Rhema
From Free net encyclopedia
- This article examines the Greek word. For Kenneth Hagin's church, see Rhema Bible Church or for the Christian radio station, see Rhema FM
ρημα and λόγος in the New Testament
Rhema (ρημα) is the Ancient Greek word that describes the act of speaking. It can be found in the following New Testament passages:
Matthew 12:36
Matthew 26:75
Matthew 27:14
Luke 1:37-38
John 3.34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit
John 8:20
Acts 2:14
Acts 6:11,13
Acts 11:14-16
Acts 13:42
Acts 26:25
Romans 10:8
Romans 10:17-18
2 Corinthians 12:4
2 Corinthians 13:1
Ephesians 6.17 Take the helmet of salvation and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Hebrews 11:3
Hebrews 12:19
1 Peter 1:25
2 Peter 3:2
Jude 17
Differences in interpreting Rhema and Logos
Pentecostal and Evangelical Christians have different understandings of how Rhema should be used and understood.
Pentecostal Christians view Rhema as the voice of the Holy Spirit as it speaks to the believer at the present moment. In this sense, the Christian should be guided by the Holy Spirit as he/she is guided through inner feelings, impressions and experiences. God's Rhema, the direct words of God to the individual, can also be imparted through the words of others, such as a preacher in a worship service, or a friend who counsels them. In this sense, God's direct guidance can be determined by a variety of means. The test of the authenticity of a Rhema from God is simple... How does it compare to the whole of Scripture? Orthodoxy says that God will not speak a word that contradicts His written word, the Scriptures, so there is a built-in safeguard to prevent misinterpretation.
By contrast, the Logos (λόγος), is typically used in Scripture to refer to what God has said to His people, that is, the collection of God's sayings about Himself, His relationship with His creation and His Church. The Logos of God is true for all time and in all places. It is easy to see how this can be interpreted both as the bible (God's Word Written) and in the Person of Jesus Christ (God's Word in the Flesh) as seen in John's Gospel, Chapter 1.
The Holy Spirit often uses passages in the Logos of God to create specific guidance, Rhema, for the individual. An example of the Rhema of God is to consider how several different people can read the same passage of Scripture and each sees something different. This occurs because each person is in a different place spiritually in their individual lives so God's word to each of them in that moment of their lives is different - specific to their needs. The Logos (God's original meaning and intention) has not changed, but the Holy Spirit has used it to speak to each according to his or her needs
Evangelical Christians, however, have a much different understanding of rhema. Many evangelicals, especially Calvinists see rhema as being almost synonymous with logos. In other words, the specific guidance we receive from the Holy Spirit at any given time can only be discerned by the general principles laid down in the written word - the Bible. But this sort of guidance is not the same as that described above - it can only give general guidance about how the decision should be made. If we used the same example of the Christian wondering about when to start their business, the evangelical would argue that God will not give any specific guidance - it is up to the person to work it out for themselves. What God can give guidance on is on how that business should be run, and what the business actually does (Running a Brothel, for instance, would be wrong).
For evangelicals, then, the rhema is when God speaks directly to a person as they apply the Bible's teaching to a specific subject. If there is no Biblical teaching about that specific situation then the Christian may make up their own mind as to what they should do. This is because God has already determined what will happen anyway.
For example, when a person gone through the experience of dwell in the Holy Spirit (Baptism in the Holy Spirit in Catholic terms) , it is easily for him/her to discover that Holy Spirit is guiding him/her to understand the bible in a new way that is very clear or guiding him/her in a personal level through the logos.