In chapter 1 verse 22 Paul indicates that after seating Christ at the right hand of God, God as the divine power subjected all things under His feet. Christ’s being far above all is one thing; His having all things subjected under His feet is another. The former is Christ’s transcendency; the latter, the subjection of all things to Him.
In order to experience the subjecting power, we need to pray, “Lord, all things have been subjected under Your feet. Now all things must be under me, for You are the subjecting power within me.” The more that things are subdued under our feet, the more the church comes into being. Some of us may be subdued by evil or unclean habits, or by the fashions and styles of the present age. In contrast, Paul declared, “All things are lawful to me, but not all things are profitable; all things are lawful to me, but I will not be brought under the power of anything” (1 Cor. 6:12). This indicates that although Paul had the real freedom, he was not subdued by anything. We need to experience the subjecting power to live such a subduing life; then all things will be under our feet. If we fully experience God’s subjecting power, the Body of Christ will be fully manifested.
In Ephesians 1:22 Paul goes on to say that God’s power which He caused to operate in Christ gave Christ to be Head over all things to the church. Christ’s headship 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. It was as a man, in His humanity with His divinity, that Christ was raised from the dead, was seated in the heavenlies, had all things subjected to Him, and was given to be Head over all things.
In Ephesians 1:22-23 Paul tells us that God gave Christ to be Head over all things to the church, which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all. There are four aspects of the power that operated in Christ: resurrection power (v. 20a), ascending power (v. 20b), subjecting power (v. 22a), and heading-up power (v. 22b). This fourfold power is transmitted to the church, the Body of the Head.
The expression to the church implies a kind of transmission. This transmission connects Christ in the heavens with the believers on the earth, just as an electrical current connects a power plant with electrical appliances in a building. This transmission connects the Head in the heavens with His Body on the earth.
Whatever Christ, the Head, has attained and obtained is transmitted to the church, His Body. In this transmission the church shares with Christ in all His attainments: the resurrection from the dead, His being seated in His transcendency, the subjection of all things under His feet, and the headship over all things.
Toward us who believe (v. 19) and to the church indicate that the divine power, which includes all that the Triune God has passed through, has been installed into us once for all and is being transmitted into us continually, causing us to enjoy Christ richly and to have the proper church life as His Body, His fullness, the issue of God’s blessing revealed in Ephesians 1.
The transmission of this fourfold power is to those who believe. We must believe that the divine power motivated Jesus, a genuine man who died and was buried, to rise from Hades, to come out of the grave, and to ascend into heaven as witnessed by the disciples, seating Him at the right hand of God in the third heaven, subjecting all things under His feet and ultimately giving Him to be Head over all things to the church. This is the revelation in the holy Word. We should forget our feelings, our condition, and our situation. Rather, we should take the word concerning the fourfold power, believe the word, and declare the word. By believing we are positioned and qualified to receive the power of God. We need to not only believe God’s speaking regarding the power but also echo this again and again by speaking it continually. The more we speak of the fourfold power, the more we will experience this power being transmitted into us. Eventually, through our faith in this transmission and through our speaking it forth, the church will come forth in a practical way.
On the day we repented, the divine power was installed in us. When we open ourselves to the Lord, this power functions to saturate us with the divine essence transmitted into us from the heavens. Because we are not always open or because we may have problems in our conscience, mind, emotion, or will, the transmission may temporarily be restricted. If we would experience a continual transmission, we need to repent, confess, and make a clearance of all hindrances. Then the transmission will be restored and will continue to saturate our being. To enjoy the transmission, we need a sober mind, a fervent emotion, a submissive will, and a pure conscience. Through the experience of this transmission, we become the Body of Christ.