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Archegos
(From Forerunner Commentary)

Romans 8:29-30  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) Note that a process is moving from stage to stage. The goal of that process is to be conformed to the image of His Son! The firstborn, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God! Others are to be conformed to His image—they are to be God as well! When a baby is born, is it any less human than its parents? Certainly, it lacks the age, the experience, and the authority of its parents. It is less developed, its skills are not honed, and it lacks the knowledge the parents have. But is it any less human? No, it is not. The Greek word for "firstborn" is prototokos. The Greek prefix, proto, means "first; earliest; in front; beyond; ahead." In every case, it indicates others are following. The proto is out in front and others are following. (We use this same Greek prefix in an English word, "prototype," the model after which everything that follows it is based.) Jesus Christ is the prototokos, the firstborn (the root word in prototokos means "born"—thus, firstborn). He is in front of others who are going to be born. They will be conformed to the image of the One who was firstborn. We can tie to this Colossians 1:18, where Paul says Jesus was ". . . the firstborn [prototokos] from the dead [by a resurrection]. . . ." The others who follow will follow exactly the same pattern as the One who went first. The archegos (Hebrews 2:10) who passed through all the trials of life, died, and was resurrected as the firstborn of God, into the Family of God (Ephesians 3:15). Behind Him are many sons who will follow exactly the same pattern and be born, by means of a resurrection, into the exact same Family that He was born into. As Christ was transformed and renewed and glorified by the resurrection, so will His younger brethren! The thought in Hebrews 2:11-12, 17 shows that Jesus Christ, as a human being, fully shared in our human lot. Romans 8 is the reverse side of the coin—that even as Jesus shared our human lot, we will share his godly lot. Even as He was human, we are going to be God! It is a beautiful, clear, awesome picture! John W. Ritenbaugh We Shall Be God! (Part 1)

Romans 8:29  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) The fact that "[we are] to be conformed to the image of his Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren" is reinforced in Hebrews 2:10, "[Christ is the archegos] in bringing many sons to glory." Also consider Colossians 1:18: "He is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He may have the pre-eminence." This adds something to Romans 8:29—that Jesus Christ experienced this birth by means of a resurrection. He is the firstborn from the dead. Through this resurrection He became glorified, transformed, or changed from physical and mortal like the humanity in whose image He was made. He became a man to become glorified as God! We can follow this same path. God has given us the natural and physical world to understand things of the spiritual world. He has given us these things so that we will not be in doubt of the process, God's great purpose, that He is working out. One of these physical processes that point to the spiritual is the human birth process. When a baby is born, is it any less human than its parents? It has less age, less authority, less knowledge, less skill, less development, but it is not less human! The Greek prefix in "firstborn" is proto, and it means "first, earliest, in front, beyond, ahead." Does it indicate pre-eminence? Certainly! In the entire Bible, the principle of the pre-eminence of the firstborn is clear. However, it also indicates that others will be following Him in birth as well. If there is a firstborn, there will be a second. The scripture guarantees it! He is the firstborn of many brethren, born by means of a resurrection. He is now God! He is the prototype! Others will follow the prototype in birth by resurrection. Are these, born just as the prototype was, any less than the parent? In this case, less God? Will they be any less than the Elder Brother? Yes, they will have less age, less authority, less skill, less development. They will never have the pre-eminence of the Father or their Elder Brother, the Son. But that does not make them any less God—just as a baby born to a human parent is no less human than his parents! Putting Romans 8:29 together with Hebrews 2:14, 17 we see that Christ was transformed, glorified through the resurrection from the dead. Even as Christ is shown to have fully shared in our human lot, we—His brethren, born by means of a resurrection—will fully share in His transformed and glorified nature! What an awesome thing! John W. Ritenbaugh We Shall Be God! (Part 2)

Hebrews 2:10-11  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) A key word in these verses is "author" from the Greek word archegos, which is translated variously as "captain (KJV), author, pioneer, trail-blazer, and founder." One basic concept threads its way through all of the uses of this word: An archegos is one who begins something so that others may enter into it. An archegos can found a school that others may follow him into learning. An archegos can found a city that others may dwell in. An archegos can blaze a trail that others may follow. An archegos can begin a family that others may be born into it. If a ship is foundering on the rocks, and the only way to save the crew and passengers is for someone to swim ashore with a line and secure it on a tree or a rock so that others may follow him to shore, the one who swims with the line is the archegos. He did a deed so that others may follow. Jesus is the archegos of our salvation! He blazed the trail! He set the pattern! He entered into a Family that others may follow! And in the process of blazing the trail, of setting the pattern, of entering into God's Kingdom—He too was perfect! That is what the verse says. The author of our salvation was made perfect through suffering. He was made complete as our Savior and High Priest. He is fully able to be the pioneer of our salvation, to ensure that we also will enter salvation and to be as He is. According to this verse, this was done to bring many sons to glory—the same glory as the Trailblazer, the Pioneer, the Author, the Captain has. John W. Ritenbaugh We Shall Be God! (Part 1)

 

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