Living Each Day with Christ as Your Supreme Authority

That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Ephesians 1:19-23

In yesterday’s Life for Leaders devotion, we focused on the glorious sovereignty of Jesus Christ, whom God the Father has enthroned “far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come” (1:21). Verse 22 elaborates further on the authority of Christ: “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church.”

If we read this verse quickly, we might miss its distinctive picture of the headship of Christ. Ordinarily, we speak of Christ as the head of the church. Indeed, this language will be found later in Ephesians (5:23). But, in 1:22, Paul says something different. Translating very precisely, this verse reads, “[God] gave him [Christ] as head over all things for the church [or through the church].” Here, the point is not Christ’s headship of the church, but rather his headship over all things for the church. How are we to understand this verse and its relevance to us?

The word “head” (kephale in Greek) can mean “authority” or “source” or “preeminent part” in addition to the literal “head of a body.” In our passage, Paul is clearly using kephale in the sense of authority. He has just said that God the Father has enthroned Christ above everything else in all creation. Expanding on this, Paul uses body imagery to illustrate the superior authority of Christ. All things are under his feet and he is the head over all things.

When we look at our world, it is hard to envision Christ as head over everything. So much seems to be out of control, not submitted to a just and wise Sovereign. We are surrounded by so much sickness, brokenness, unrighteousness, and injustice. We might sure wonder: If Christ is head over everything, why is everything so messed up? The quick biblical answer is that things are such a mess because of human sin. But Scripture also teaches us that God is in the process of making everything right through Christ. As we saw earlier in Ephesians, in the future, God will “bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ” (1:10).

Meanwhile, we live in the tension between the fact that Christ is head over all things and the fact that all things are not as God intends them to be. Many people in our world reject the sovereignty of Christ, and he allows them to have this freedom. Yet, we who know Christ as Savior and Lord have the opportunity not only to live under Christ’s headship in our personal lives, but also to bring parts of our world under his authority. We do this each day as we serve Christ in our workplaces, our relationships, our neighborhoods, and our cities. We do this whether we’re feeding our children, teaching classes of students, managing a staff, or envisioning a new future for our city. In all we do, we seek to live under the authority and for the purposes of Jesus Christ.

Something to Think About:

How does the headship of Christ over all things make a difference in your life?

In your workplace, where you have other “heads,” such as your boss, your investors, your board, etc., how might you live out the headship of Christ in an appropriate way?

Something to Do:

Take a few minutes to imagine having a conversation with Jesus Christ at the beginning of your work day. Ask him what he wants you to do in the day. Ask him how he’d like you to act. Discover what difference it makes to think about Christ as the “head” over your work.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ, head over all things, may your authority be honored today. May your will be done on earth as in heaven.

Help me to live today under your authority, working for you and your purposes. Give me wisdom to know what this means in my work, in my family, in my friendships, and in everything I do.

All praise, glory, and honor be to you, O Christ, head over all things. Amen.

Explore more at the Theology of Work Project online commentary:
Jesus’ 10 Principles for Working – an Overview on Faith and Work (Video)