A Logos Song, Seed, and Tree

Any serious New Testament study has to begin with the beginning, and, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). John begins his Gospel with poetic parallelism, as word, God, beginning, life, light, darkness, and the phrases "made by Him" and "any thing made that was made," are all paralleled together in beautiful poetic fashion, until verse 6 when John shifts to prose narrative.

The Logic of the Logos Song

I used to think it rather strange that God (and Jehovah in this case) would be compared to the word Word. But this word comes from the Greek word logos. It means "reason, cause, ground." It also is defined as "(the) reason, the mental faculty of thinking, meditating, reasoning, calculating" (Strong's Exhaustive Bible Concordance # G3056). I am quoting here from an online Strong's Concordance and it goes on to talk of John's use of the word in defining the role of the Savior:

"Jesus Christ, the personal wisdom and power in union with God, his minister in creation and government of the universe, the cause of all the world's life both physical and ethical, which for the procurement of man's salvation put on human nature in the person of Jesus the Messiah, the second person in the Godhead, and shone forth conspicuously from His words and deeds."

John may have borrowed this terminology from a Greek philosopher named Heraclitus, who "first used the term Logos around 600 B.C. to designate the divine reason or plan which coordinates a changing universe." 

You can read more on this by clicking here.

Logos is where we get the English word logic, and any words with the suffix logy, such as ecology, biology, and psychology. It is the reasoning or basis behind any study or reasoning. It's what makes something tick.

Indeed, Jesus Christ is the source of all life and existence. He is the logic and meaning behind everything we do, and everything we are. Mortal life only has purpose as we are centered in Him. In another reference written by John, "And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man" (Revelation 1:13). He should be in our midst, or at the center of everything we do.

The Seed

If we take the concept of Jesus, as the Word, one step further, we can glean something from other scripture. Alma describes the word by saying,

"Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me" (Alma 32:28).

Many would say this discourse is about faith, and indeed faith is expounded plentifully. But the center of this discourse is about the divine Sonship of Jesus Christ. Lest we forget, the next chapter defines the seed by addressing the concerns of the audience and "how they should plant the seed, or the word of which he had spoken, which he said must be planted in their hearts" (Alma 33:1).

This discourse is about getting Jesus in our hearts every day, to enlarge our souls, enlighten our understanding, and perceiving Jesus to be delicious! Mormon said, "I was visited of the Lord, and tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus (Mormon 1:15).

The word as a seed opens up another gospel concept. Jesus is in the "express image" of the Father (see Hebrews 1:3). In this beautiful, doctrinal discourse, Alma states, "For every seed bringeth forth unto its own likeness" (Alma 32:31). Thus, Jehovah is "made flesh" (John 1:14) and became Jesus Christ, who grew up and received grace for grace to become just like Heavenly Father.

The Tree

What happens when such a seed is planted? Alma says the seed grows up into a tree. 

"But if ye will nourish the word (the seed), yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life" (Alma 32:41).

The tree will spring up unto eternal, everlasting life. If you place Christ in the center of your heart and let Him grow within you, you will obtain the promise described in the "Logos" chapter. 

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" (John 1:12).

Isaiah describes a seed being planted as "the planting of the Lord." They grow up to be "trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified" (Isaiah 61:3). They become the sons (and daughters) of God, and every seed brings forth its own likeness. Modern revelation states, "Wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even the sons of God" (D&C 76:58). They are indistinguishable from the Father AND the Son! They are gods.