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SHE HAS JESUS AS HER ONLY HEAD
By Howard Winters
In Colossians, chapter 1, Paul depicts Christ as the
redeemer (14), the creator (15-17), and the head of the church
(18). He concludes, "That in all things he might have the
preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all
fullness dwell" (18,19).
Other Scriptures also make clear the fact that Christ is
the head of the church (Ephesians 1:22,23; 4:15; 5:23;
Colossians 2:10). This means that he is the source of her life
(all things are from him) and that he rules over her with
divine authority. For this reason, every member of the body
must be in subjection to him (col. 2:19). To make application
of this grand fact, let us notice:
A DIVINE HEAD
The church has a divine head, Jesus Christ her Lord. This
simply means that Christ rules over her. The church is not a
monstrosity - it is not a many-headed body. It is one body
with one head. Christ does not share his rule or authority
with man. This being true, it follows then with all the force
that reason, logic, and Scripture can have, that the church
has no human head. Any man who claims to be the head of the
church, either in heaven or on earth, makes a false claim and
seizes for himself a prerogative that belongs to Christ alone.
Christ is not only the divine head of the church, he is her
only head.
A DIVINE BODY
Christ is the head of the church, which is his body (Col.
1:18; Eph. 1:22-23). It would be an incongruity for a human
body to have a divine head, or vice versa . The conclusion is
therefore inevitable that the church is a divine institution.
The church is divine because she was conceived in the mind of
God (Eph. 3:10, 11), foretold by the prophets (Isaiah 2:2-4),
built by Jesus (Matthew 16: 16-18), purchased with his blood
(Acts 20:28), and constructed under the immediate direction of
the Holy Spirit working through the apostles of Christ (Acts
2). This divine institution is made up of all the saved (Acts
2:47); has for her mission the salvation of lost souls (Mark
16: 15-16; and God's divine law, as revealed in the New
Testament, is her only rule of conduct (2 Timothy 3:16, 17).
Every member of the Lord's church is a member of a divine
institution.
This should be contrasted with modern denominations, which
are human in origin, name, doctrine, organization, and
practice, have human heads, and are ruled by human laws.
A DIVINE PRACTICE
Since the church follows only the instructions given by her
divine head (through his divine word), all her practices are
divine. The way of God is far above the ways of man (Isa.
55:8,9) and it is not in man to direct his own steps (Jeremiah
10:23). This means that every action must be directed by the
Scriptures - every act must be an authorized act (Col. 3:17).
Paul stated this principle clearly when he said, "Prove all
things; hold fast that which is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
This simply means that if a thing cannot be proven (by the
Scriptures), it cannot be practiced. If one holds fast only
proven things, then it necessarily follows that he must reject
everything not proven. All directions must come from the
head.
No council, synod, convention, or creed of men can
establish the standard for the Lord's church. To recognize
Jesus as head is to follow his directions; and to follow his
directions results in divine practice.
DIVINE PERPETUITY
"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever"
(Hebrews 13:8). The church therefore never changes heads. She
functions under the same head, the same authority, century
after century. When Pope John XXIII died, I wrote the
following four lines for our weekly church bulletin:
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Pope John Twenty-three is dead
And the Roman church is without a head;
But let me say, with all that in me
lies,
The head of the Lord's church never
dies.
Poetry that decidedly is not; truth it
most certainly is. |
A DIVINE RELATIONSHIP
Because Christ is the head of the body, which is the
church, Christ and the church are inseparably joined together.
Christ works through his body and the body does the work of
Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Eph. 4:11-15; 1 Peter
4:8-11). This makes it impossible to reject the body without
also rejecting the head, "From which all the body by joints
and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together,
increaseth with the increase of God" (Co. 2:19). Christ cannot
be received apart from his body.
CONCLUSION
Christ is the head of the church, her ruler, her authority,
her director. If one desires to have Christ as his head he
must be in the church, the church which is his body. And he
must follow the directions given by the head. If one loves the
Lord, if he respects him as the head of the church, why would
he want to be in anything else? How could he be in anything
else Scripturally? To be in another body would be to have
another head.
QUESTIONS
Do the Scriptures teach that Jesus is the head, and the
only head, of the church? What is the significance of this?
Why is it vital to have a divine rather than a human head?
How may we know that the church is a divine institution?
Who is the divine source of authority for the church and
how does he exercise that authority today?
Why is a divine head (who never dies) superior to a human
head?
May one reject the body without rejecting the head?
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