As usual, I’ve been thinking through Scripture in relation to Christ and the salvation he brings to us. As I’ve been thinking through various passages, some thoughts have come to mind that I’m wrestling with—in a good way, not doubts.
You’ve heard me say for years that Christ is the center of
all Scripture—the hub around which all Scripture is tied. This is what some
refer to as the Christocentricity of Scripture. You’ve also heard me say that
Christ is the end of all Scripture—the telos. The fancy word for this is
Christotelicity. From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture has been pointing
forward to Christ as the glorious end-all of history. Of these two truths, I am
convinced.
But as I’ve been studying Biblical Theology more and more, I
began to see things in a way that are presenting some ideas that no one has
written about comprehensively. In fact, there is no term for the idea I’m about
to present, so I had to coin a term. It’s called...
Christoarchicity.
CHRISTOARCHICITY (definition)
Christoarchicity is the claim that Christ Himself is the
original pattern—the arche—of every major identity, office, and structure in
Scripture, and that Adam, Israel, the temple, the church, and the new creation are ectypal
expressions of His eternal reality. Ectypal means that something is a
created copy of the original. It means Christ does not merely fulfill Old
Testament forms; He is the source from which those forms were first shaped.
So, when Scripture gives us sons, kings, priests, prophets,
temples, sacrifices, covenant heads, and worshipers, it is giving us creaturely
copies of Christ’s eternal identity.
Christoarchicity simply says: Christ is the arche;
everything else is the echo.
WHY THIS MATTERS
The implications of this are connected to biblical
counseling, the dispensationalism/covenantalism discussion, how we see
typology, a shift in biblical theology, and even millennial views. Why? Because
this notion of Christoarchicity hits at the metaphysical and ontological level
of theology.
METAPHYSICS AND ONTOLOGY
- Metaphysics:
the branch of philosophy that deals with the first principles of
things—being, knowing, identity, time, and space.
- Ontology:
the part of metaphysics that lists and organizes what exists.
The following will help make sense of these concepts because
they can feel abstract. For example:
- God
created the world with order, purpose, and structure (metaphysics). “In
wisdom you made them all.” (Psalm 104:24)
- In
this world, God created creatures, relationships, and physical realities
(ontology). “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
(Genesis 1:1)
- What
makes a tree a tree and what is its nature (metaphysics)? A tree is one
kind of thing that exists in this world (ontology).
CHRISTOARCHICITY AND SCRIPTURE
Now what does metaphysics and ontology have to do with Christoarchicity?
Everything.
Christ is the arche—the ultimate beginning and
reality (metaphysics)—from which all patterns, offices, and structures we see
in Scripture are derived (ontology). Let me give you an example of what this
sounds like in working-man terms.
- Christ as the Arche Son
Christ has always been the Son of God. Eternally. Apart from
time. This is part of His being—ultimate reality (metaphysics).
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth
his Son, born of woman, born under the law,” (Galatians 4:4)
Notice that God sent for His SON
to be born of a woman. He did not become a son because He was born to Mary.
He is the arche son. Thus, any manifestations of “sonship” in the Bible—Adam,
angels, Israel, believers (ectypes)—are derived from Christ.
o
“Adam… the son of God.” (Luke 3:38)
o
“Israel is My son, My firstborn.” (Exodus
4:22)
o
“To all who received Him… He gave the right
to become children of God.” (John 1:12)
He is the arche Son after which all other “sons” are
patterned.
This is what Christoarchicity feels like and sounds like and
thus makes necessary the Christocentricity and Christotelocity of Scripture. In
other words, Christocentricity and Christotelocity of God’s Word are true
because metaphysically Christ is ultimate reality (metaphysics) and God created
physical reality (ontology) to be one massive revelation of Christ.
- Christ as Arche Priest
Christ was, is, and always shall be the Priest.
o
“You are a priest forever after the order of
Melchizedek.” (Psalm 110:4)
o
“He is without father or mother… resembling
the Son of God.” (Hebrews 7:3)
Melchizedek’s priesthood is derived from Christ’s eternal
priesthood, not the other way around. Scripture explicitly says that
Melchizedek resembles the Son, not that the Son resembles Melchizedek — that’s
the metaphysical direction. So when Jesus is said to be “after the order of
Melchizedek,” it means that in time He fulfills the pattern displayed in
Melchizedek’s priesthood (ontology), while in His eternal being He is Priest
forever — from all eternity (metaphysics).
- Christ as Arche King
Christ is
King eternally; Davidic kingship is the ectypal copy.
o
“Your throne, O God, is
forever and ever” (Psalm 45:6; applied to Christ in Hebrews 1:8).
When Adam or Noah were given dominion over the earth — the
ontological, historical ectype — it was because Christ is eternally the arche
King in His divine nature. Their kingship is simply the temporal manifestation
of His eternal kingship. And when we reign with Christ for all eternity, it is
because ontologically we participate in the metaphysical reality of His eternal
rule (Revelation 22:5).
- Christ as Arche Temple
Christ is the true temple—the dwelling place of God.
o
“Destroy this temple, and in three days I
will raise it up… He was speaking of the temple of His body.” (John
2:19–21)
o
“The Father who dwells in Me does His works.”
(John 14:10)
o
“I am in the Father and the Father is in Me.”
(John 14:11)
o
“The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its
temple.” (Revelation 21:22)
o
“They serve a copy and shadow of
the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was
instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the
pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” (Hebrews 8:5)
Every temple in Scripture is an ectypal copy of Christ’s
eternal temple reality.
- Christ as Arche Messenger (Malak YHWH)
Christ is the eternal Messenger of the Lord.
o
“Behold, I send my messenger… and the Lord
whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the
covenant… behold, he is coming.” (Malachi 3:1)
God Himself was coming to the temple as the Messenger of the Covenant. This was Christ, whose way was prepared by John the Baptist.
- Christ as Arche Sacrifice
Every sacrifice is patterned after Him.
o
“…the Lamb who was slain from the foundation
of the world.” (Revelation 13:8)
I think you’re getting the point by now.
- Christ as Causality and Telos
Christ is the causality and the end-all of everything.
o
“For from Him and through Him and for Him are
all things.” (Romans 11:36)
“From,” “through,” and “for” name the metaphysical structure
of reality—Christ as arche source, arche sustainer, and arche telos. “All
things” names the ontological realm—everything that exists as ectypal
expression of that metaphysical reality.
Let me wrap this up, because much more could be said. This
has been rolling around in my mind for a long time. I can see it clearly, but I
still need to work it out in writing as I continue to test and refine its
validity. The implications are massive—not only for theology, but for worship,
fellowship, identity, counseling, and how we live in this world as those who
relate to Jesus Christ now and for all eternity.
As with any theological notions that presses into the deeper realities of Scripture as they relate to Christ, I know there will be pushback. Some will say I’m reading metaphysics into the Bible, but Scripture itself speaks in metaphysical categories—“from Him, through Him, for Him.” Others will insist that Christ merely fulfills Old Testament patterns, yet Hebrews says the patterns themselves were shaped after Him. Some will resist the idea that Adam, Israel, Melchizedek, David, the temple, the sacrifices, and even angels and prophets are ectypal copies of Christ’s eternal reality, but the text itself gives the direction: they resemble the Son. Christoarchicity does not overturn what we know of Christ and Scripture; it gathers some of the scattered pieces and shows the whole. Some may argue that if Christ is the arche, this undermines the Father’s primacy—but that objection confuses categories, because Christoarchicity is not speaking about Christ’s relation to the Father within the Trinity, but Christ’s relation to creation, where Scripture itself assigns the patterns, offices, and structures to the Son, not the Father.
In every case, the pushback only drives me deeper into
Scripture, where Christ stands as the arche—and everything else as the echo.
To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen.