How Christ Relates to the Church: The Headship of Jesus

CHURCH ARTICLE | Sean Cavender | Wichita, Kansas

It is common to consider Jesus as our personal and individual Savior, which He is. Also, it is easy to see that Jesus is connected to God since He is God’s very Son. However, we can sometimes neglect how Christ relates to the church. We recognize Jesus’ relationships with us individually or to God, but how does He connect to the universal body of all believers? The Bible helps us to see that relationship through Jesus’ headship over the body.

The church belongs to Christ since He purchased the church by His blood that He shed (Acts 20:28). Therefore, the church rightly is “of Christ” (Romans 16:16), since He is the source of life, purpose, and mission for the church. The New Testament writers relate the church to Christ in various ways. Sometimes the church is likened to a vineyard (John 15:1-7), a kingdom (Colossians 1:13-18), or a body (1 Corinthians 12:27). It is in this image of the church as the body of Christ that the Bible relates Christ as the head of the body. The Bible shows the headship of Jesus on a few occasions in the New Testament.

Ephesians 1:20–23 (NASB95)

20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Ephesians 4:15 (NASB95)

15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,

Ephesians 5:23 (NASB95)

23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.

Colossians 1:18 (NASB95)

18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

What does the headship of Jesus mean for the church? How does His headship shape the way we live and conduct ourselves? Why is His headship significant? These are questions we are going to explore in this article.

Headship: The Leader of God’s Kingdom

Paul uses the organic and biological body as a metaphor for the church. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul speaks of individual obligations to serve within the body of Christ. He describes individual members as having roles and responsibilities that differ. Yet, we fulfill those responsibilities out of love and service for one another (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:4-16). Everybody has a head. The head houses our brains, the center of our thoughts, actions, and words. Our heads direct every facet of our bodies and our lives. So it is with Jesus. He directs His body, the church, how He wants to (Ephesians 1:22-23). He is the One authorized to rule and dictate how we worship God or how the church fulfills its work. He is the One who authorizes the terms of membership into the church since He is the Savior of the body (Ephesians 5:23). Just as my arm and my legs do not govern my body — nor even govern themselves — they are subject to the direction of my head, so it is with Christ. We, as individual Christians, are subject to following the direction of Jesus Christ!

Headship is a powerful and relatable metaphor that helps us understand Christ’s authority in the church. However, the language of headship is also multi-faceted. Headship is used in the metaphor of the organic and biological body while also being the language that commonly describes kingdom and kingship. Let’s consider this aspect of headship in the writings of Paul.

First, notice that headship implies authority and power. In Ephesians 1:21-23, Paul contrasts the authority of the exalted Christ on the throne of God with the authority of world rulers. Paul’s point is that Christ has power over everyone, including the world rulers, and His headship and authority last not only for the present but for even the age that is to come (Ephesians 1:21). Since Christ has dominion, power, and authority over all things, this requires that we are subject to Him. Therefore, we must follow the direction and leadership of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:22).

Second, we see the language of Ephesians 1:20-23, where Paul writes about the authority of world powers and governments and contrasts that with Christ’s authority as the One who sits on the throne at the right hand of God (Ephesians 1:20-21). This shows us that Jesus’ headship is not only a metaphor of an organic, biological body; this shows us that Jesus’ headship shows that He is the ruler of governmental power — the kingdom of God! That kingdom — the body of Christ — is the church (Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:13, 18).

‘Headship’ is sometimes used in political and governmental contexts. For example, in the United States of America, the Speaker of the House is the leader of the House of Representatives. Notice how that position is described: “Elected by the whole of the House of Representatives, the Speaker acts as leader of the House and combines several roles: the institutional role of presiding officer and administrative head of the House (emphasis mine), the role of leader of the majority party in the House, and the representative role of an elected member of the House…” (https://www.house.gov/leadership). The Speaker of the House is described as the head of the House since he is the appointed and elected leader. When we read about Jesus’ headship in passages like Ephesians 1 and Colossians 1, we learn that Jesus is reigning as King over His kingdom. That kingdom is presently in existence; it is not awaiting a future inauguration, as premillennialism suggests.

Even the Old Testament prophets spoke about the kingdom of God and how Jews and Gentiles would be united under one leader or head. Notice the prophecy of Hosea.

Hosea 1:11 (NKJV)

Then the children of Judah and the children of Israel Shall be gathered together, And appoint for themselves one head; And they shall come up out of the land, For great will be the day of Jezreel.

Hosea referenced that this head — or coming king — would be a king like David, one of his descendants (cf. Hosea 3:5; 2 Samuel 7:16).

Therefore, when we read of Jesus’ headship over the church, we need to recognize the rich metaphor that Paul is using. He uses multi-dimensional language. Jesus is the head of the body, the church. The head-body metaphor may be a metaphor for the organic and biological body, as 1 Corinthians 12 invariably describes. Nevertheless, the head-body metaphor may also reference the church as the kingdom of God and Jesus as its King!

Jesus’ Headship and the Church

Now that we have identified the richness of Paul’s headship language, we are prepared to understand the implications of Jesus’ headship for us.

Subjection (Ephesians 1:22) — Since Jesus is the King who rules His kingdom, we are the citizens of His kingdom (Philippians 3:20). We must obey His laws (Galatians 6:2; 1 Corinthians 9:21). Obedience to King Jesus is the visible demonstration of authentic faith (cf. James 2:14-26). Faithfulness to the laws of Jesus demonstrates our allegiance and fidelity to Him as our King. Obedience and subjection are performed out of sincere love for Jesus, not merely out of fear. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Since Christ is king, we must submit to His word and commands. Obedience, faith, and subjection become the qualities of kingdom citizens.
Growth and Maturation (Ephesians 4:15) — Paul uses the biological body as a metaphor for the church of Christ. Since our physical body grows in proportion with other parts of our body, our heads included, then the spiritual body of Christ is to grow in proportion with the Head, Jesus Christ. That is Paul’s point in Ephesians 4:11-16. Christ has presented gifts to the church through teachers and elders. Those who offer instruction from God’s word (Ephesians 4:11). God’s word edifies us and strengthens us so that we grow to be more like Jesus in stature and His fullness (Ephesians 4:13). When we grow to be more like Christ, that is the mark of spiritual maturity. Jesus is the Head of the church to give us a goal and a mark for what we are to become in His likeness (Ephesians 4:24).
Love for the Brethren (Ephesians 5:23) — Christ is the head of the church and models leadership perfectly. True headship and leadership are performed with love (Ephesians 5:23, 25). Christ’s love and headship are demonstrated through a love for His children. Paul wrote, “and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us…” (Ephesians 5:2). This shows us the demands of love and headship. Sacrifice is what love demands. Since Christ has loved us and given His life for us, we should also love those for whom Christ died. The apostle John stated, “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16). The headship of Jesus demands that we love our brothers and sisters in the Lord. We must serve one another while putting away gossip, backbiting, and slander (Galatians 5:13-15). This is what love demands. This is what Jesus’ headship demands of us.

Conclusion

When speaking of Christ’s relationship with His church, the metaphor of the body and headship are common and powerful. This metaphor demonstrates Christ’s authority, power, leadership, and direction. He is the One who guides the church in all that it does. Jesus is the head of the body or the king over His kingdom. As a king, He rules His subjects and citizens. His citizens — Christians — are to live in subjection, obedience, allegiance, and faithfulness to His decrees and commands.

Furthermore, the headship of Jesus comes with demands for us. His pattern of leadership ought to change us and guide us:

We are to subject ourselves to Him without drudgery and willingly. Demonstrating faith and love for our king requires submission to His laws.
We must grow to become like our head. Jesus expects His citizens to become model citizens, models of His character, morality, and ethics.

We must love as He loved.We must love our brethren and serve them. We must put away the strife and anger that can cause the mutilation of the body of Christ. Christ is our head and we are His body. Therefore, everything we do must be out of love and service for the body of Christ!

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April 2023 | GROW magazine