Three Sovereign Headships: Christ, Church, and Husband

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brick-in-grassI found this brick in my yard. It wasn’t being very brick-like: it wasn’t thinking like a brick, it wasn’t acting like a brick, it wasn’t exercising brick headship. So, I sat down and gave it a stern rebuke and a long lecture on brickness. Then it started acting more like a brick by trying to be more brick-like. What!? That’s ridiculous. A brick is a brick! It doesn’t try to be a brick. It doesn’t have to act like a brick. It couldn’t be more brick-like. It is a brick. Let’s consider some more things that cannot change regardless of what you think…

The headship of a sovereign God

Christ Is Supreme — Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. (Colossians 1:15-17)

The headship of a sovereign savior

Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. (Colossians 1:18-20)

It doesn’t matter whether you think he is. It doesn’t matter whether you act like he is. It doesn’t matter what you do. Christ is the head of the church. The only question is: are you acknowledging Christ’s headship over you?

The headship of a saved husband

Spirit-Guided Relationships: Wives and Husbands — And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything. For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. And we are members of his body. As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. (Ephesians 5:21-33)

The husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. It doesn’t matter whether he wants to be the head. It doesn’t matter whether he is acting like the head. It doesn’t matter if he’s doing a very good job. It doesn’t matter whether the wife or family submit to his headship. The husband is the head of his wife. The only question is: where is his headship leading? If the husband is leading in a godly direction, the family will be blessed. If the husband is leading in an ungodly direction, the family will suffer.

For deeper study:

We would like to develop a relationship with you. We would like to encourage you to accept the unconditional love of Jesus Christ. We would like to encourage you to put Jesus Christ first in your life. We would like to encourage men to have unconditional Christ-like love for their families. We would like to encourage families to put the man first in their life. We would like to encourage men to step up their game and act like the head of the family. Please write to us if you would like this kind of relationship.

Further study:

  • Who Is This Man?: The Unpredictable Impact of the Inescapable Jesus by John Ortberg — Jesus’ impact on our world is highly unlikely, widely inescapable, largely unknown, and decidedly double-edged. It is unlikely in light of the severe limitations of his earthly life; it is inescapable because of the range of impact; it is unknown because history doesn’t connect dots; and it is doubled-edged because his followers have wreaked so much havoc, often in his name.
         He is history’s most familiar figure, yet he is the man no one knows. His impact on the world is immense and non-accidental. From the Dark Ages to Post-Modernity he is the Man who won’t go away.

         And yet . . .you can miss him in historical lists for many reasons, maybe the most obvious being the way he lived his life. He did not loudly and demonstrably defend his movement in the spirit of a rising political or military leader. He did not lay out a case that history would judge his brand of belief superior in all future books.

         His life and teaching simply drew people to follow him. He made history by starting in a humble place, in a spirit of love and acceptance, and allowing each person space to respond.

         His vision of life continues to haunt and challenge humanity. His influence has swept over history bringing inspiration to what has happened in art, science, government, medicine, and education; he has taught humans about dignity, compassion, forgiveness, and hope.
  • Kingdom Man: Every Man’s Destiny, Every Woman’s Dream by Tony Evans — A kingdom man is a man who visibly demonstrates the comprehensive rule of God underneath the Lordship of Jesus Christ in every area of his life.A kingdom man is the kind of man that when his feet hit the floor each morning the devil says, ‘Oh crap, he’s up!’
         So begins this powerful volume from Dr. Tony Evans, now in softcover. Tony believes that God wants every man to be a world-changer. He skillfully takes readers along a journey through the principles of biblical manhood, exploring how those who live, work, and minister around a kingdom man benefit from his leadership and care. Men will be challenged to fully understand their position under God as well as their position over what God has given them. Equipped with these concepts, they can actively pursue ways to maximize and develop the character qualities of biblical manhood in their lives. As Tony contends, the enemy doesn’t want you to know it, but you’re not the man you think you are. You’re a whole lot more. Starting now, you can be a kingdom man.

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