For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is
head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.
Ephesians 5:23
Most people define “church” as the building Christians use to do whatever it is that Christians do. Structures have to sit on property, so somewhere there is a title to the land and, on the bottom line of that title, the name of the owner. The church itself might be deeded to an organization, so the CEO or bishop or pope or person in charge of the group would be considered the head of the church.
This line of thinking makes sense to most Americans, but that’s not how it is presented in the word of God. There, the church is understood to be an assembly of believers in a certain place. They can meet in a building or have a picnic together in a park. The church is still the people and not the place. The universal church is not only made up of every true believer everywhere in the world, it is the sum total of every Christian that ever lived in every century since the day of Pentecost.
The church might be people and not a place, but it still has an owner. The Lord Jesus bought every believer with His own blood and claims them as His own. That clearly makes Him the Head of the Church, which also gives Him authority over it.
The problem with titles is that they must be honored and recognized, or they are meaningless. When Pontius Pilate presented Jesus as king to the Jewish leaders and people, He really was the King of Israel, even though they shouted Him down to be crucified. He was rejected by His own people, so was not allowed to reign over them. However, He will come again to claim His kingdom and wear the crown.
In the same way, “Christians” who don’t obey or honor Christ’s authority will one day be sorted out. The true believers will be separated from the false ones, and Christ will be hailed by the saints of all ages as the Head of the Church.
March 15
