The Greek adverb houtos (οὕτως, also spelled houtoos) means 'thus,' 'so,' 'in this way,' or 'in the same manner.' It appears about 208 times in the NT. It connects the manner of divine action to its proclamation.
Houtos (thus/so) appears at the hinge of some of Scripture's most important sentences. John 3:16 begins: 'For God so (houtos) loved the world' — the manner of God's love is the cross. Not merely 'greatly' but 'in this way' — by giving His Son. Matthew 5:16: 'let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven' — this is how the kingdom advances. Romans 5:12 uses it to explain universal sin: 'just as sin entered the world through one man... and in this way death spread to all people.' Houtos often follows 'just as' (kathos) to connect typology and fulfillment, pattern and reality, Adam and Christ.