Ephesians 1:22a says, “And He subjected all things under His feet.” The surpassing greatness of God’s power not only raised Christ from among the dead and seated Him at God’s right hand in the heavenlies but also subjected all things under the Lord’s feet. For Christ to be far above all is one thing; for all things to be subjected under His feet is another. The former is Christ’s transcendency; the latter is the subjection of all things to Him. Here in 1:22a we see the subduing power, the power to subdue all things.
In 1:22b Paul goes on to say, “And gave Him to be Head over all things to the church.” Fourth, God’s great power that operated in Christ gave Him to be the Head over all things to the church. The headship of Christ over all things is a gift from God to Him. It was through God’s surpassingly great power that Christ received the headship in the universe. As a man, in His humanity with His divinity, Christ was raised up from the dead, was seated in the heavenlies, had all things subjected to Him, and was given to be the Head over all things.
In 1:20-22 we see four aspects of the power that operated in Christ: resurrection power, transcending power, subjecting power, and heading-up power. This fourfold power is to the church. The words “to the church” in verse 22 imply a transmission. Whatever Christ, the Head, has attained and obtained is now being transmitted to the church, His Body. In this transmission the church shares with Christ all His attainments: the resurrection from among the dead, His being transcendent over all, the subjecting of all things under His feet, and the headship over all things.
The church comes out of this power. The little word “to” indicates the source of the church. The power that operated in Christ in raising Him from the dead, in seating Him at the right hand of God in the heavenlies, in subjecting all things under His feet, and in giving Him to be Head over all things operated once for all. Nevertheless, Christ is Head of all things to the church, and the surpassing greatness of the power that operated in Him is toward us who believe (v. 19). This divine power is not transmitted to the church once for all; on the contrary, it is transmitted continually. This transmission began on the day of Pentecost, and it is still continuing today. Even now this transmission is to the church. All that Christ has accomplished as the Head is continually being transmitted to the church. The divine power will continue to be transmitted to the church for eternity; it will never cease.
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