Christ Leads the Church
Nearly every group has someone who is in charge. An Indian tribe has a chief. A basketball team has a coach. A school has a principal. What do these leaders do? They lead the group in the right direction, enforce rules, and make sure people in the group are doing what
is good and right.
The church is a group, too. Who is the leader? Ephesians 5:3 says that “Christ is the head of the church.” In Matthew 28:18, Christ said that “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” If Christ has all authority in heaven and on Earth, He must have authority over the church. The apostle Paul wrote to the Christians at Colosse that “He is the Head of the body” (the church—Colossians 1:16-18). The “He” whom Paul was discussing is Jesus—the One by Whom all things were created (verse 16). Jesus not only is head of the church, He owns the church. He “purchased” it “with His own blood” (Acts 20:28).
The Bible describes Jesus as a leader in different ways, all of which help us to understand Christ’s leadership more completely. In John 10:14-16, Jesus described Himself as the supreme shepherd of the flock. Jesus is the shepherd, and we are the flock. Like sheep that follow the shepherd, we should follow Jesus—the Good Shepherd. He is also described as the bridegroom. A bridegroom is a man who gets married. In Ephesians 5:22-23, Paul wrote: “For as the husband is the head of the wife, so also Christ is the head of the church….” Similar to how the husband and father is the leader of his household, so Jesus is the leader of the church.
Concerning His authority, Jesus also taught: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except by me” (John 14:6). That means Christ is our guide to God. He is the guide, and the church consists of His followers. The church follows Him, because He built it (Matthew 16:18), He is the head of it, and He is the way to heaven.
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