Who is the head of the church? Or to ask another question, who gives the marching orders? Sadly, many view human leaders as the head of the church. Some may say the pastor, the elders, the congregation or even a denomination is. The truth is, none of these are the head of the church. Well, who is the head of the church? In Matthew 16:18 the Lord Jesus Christ made the clear and authoritative statement, “I will build my church” (emphasis mine). This makes it clear that the church is His possession – it belongs to Him.
As the Head of the church, the Lord Jesus Christ exercises His sovereignty over it. As the sovereign of the church He is thoroughly acquainted with everything that goes on in the life of its members. Nothing escapes the attention of the Head of the church. On seven occasions to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 the Lord Jesus uttered the words, “I know your works.” These words reveal His omniscience – that is His knowledge of all things. Such a statement is both a comfort and a threat. For those who are faithful, it means that He is aware of your service. However, for those who are unfaithful, He is aware of your compromise.
Concerning His sovereign rule Paul writes that Christ is “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Eph. 1:21). This verse reveals that the Lord Jesus Christ is above all powers and authority – He rules as sovereign. Paul continues by saying, “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). That is to say, the One who is sovereign over “all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named” has been given to the church. The sovereign Christ is the head of the church. He is the ruler of the church, He alone exercises absolute authority in the church, He alone determines what it should do and He is alone is the One who builds the church. For this reason, we are to submit to the rule of the Head of the church and give Him our allegiance.
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