The logos in Titus 2:5

Question

Titus 2:5 (ESV),

5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.

The Greek text of the phrase emboldened above is ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ (ho logos tou Theou).

Is the use of ὁ λόγος (ho logos) here to be understood as personalized in the same way ὁ λόγος (ho logos) is in the Gospel of John's Prologue (See also, Revelation 19:13). Said another way, is the λόγος (logos) here in Titus 2:5 the λόγος (logos) that was made flesh per John 1:14, or is this use of ὁ λόγος (ho logos) impersonal, and referring to something else, say, for example, the Scriptures, or even, something else?

Answer 1

The phrase Ὁ Λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ occurs about 42 times in the NT. In every instance except one (Rev 19:13) it refers to the written and spoken teaching about God, much as our modern technical term, "theology" (from the same phrase) does. Here is a sample:

• Matt 15:6 - he need not honor his father or mother with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
• Mark 7:13 - Thus you nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down. And you do so in many such matters.”
• Luke 5:1 - On one occasion, while Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret with the crowd pressing in on Him to hear the word of God,
• Luke 8:1 - Now this is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.

This phrase does NOT occur in John 1 but first appears in his gospel in John 10:35, "If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken"

Rev 19:13

The reason that Rev 19:13 is an exception to the above rule is rather simple - the text explicitly says the NAME of the rider on the white horse is "The Word of God" and thus is an allusion to John 1:1-3, 14.

CONCLUSION

Therefore, Titus 2:5 having "The word of God" is a reference to the written and spoken/preached teachings about God and Jesus.