What Jesus’ headship of the church means

Consider what abuse Jesus accepted over His own physical head so that He could be our spiritual head: Matthew 26:7 – anointed head; Matthew 27:29 – crown of thorns; Matthew 27:30 – struck on the head with reed; Matthew 27:37 – over His head was the inscription and in John 19:30 – Jesus bowed His head.

Six passages especially talk about Jesus being our “Head”. Three are in Ephesians and three are in the sister-letter, Colossians. Each has its own particular emphasis. Consider these briefly.

EPHESIANS 1:22-23 – Jesus is head over His spiritual body.

He put all things under His feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the church. Christ does not share His rule or authority with any man. There is, therefore, no human head of the church.

“Any assumption of the headship, which belongs only to Christ, is rebellion against him” (Pulpit Commentary 59).

Just as the physical body reflects the human spirit, so the spiritual body – the church – is to reflect the Spirit which animates it.

EPHESIANS 4:15 – We are to grow into Christ.

We are to grow up into Him who is the head, into Christ. “The church is where Christ is, where he is preached and confessed, where he is working and obeyed. Christ is the creating and sustaining force of the church” (Everett Ferguson, The Church of Christ, 102).

The NT teaches that we are to grow:

Numerically – 1 Corinthians 3:6, 7
In faith – 2 Corinthians 10:15
In righteousness (benevolence) – 2 Corinthians 9:10
In the knowledge of God – Colossians 1:10
In grace – 2 Peter 3:18
Into salvation – 1 Peter 2:2
Into Christ – We will grow the more we come into contact with Jesus.
EPHESIANS 5:23 – Christ is the Savior of his body.
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The church is the body of Christ. We are made members of one another as we come into contact with the Head. Christ is the one who immerses us and joins us together into His body (1 Corinthians 12:13).

COLOSSIANS 1:18 – Christ is the origin of His body.

There is no separation, then, between Christ and His church. You cannot take “Christ” without taking/accepting His church. You cannot ignore His church and be submissive at the same time to the Head.

This suggests that we find our ultimate meaning primarily as a Christian first, an employee secondly.

COLOSSIANS 2:10 – Christ is head over every thing.

Jesus is the sole source of authority in human affairs – Matthew 28:18. In America, we have a government divided into three branches: Legislative, Executive and Judicial. In the church, in spiritual matters, Jesus is the only Legislature, the only Executor of the laws and the only Judge. No one can make rules where He has not made them. That is rebellion. But, He will execute the laws He has set down and then judge us in accordance with our obedience to those laws.

COLOSSIANS 2:19 – We are to hold fast to the head.

This means that we must follow His directions. The ways of God are far above man (Isaiah 55:8-9). We cannot direct our own steps (Jeremiah 10:23). Every action must be directed by Scripture. Colossians 3:17. 1 Thessalonians 5:21. If we are to hold fast only what has been proven, then we can only hold fast to what is written. All directions come from the head.

Since He is the only head:

No man is the head.
No group is the head.
I am not the head.
My feelings are not the head.
My desires are not the head.
My wishes are not the head.

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