specific utterance made alive by God's Spirit. A tailor-made word spoken from God to you. So then, Logos is the expression of God's thoughts. Graphe is the container or vehicle through which those thoughts come.

Romans 10:17 — “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word (Rhema) of God.”
Ephesians 6:17 — “The sword of the Spirit, which is the word (Rhema) of God.”

How Logos, Graphe, and Rhema Work Together

These terms are seamlessly connected because the Graphe contains the Logos. The written Scriptures (Graphe) carry and communicate the eternal thoughts and wisdom of God (Logos). Graphe is the physical form of God's Word, while Logos is the content — the divine truth and counsel that it conveys.

The written Word serves as the vehicle through which God's divine thoughts are communicated to us. When the Spirit illuminates that Word and it is spoken or acted upon, it takes on the nature and designation of Rhema — alive, spoken, and transformative.

In short: Graphe is the vehicle, Logos is the content, and Rhema is the Spirit-breathed expression that transforms how we live.