Almost any child in church can answer the question: “Who is the head of the church?”

Paul made the answer plain for all of us.

“[The Son] is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Colossians 1:17-20).

While we all know that Christ is the head of the church, do we know what this means for what we believe and how we act?

First, there is no earthly head of the church. While every church has to have governance, no earthly person can be the head of the church. Christ is the head. He gives the church life and has established His vision for the church. We are only the true church when Christ leads and we follow.

Second, Christ being the head of the church means that He is first and we are second. It means that we submit to His Lordship and follow His plans and His way. It means that we don’t get to do whatever we want or whatever feels right to us. We have to seek His will and follow Him.

Third, if Christ is the head of the church, our attitudes have to conform to His attitude. In Philippians Paul told us exactly what that would be like. “[Be] like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:2-4).

Finally, if Christ is the head of the church, make every effort to introduce your family and friends to the head. Our hope is in Christ. He is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the Living One who gives life to all who trust Him.

He is the head of the body, the church.