There are two Greek words for “the word” in English - logos and rhema. Logos refers to the constant word, the word that is objectively recorded in the Bible, while rhema refers to the instant word, the word that is spoken by the Spirit in the moment on a particular occasion. It is important to note that we can’t have the rhema without the logos, which is why we need to read the Bible; to build up a store of logos so that the Lord can use that to speak the rhema word to us.
An example of when logos is used in the Bible is John 1:1 - “In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God.” An example of when rhema is used in the Bible is Matthew 4\:4 - “But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out through the mouth of God.” A footnote on this verse in the Recovery Version Bible says,
“In this temptation all the words quoted by the Lord from Deuteronomy were logos, the constant word in the Scriptures. But when He quoted them, they became rhema, the instant word applied to His situation.”
I recently enjoyed seeing an example from the Bible of the logos becoming rhema. In Mark 14:17-31, after “Jesus told His disciples that they would all be stumbled, Peter said, if all will be stumbled, yet I will not! And Jesus said to him, Truly I say to you, that today in this night, before a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times. But Peter spoke more intensely, Even if I must die with You, I will by no means deny You!” At this point, the word was logos to Peter.
However, later during the Lord’s trial, in Mark 14:66-72, Peter denied the Lord three times “and immediately a rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered the word, how Jesus has said to him, Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times. And thinking upon it, he wept.” At this point, the word became rhema to Peter. Another way to speak of the rhema word is that it is the Lord speaking logos the second time.
Another example of the logos becoming rhema is in John 2:17 after the Lord cleansed the temple, His disciples remembered that it was written, “The zeal of Your house shall devour Me.” This was a quote from Psalm 69:9. Another way to think of rhema is that it is the reminding of the Spirit.
Just this week, I had a further seeing that rhema is the word that the Spirit speaks. An example of this is in Revelation 2:7a - “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” When the Spirit speaks, that is the rhema word. This is also seen in Revelation 22:17, where “The Spirit and the bride say, Come.” This shows that the Spirit and the bride are speaking as one. Therefore the rhema is not only the Spirit speaking but the Spirit speaking with the bride. Hallelujah, that the Lord can use us as human vessels to speak rhema to His people.