In this message we shall consider further details regarding the church as the Body of Christ.
Christ is the Head of the Body. In Ephesians 5:23 Paul says, “Christ is Head of the church, being Himself the Savior of the Body.” The Savior is a matter of love, whereas the Head is a matter of authority. We love Christ as our Savior, but we must also be subject to Him as our Head.
As the Head of the church, the Body, Christ is joined to the Body. Just as in one’s physical body the head and the body are one, so Christ, the Head, and the church, His Body, are joined and therefore are one. The Body is one with the Head in the divine life and in the divine Spirit.
All that Christ has accomplished, obtained, and attained as the Head is not only for the Body but also to the Body (Eph. 1:22-23). This means that what the Head has gained now belongs to the Body, for it is transmitted to the Body. The Body, therefore, comes into existence from the transmission of the Head. Whatever Christ has passed through, obtained, and attained is now being transmitted into the Body.
Christ is the Head of the Body in resurrection. This is indicated by Paul’s word in Colossians 1:18. “He is the Head of the Body, the church; who is the beginning, Firstborn from among the dead.” The fact that Christ is the Firstborn from among the dead indicates that He is the Head of the Body in resurrection. Before His resurrection, Christ was not yet the Head of the Body. Ephesians 1 indicates that after His ascension, Christ was made the Head over all things to the church. Hence, Christ’s headship is in resurrection. Because Christ’s headship is in resurrection, the experience and enjoyment of Christ spontaneously brings us into resurrection and saves us from our natural being.
Christ is the Head of the Body in resurrection and with preeminence. Colossians 1:18 reveals that Christ, the Head of the Body, is the Firstborn from among the dead “that He might have the first place in all things.” In both the old creation and the new creation, Christ is the first and occupies the first place, the place of preeminence. Both in the universe and in the church, Christ is the preeminent One. If we see this as a vision, not as a mere doctrine, our living and our church life will be revolutionized. We shall realize that in all things Christ must be first, that He is the Head of the Body with preeminence.
Because Christ is the first both in the universe and in the church, He must be all things in the universe and in the church. As the first, He is all. God’s way of reckoning in this matter is different from ours. According to our estimation, if Christ is the first, then something else should be the second, third, and others in sequence. However, from God’s point of view, for Christ to be the first means that He is all. Hence, for Christ to be the Firstborn from among the dead means that He is everything in the new creation, the church, which is His Body.
Because Christ is the Head of the Body, we need to hold the Head so that the Body may grow with the growth of God (Col. 2:19). For the Body to hold the Head means that the Body does not allow itself to be separated from the Head. If we truly hold Christ as the Head, we shall not be separated from Him by anything. We shall remain in Him without any insulation between us and Him.
The growth of the Body depends on what comes out of Christ as the Head. If we do not receive the supply that comes from Christ as the Head, the Body cannot grow. But when the Body is supplied by holding the Head, the Body grows with the growth of God. The Body grows out from the Head, for all the supply comes from the Head.
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