Who is the head of the church, biblically speaking?

Christ is the sole Head of His Body, the Church, and He has no man for His Vicar on earth. It is He who (in the language of the apocalyptic visions) holds the seven stars in His right hand and walks among the golden lampstands, which are the churches. The Holy Spirit is His Representative on earth, administering things on His behalf (1 Cor. 12:4-11) .

Christ, and Christ alone, is the great Head of the church, and the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls.

Besides the common use of this as 'chief,' referring to the heads of families and heads of tribes, the word was used symbolically of government and power, as when God declared that the Seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's 'head.' Gen. 3:15. In the N.T. the term κεφαλή is employed for the relative position of man in nature, and of Christ and of God: the head of the woman is the man; the head of every man is Christ; and the head of Christ is God. 1 Cor. 11:3. In another connection Christ is the head of the church, Eph. 5:23; Col. 1:18; and He is head over all things to the church. Eph. 1:22; Col. 2:10. As head of the church Christ removes entirely every other controlling or guiding authority. As the head of a man guides and controls his body, so Christ has the complete control over His church.

The body of Christ, the Church, is not an organization, but an organism, that which is vitally connected with the Head of the body and which receives its nourishment, guidance and direction from the Head (Eph. 4:15-16). When first instituted after the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, the Church had no human head on earth, such as Moses. Apostles were present, not as being authorities themselves, but as unitedly insisting on the sole authority of the Lord Jesus. When some Jewish believers came to Antioch and insisted that Gentile believers should be circumcised and keep the law, this was settled at Jerusalem, not by the authority of any apostle, but by the word of God (Acts 15:7-8; 17-18), which was declared by the apostles and accepted by the gathered brethren.

The body of Christ, the church, is not an organization, but an organism, that which is vitally connected with the Head of the body and which receives its nourishment, guidance and direction from the Head (Eph. 4:15-16). When first instituted after the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, the church had no human head on earth, such as Moses. Apostles were present, not as being authorities themselves, but as unitedly insisting on the sole authority of the Lord Jesus. When some Jewish believers came to Antioch and insisted that Gentile believers should be circumcised and keep the law, this was settled at Jerusalem, not by the authority of any apostle, but by the Word of God (Acts 15:7-8; 17-18), which was declared by the apostles and accepted by the gathered brethren.

It was necessary to have apostles as the connecting link between the dispensation of law and that of the grace of God, necessary that such men of devoted character should be used to lay the foundation of Christianity (1 Cor. 3:10-11; Eph. 2:20), that is, to lay down the truth of God concerning Christ in all His relationships. Apostles themselves passed away, but they have left their writings, Scriptures that are authoritative, and by which the church of God may be guided and preserved in all her subsequent history. While they were living, apostles did appoint elders in various assemblies, and Paul instructed Titus to appoint elders in each assembly in Crete (Titus 1:5). Assemblies never did appoint elders, and there are no apostles living to do so now, nor delegates of the apostles. However, once the church has been established, there is no reason why believers should not be unitedly guided by the Spirit of God, who remains as a living power in the church, as was not true under the dispensation of law. Are there no elders therefore? By all means elders are still in the church, but not as appointed by men. There are those who can do the work without any appointment, for God has fitted them for the work. We should certainly pray for such, and appreciate their wise counsel and help.

We have previously seen that Christ is the head of the Church and the only head allowed in Scripture and that He directs the various members of His body, which is the Church. Now as we come to consider the particular ministry of the Church, that of teaching, preaching, and caring for souls, we find that this work was in the beginning and is now to be carried on especially by gifts which He, the ascended and glorified Head, has given to His Church.

Surely it naturally follows that if He, the blessed Savior and Head of the Church, is present in the midst, He is certainly there to direct and lead the Assembly and should rightly be given His place as the leader of the gathering and be depended upon as such. All eyes should be upon Him who has come to occupy the central place and every heart should be waiting upon Him to lead by the Holy Spirit. Let us not forget, also, that the One in the midst is Lord of all and the only one who has the right to exercise authority in the Assembly. "God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ" and "hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church" (Acts 2:36; Eph. 1: 22). Christ is Lord in the Assembly and should be owned as such and given His place as the only rightful leader and authority in the Church. Where He is owned as lord and leader, there will be subjection to Him and behavior consistent with His lordship; there will be rule and order according to the mind and will of God.

The Lord said: "one is your master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren" (Matt. 23:8). It is of the outmost importance, then, that the servant of God keep himself free to serve his one Master and Head and not be entangled in a yoke of bondage to religious authorities and systems wherein he often cannot do what his Lord and Savior directs him to do. The apostle Paul gives us a good example as to this. He owned no one as master or authority over him but Christ. He said he did not receive his ministry from man, but from the Lord (Gal. 1:10-20) . When the Lord commissioned His apostles to go out into all the world with the Gospel, He said: "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matt. 28:18), and He has never relinquished this power and authority nor delegated it to anyone else on earth, be he Pope, Bishop, or any other person with a pretentious title. Christ works by the Holy Spirit here on earth and He is His only rightful Vicar and Vicegerent. This is clearly seen in the New Testament Scriptures, wherein is not found any foundation for religious systems where there is set up a headship having authority over Christ's ministers and to whom these ministers find themselves in a 'subservient position as are known in the church-world of today. Such authority of man is a usurpation of the authority of Christ and robs Him of His place as Head of His Church.

Christian ministry is a divine institution and a permanent one. It is not like the local charge of elders, which required apostolic intervention, direct or indirect. If others plead for change, do you hold that it is the same now as when Christ first ascended? Christ, and Christ alone, through the Holy Ghost, has all authority in His hands. He gives gifts: not the foundation gifts of apostles and prophets (for that work has been done perfectly), but all needed to carry on the church, as evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Christ alone has the title of Head of the church; and the Holy Ghost is come down as alone competent to carry out His mind on earth in accordance with God's written word, as He acts and dwells in each saint.

Verse 18 adds to this another great dignity that belongs to Him: "He is the Head of the body, the Church." The Greek word, "ekkiesia" is translated either "church" or "assembly". Its meaning is simply "A gathering out," indicating the truth of what James said to the council of brethren at Jerusalem, "God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name" (Acts 15:14). It is a contrast to the word "synagogue" which means "a gathering together." For in Christianity God is taking out from the nations (both Jewish and Gentile) a group that He calls "the Assembly," those redeemed by the blood of Christ and indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God. He is taking them out of the world with a view to taking them to heaven. Christ is the Head of this body, the Church. He is the source of all intelligence, of guidance and of nourishment. Colosse had been threatened with influences of philosophy and mysticism, and they must be reminded that creation itself has only one Head, the Lord Jesus, and the Assembly, the body of Christ, can have no other Head than He. All wisdom proceeds from Him, all proper instruction, all regulation and guidance, as well as all nourishment to sustain His Church (ch.3:19).