Verse 10: "For it was fitting that He, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering."
The word "founder" is translated from the Greek "archegos." It's a rare word, which only appears 4 times in the New Testament. Here are the other three occurrences, with "archegos" in bold:
"You killed the Author of Life, whom God raised from the dead." ~Acts 3:15
"God exalted Him at His right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins." ~Acts 5:31
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross..." ~Hebrews 12:2
The word "archegos" means a leader, pioneer, source, initiator, or founder. The only times it is used in the New Testament, it is used to describe Jesus Christ. He is described as the Author of life, faith, and salvation.
Jesus is the Author of Life
"You killed the Author of Life," Peter accused the Jewish leaders. A remarkable,seemingly contradictory statement-- you killed the One who invented life. Yet this is the mystery of the Gospel. John 1 says that "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men." In Colossians 3, Paul writes, "When Christ who is your life appears, then you will appear with Him in glory." The Author of Life becomes our life. 1 John 5 gives us the precious promise that, "God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life." Whoever has the Son has life, because Jesus IS Life; He is the Author, the Source of Life. St. John Chrysostom wrote, "The life that He has does not come from another; the author of life has to be Him who has life in Himself." In Him all things live and move and have their being. All things were created through Him and for Him. He is the source of everything that exists, and, as Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 1:30, He is also the source of our spiritual life.
Jesus is the Author of Faith
"Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith." In the same way that our life is wrapped up in Christ, so too our spiritual life-- our faith-- flows from Him. He is the vine, and we are the branches. He is the Author of our faith because He is the giver of faith. He "grants repentance," gives faith as a gift, says "Let there be light" in darkened hearts, and invades dead souls with the conquering, life-giving, omnipotent love of Yahweh. And after giving us new life, He becomes the example of perfect faithfulness that we seek to imitate.
Jesus is the Author of Salvation
"The author of their salvation perfect through suffering..." Jesus is the Author of Salvation because He is the conqueror of sin, the victor over the grave, and the purchaser of the Spirit. He is the One who sovereignly elects, calls, saves, justifies, and sanctifies us. "Those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified."
No comments:
Post a Comment