Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down And do not return there till they have watered the earth, . . . So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me empty, but shall do what pleases me, achieving the end for which I sent it. (Isa 55:10–11)
The prophet Jeremiah speaks of his call: “The word of the LORD came to me: / Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” (Jer 1:4–5).
In Genesis, God creates the world by speaking (Gen 1:1–5), and other texts present God as creating through his word: “By the LORD’s word the heavens were made; / by the breath of his mouth all their host” (Ps 33:6).
The Word also came to be identified with God’s wisdom: “Lord of mercy, / you who have made all things by your word / And in your wisdom have established humankind” (Wis 9:1–2).
Some biblical texts personify God’s wisdom as a heavenly figure who was present when God created (Prov 8:27–31; Wis 9:4).
Biblical texts cited above also display thinking about God’s Word: the divine Word can instruct a prophet, be sent on a mission, or be involved in creation. And yet, God’s Word is not a creature, like an angel or servant. In the Old Testament, the Word is greater than these, but not a separate deity. We could say that the word shares God’s unique identity (who God is) in such a way that God’s unity is not compromised.2
When the full reality of Jesus’ identity is revealed, first through his own claims and then definitively through his resurrection and outpouring of the Holy Spirit, all becomes clear. What was variously attributed to God’s Word, wisdom, or †Torah (law) in the Old Testament and Jewish thought now comes to be seen as attributable to the divine Word, who is one with and yet also distinct from God the Father.
Jesus as Wisdom
1 Corinthians 1:
22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
30 He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption;
Jesus as Torah/Law (Justin Martyr Dialog With Trypho c. 155-160)
Now, law placed against law has abrogated that which is before it, and a covenant which comes after in like manner has put an end to the previous one; and an eternal and final law — namely, Christ — has been given to us, and the covenant is trustworthy, after which there shall be no law, no commandment, no ordinance.
Have you not read this which Isaiah says: 'Hearken unto Me, hearken unto Me, my people; and, you kings, give ear unto Me: for a law shall go forth from Me, and My judgment shall be for a light to the nations. My righteousness approaches swiftly, and My salvation shall go forth, and nations shall trust in My arm?' And by Jeremiah, concerning this same new covenant, He thus speaks: 'Behold, the days come, says the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand, to bring them out of the land of Egypt' Jeremiah 31:31-32).
If, therefore, God proclaimed a new covenant which was to be instituted, and this for a light of the nations, we see and are persuaded that men approach God, leaving their idols and other unrighteousness, through the name of Him who was crucified, Jesus Christ, and abide by their confession even unto death, and maintain piety. Moreover, by the works and by the attendant miracles, it is possible for all to understand that He is the new law, and the new covenant, and the expectation of those who out of every people wait for the good things of God. For the true spiritual Israel, and descendants of Judah, Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham (who in uncircumcision was approved of and blessed by God on account of his faith, and called the father of many nations), are we who have been led to God through this crucified Christ, as shall be demonstrated while we proceed.
Word (Catholic Bible Dictionary)
God has said all that he intends to say to us through the incarnate life and death of Christ. The words of Jesus Christ are thus the words of God (cf. John 5:24; 12:48; 18:32; Acts 8:25; 12:24; 13:44, 48-49; Col 3:16). Now the “word” of God means specifically the Gospel: “But many of those who heard the word believed” (Acts 4:4; cf. Acts 4:31; 13:5; 18:11).
In theology, the identity of Jesus Christ as the Word (Greek Logos) is also one way of comprehending the inner life of God, whereby the Father generates the Son. From all eternity, God generates his Word, who is the coequal and consubstantial Son. As Thomas Aquinas wrote, “The eternal generation or begetting of the Son is likened to the process by which the human intellect generates the concept or mental word. Hence the Word of God is the Person begotten by the Father. It is the personal name for God the Son” (Summa theologiae I, q.34 a.2).
the Word was with God; literally, the Word was “toward God.” In the beginning, there was this relationship, an unimaginable fire of love, between God and his Word: the Word was turned “toward” God’s face, and this turning toward was reciprocated. So there are two. On the other hand, there is a unity: the Word was God. Everything that God is, the Word is: they are one—and yet they are two. Once again displaying the mystery of the divine communion, John concludes, the Word was in the beginning with God.
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