The Real Dead Heads
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin ArticlesLast year our missionary from Costa Rica and his wife came and visited the United States. While they were visiting, the editor of the religious section of the local newspaper wrote an article regarding their work. During the interview, the gentleman asked what would be the appropriate titles for both the missionary and me. I told him that we had no titles, but that we were just Christians who were fulfilling our duties to God. If he wanted to describe us as something, we could be called preachers, teachers, or evangelists but not in the capacity of a title. He seemed rather brushed at this suggestion and stated to us that the Associated Press requires the head of every church to have a title to conform to their journalistic writing standards. We insisted that he not use any titles and that neither one of us were the head of any church. This true story should illustrate to us the misunderstanding of many. When one of the writing standards of the Associated Press assumes the head of the church to be an earthly individual it should be obvious that the doctrine of the headship of Christ is being seriously neglected today. Moreover, there are many who fervently believe that the head of their “church” is some human. This is reflected in the titles that are assigned to them: President, Pope, Pastor, Pontificate, etc. The Bible teaches no such thing regarding the head of the church.
What does the Bible have to say regarding the head of the church? We read in Ephesians 5:23 “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body.” In Ephesians 1:22 we read, “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church.” There is no confusion within the Bible as to who is the head of the church. Jesus is the Head of the church. For anyone to claim that there is an earthly head over the church is to usurp the authority that Christ has as the church’s head. This usurpation is exactly what has happened in the religious world today. Many have decided that God ought to serve them as opposed to their serving God. As a result, we see “churches” that have decided that homosexuality is not such a bad lifestyle after all. We see “churches” that embrace those who marry and divorce for any cause. We see “churches” that allow their members to be practicing fornicators. We see “churches” that create pyramidal organizations and structural hierarchies none of which organizations are found within the scriptures. We see creeds and confessions of faith placed forward to guide their “church” in place of the words of Christ. All of these things result from false teaching regarding the head of the church. When men think that other men can be the head of the church (in any sense that one would use that word, “head”) the door opens for any kind of activity that humans want to place within the doors of his or her “church.” Because when a mere person thinks that he or she is the head of the “church,” then he or she can do whatever he or she pleases with his or her “church.” It is no longer an issue of what does the head of the church, Christ Jesus, say, but rather, what does the head of the “church”-some mere human-say. And when a person is substituted for Christ, anything goes because there is a void of divine authority.
The foundational teaching that Jesus is the head of the church is clearly emphasized in the scriptures. When Jesus spoke with the disciples about His identity in Matthew 16:18 he said, “Upon this rock, I will build my church.” Who was this “rock?” Paul taught that Jesus is the Rock. In 1 Corinthians 10:4 we read, “. . . for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” In another reference to Jesus as the Rock, Peter quotes from the Old Testament prophets, “Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded” (1 Peter 2:6). And in a passage where Paul is calling the Corinthians back to their standard of unity within the church, Paul writes, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11). No other foundation, corner stone, or rock is acceptable to God. Jesus is it. There can be no other head of the church than Christ Jesus.
Perhaps someone might quip, “Well, Jesus is the heavenly head, but some man is the earthly head.” While that makes good rhetoric, the Bible makes no distinction between a heavenly head and an earthly head of the church. Jesus claims headship of his church whether earthly or heavenly. To suggest that Jesus needs an earthly head of His church is to suggest that Jesus can’t govern His own church on earth from heaven. Such a statement is preposterous when we consider scriptures such as Ephesians 1:20-23 where discussing the power of God, Paul writes, “Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.” It would be to suggest that all the fullness of authority does not dwell within Jesus as the head of the church in contrast to Colossians 1:18, 19 which reads, “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell.” It would be to suggest that somehow Jesus cannot maintain sway over the earthly portion of His church and he needs an earthly head to “help Him out.” In fact, such a suggestion denies the power of the resurrection and implies that Jesus is dead and still in the tomb (observe carefully the connection between the resurrection and Christ’s headship in Ephesians 1:20-23). Such pathetic thinking originates not from heaven, but from the minds of men’s feeble attempts to justify an unjustifiable teaching regarding the headship of the church-these are the real dead heads!
No doubt, many today, when asked, “Who is the head of your church?” would answer, “Pastor Jones” or “Pope John-Paul” or “President Hinckley.” What would your answer be, dear friend? Would-to-God that all who are in the world today would come to a realization and understanding that Christ is the ONLY head (both heavenly and earthly) of the church and no mere man has the right to usurp that authority. Understanding this truth will lead us to unity for which Jesus prayed (John 17:21) and for which the apostles fought so earnestly within the early church (1 Corinthians 1:10; Ephesians 4:1-6). Understanding this truth gives us what is needed to build Christ’s church as clearly stated in Ephesians 4:15, 16 “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” Let all forsake men who claim headship of the church as this can only bring division and destruction. Let all acknowledge the one and only true Head, Rock, Foundation, and Cornerstone-Jesus who is the Christ!