I’ve been meditating a little on the grand statements of the Bible regarding the headship of Christ to the church. For example:
“And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all” (Eph. 1:22-23).
“For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior” (Eph. 5:23).
“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy” (Col. 1:17-18).
“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority” (Col. 2:9-10).
There is a transcendence and an imminence in these verses. Clearly, Jesus transcends all things. He stands over all things. He has supremacy in everything–over the dead and the living, the earthly and the heavenly, the physical and the spiritual. Jesus is fully God, so He is first above all.
But there is this closeness, too, an intimacy we ought not mistake. He is Head to a body, His body, the church. The exalted, transcendent Christ is inseparably connected to His people, the redeemed, the collected of all nations. He rules–not from a distance–but with the close-up attention and love pictured by an exemplary husband. Jesus is head “over every power and authority” and “head of every man” (1 Cor. 11:3), but is uniquely Head to the church in His affection for her.
In other words, the Sovereign Ruler of the universe in whom all the fullness of deity dwells… loves you intimately if you are a part of His church, His bride, His body. Sovereign power coalesces with infinite love in you, His church.
Some seldom think of the headship of Christ in the church, and what poverty of soul results from that neglect! Still others may think of Christ the Head of the church and draw wrong conclusions. Some errors are made by members, others by leaders.
1. Because Jesus is head of the church, I don’t need to submit to human leadership. What better Head can there be than Jesus? Truly, there is no better head. But does that eliminate the need for submitting to leadership in a local church? The short answer: No. Why else would Jesus by His Spirit inspire 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 identifying marks of qualified spiritual leadership in the church? And why else would the same Spirit inspire the clear word in Heb. 13:17a–“Obey your leaders and submit to their authority.” Obviously, the Head of the church intends to lead us by appointed leaders in every congregation.
2. Because Jesus is head of the church, I don’t need another example to follow. This is a strange perversion of Christ the Exemplar. The apostle who under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit penned these words about the headship of Christ did not think examples unnecessary. He writes of himself, “Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). And he writes to a young pastor, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12). Apparently, the headship of Christ is modeled by the servants of Christ who lead His people. The people, then, benefit by the visible, moving example of Christ’s life displayed in believers who faithfully follow Him.
3. Because Jesus is head of the church, I don’t need to join a local church. Or we could say, “I don’t need accountability or community.” The spirit of the Lone Ranger is alive and well, imbibed by Christians who only think of the Christian life in “my personal relationship with Christ.” They’re not joiners. As DeYoung and Kluck term it in Why We Love the Church, they’re “decorpulated” Christians. They are cut off from the body. But Christ is head “of the body, the church.” He stands uniquely related to the whole of himself, not merely to parts of himself. And this is just as each member of the Trinity has designed it Consider how each Person in the Godhead acts to compose the church in 1 Cor. 12:12-27.
But leaders in the church may wrongly apply the headship of Christ as well. They may say or think:
4. Because Jesus is head of the church, I don’t need to work hard at leading. Here is a word of reminder for under-shepherds. While Christ is the great Head of the church, the sole Head, He makes no room for either a lazy or a lackadaisical approach to pastoral ministry. He speaks plainly to us: “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them… the one who leads, with zeal” (Rom. 12:6, 8b).
5. Because Jesus is head of the church, I don’t need to worry about the welfare of the church. After all, Jesus is the Great Shepherd. He is the only One who can care for all the Sheep. Certainly Christ is the Great Shepherd, and the work ultimately depends upon His grace. But Paul could write, “And, apart from other things (a litany of hardships and suffering), there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?” (2 Cor. 11:28-29) That Christ is the Head of the Church is no prescription for worry-free labor in the ministry. We face hardships daily; we suffer, sometimes greatly. And this must be so. It is Christ’s afflictions that we are filling up for the sake of His body (Col. 1:24). But we also look to a reward when the Great Shepherd appears (1 Peter. 5:4).
6. Because Jesus is Head of the church, I should have an easy time being fruitful and leading the church. How many have concluded that Christ is not with them because there was no apparent fruit? How many have left plows in fields half-tilled because the soil was hard? How many have fought the demons of despair and discouragement because they assume that such a great Savior should always desire for us great earthly success? I feel these things in my own heart sometimes. If a man never did, he’d barely be human. But this we have: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” “My grace is sufficient for you.” “My power is made perfect in weakness.” “I will boast in my weakness for then I am strong.” “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” The Transcendent Head of all things is near to us in our affliction for His name’s sake. And we shall be reward if we do not faint. The Head of all will one day bring an end to all and then we shall share in His glory.
