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1-In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Was God (theos). The Word Theos Means God Theos is the basis of the word theology which means, “the study of God.” Theos is used a number of different ways in the New Testament. They are as follows. 1. It Can Speak of the True God When the true God is spoken of in the New Testament, the Greek word theos is used. For example, we read in John’s gospel, In this instance, theos refers to the true God. This is one of the regular uses of this term. 2. It Can Refer to “a God” The singular form of the word theos may refer to a singular god which is not the God of the Bible. When King Herod appeared before the crowd on a certain occasion, the crowd referred to him as “a god.” On this occasion, Herod was equated with deity by the crowd. However it was not with the God of the Bible. 3. It Can Refer to False Gods The plural form of theos can refer to false Gods rather than the true God of the Bible Paul wrote to the Corinthians about the non-existence of so-called gods. He said, The Greek word which translated “gods” in this verse is the plural form of theos. In this instance if makes reference to non-existent gods. 4. The Word Also Can Mean Humans Interestingly, Jesus used the word “gods” to refer to human rulers. We find this usage in John’s gospel when Jesus was talking to the religious leaders about His identity. John records the following words of Jesus. This is the use of the plural form of theos. Instead of referring to the true God, or to false gods, it has reference to earthly rulers. Conclusion: The Context Must Determine the Meaning of Theos Therefore, it is important to understand the context that theos is used to have a proper understanding of its meaning. While God is the primary meaning of this Greek word, it is used with other secondary meanings. As always, the context must be the final determiner. So, the REST of John will help us determine was "theos" really means. (If you have an open mind)