Apostles & Prophets: Their Roles in the Past, the Present, and the Last DaysVoorbeeld

Christ: The Head of the Church, His Body

Paul importantly called the Church the Body of Christ. In fact, it was a central part of his apostolic vision for the Church. We discussed that God sees His Church as a vineyard, and today we will explore our position as Christ’s body, with Christ Jesus Himself as the head.

In Ephesians 1:20-23, Paul gloriously depicted Christ’s highly-exalted position over all principalities, powers, might, and dominions — and that it is God’s intention for Christ’s presence to pervade and fill the Body of Christ, which is the Church. All the words in these verses are important, so we will look at them in-depth to see exactly how highly exalted Jesus is in the universe.

First, Paul said Jesus is exalted “above all.” The word “above” is huperano, a Greek word that means high above or far above and refers to both rank and dignity. It means quite simply that no one in the universe has a higher rank, name, or position than Jesus Christ! To affirm Jesus’ highest position, Paul added the word “all,” which is a translation of the Greek word pas, meaning anything and everything. By using these two words together — huperano and pas — Paul left no room for misunderstanding or doubt regarding his message that Jesus Christ holds the highest and most exalted position in the entire universe. Jesus is literally “above all.”

This means that nothing in the universe is more highly exalted than Jesus Christ. His throne rules above all — above all human authorities, including military authorities, and above all spiritual authorities. There is simply no one who rules higher or more majestically than Jesus. He is the Head of the Church — the Head of His Body — and He is “above all” or, literally, Lord over all.

Christ is the chief and head of the Church, so central that He is the core of it. His exalted position means God made His greatest spiritual investment in Christ’s exalted position, and as such, our focus, affection, and treasure should likewise be invested in His lordship over our lives and over the Church.

Questions to Discuss:

How should this powerful truth of being Christ’s Body effect how we live our daily lives? Since we are seated with Him and all things are placed under His feet, His Body, how can this revelation help us overcome everything in this world that the enemy tries to work in our lives and the lives of all believers?