Articles

We have been taught that:

     The Spoken Word Makes Known the Written Word

     The Written Word Makes Known the Living Word (Jesus Christ)

     And Jesus Christ makes known God (Our Father).

We have also been taught “It’s The Word, The Word, and Nothing but the Word” Usually said while holding and emphasizing a Bible (The Written Word). I think many of us, me included, have taken this to mean It’s the (written) Word, the (written) Word, and nothing but the (written) Word. When we couple this with our Unitarian (One God) belief the results seems to make us afraid to give Jesus Christ his proper due, his proper place, in our lives as the active head of the body of Christ.

Let me state plainly that without a knowledge of the written Word there is no Christianity. Romans 10:17 tells us:

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

And Romans 10:14b rhetorically asks “…how shall they hear without a preacher?”

We were also taught that The Epistle (Letter) to the Colossians corrects doctrinal error, that of not keep Christ as the Head of the Church. It is this doctrinal error that this short paper seeks to visit and correct in the functioning body of Christ today. Let this serve to start the discussion with the Word of God, the Bible, being the standard we look to settle this matter, Because IF we are to be effective ministers to The Body of Christ we can not cut off The Head. If we are to be effective servants our Our Lord Jesus Christ, then Our Lord Jesus Christ must play an active role in our daily lives as Our Lord.

Please consider 1 John 1:3 “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” ‘

It is the same word “fellowship” used with The Father as is used with His Son Jesus Christ. The Greek word Koinonia. Which means “full sharing”. It is also translated “communion” (to come together in union). We seek this fellowship, this full sharing, with the Father, but are afraid to have the same communion with Jesus Christ because we are concerned about raising him up too high lest we make him God. We need not fear that because we acknowledge that there is only One God, The Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

But we also dare not lower Jesus to a position below where Our Heavenly Father has Himself placed him, as Our Lord, as the Head of the Body that we are members in particular of. And while I don’t think we actively mean to do this, yet in practice we ignore Jesus except as a tag line when we pray, We don’t seek fellowship with Him as we do with The Father. Certainly not in the sense of Full Sharing. But also not as an Active Lord telling his Servants what to do, as he did to Paul and Ananias in:

Acts 9: (to Paul)

4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

Then to Ananias (Yes, Jesus spoke to Ananias)

10 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. (Did you always think that this was God speaking to Ananias?)

11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,

12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.

13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:

14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.

15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.

17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

Ananias is called a “certain disciple”. Not a Prophet, or an Apostle but he was a disciple, and active member of the Body of Christ looking to serve his Lord. And Jesus Christ spake to him and gave him specific instructions on how he (Ananias) could Server Him (His Lord Jesus Christ). Could Ananias have gotten this specific instruction in the Written Word? In the Old or New Testament? No! So what about Us, don’t we need Our Lord Jesus Christ actively in our lives telling us what to do? I surely do!

Let’s talk about the word Lord in the Bible and specifically the New Testament. In the Old Testament THE LORD was (and is) Jehovah in the Hebrew. And the New Testament is firmly rooted in the Old Testament but where the NT clearly shows us differences we must accept and embrace them. Such is the NT understanding of the word “Lord”.

Ephesians 4:5

One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

1 Corinthians 8:6

But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

Based on these verses in the Christian Church when we way “Lord” we should mean Our Lord Jesus Christ. Unless we specifically note otherwise.  Try re-reading the Book of Acts with this perspective. Don’t immediately think the word Lord is God, but rather look at the scripture and the context to determine who is it speaking of. There are definitely uses in the Book of Acts were Lord is a clear reference to The LORD (Jehovah) as in Acts 2:34,

“For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord (Jehovah) said unto my Lord (Jesus Christ), Sit thou on my right hand” (The second use of Lord here is clearly, from the context, Jesus Christ.)

Acts 2:36

Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

God has made Jesus BOTH Lord & Christ. If you are like me then when you read Acts 9 and the Lord spoke to Ananias you were thinking it was God The Father, no? I can hear it being taught “If God spoke to most Christians this way we would have nothing but funerals”.  And Yet the Bible is crystal clear that its was The Lord Jesus Christ who spoke to both Paul and Ananias (Acts 9:17 “… the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me…)

Let’s look at other scriptures where Jesus Christ as the Head of the Body, took an active role in His Church.

Galatians 1:11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.

12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Does Jesus Christ Give Revelation? Biblically speaking Yes! Now don’t go overboard and think that Jesus Christ is acting out side of the will of God when he gives revelation. This is like when Christians who want to keep the Law try to pit Jesus against Paul. This is a false division as is trying to say Christ would do any of this outside the will of God.

Revelation 1:1a The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass…. (Yes, God gave it to Jesus Christ, but it was Jesus Christ who showed this revelation to his servants). You may say that this book of Revelation is for Israel, and I would not argue that, but who was it given to, John, and Apostle of Jesus Christ. A member of the one body, a Christian received Revelation from Jesus Christ.“

This clearly shows that the Revelation originated from God the Father as all things do, but Jesus Christ was his active agent, he was not bypassed by God and it is OK for us to acknowledge and even celebrate this. I promise it won’t make you a Trinitarian.

In a nut shell I think that this is where “Not keeping Christ the Head of the Church” wrong doctrine springs from. We were so concerned about showing the differences between God and Jesus Christ we have over stepped what the Word says and in practice left Jesus Christ out of our daily lives, and not kept him as Our Head, Our active Lord. He has in a sense become the “Queen of England”, only a figure head of a Monarch to the Christian Church. Or at least the Unitarian Christian Church.

I want to say in closing, that the pendulum has swung too far on this and we in our Faith and Practice need to return The Lord Jesus Christ to His active role as The Head of the Body. He has always been there, yet in our lives we have sidelined him due to fear of sliding into Trinitarian territory, But fear has ruined more men and more christian ministries than anything else. So I exhort you to go back to THE WORD, THE WORD, THE WORD!

The Spoken Word,

The Written Word,

AND THE LIVING WORD, Our Lord Jesus Christ!

If we do all three it will make known God to you in a more real and living way. Don’t stop at just a head knowledge of the written Word. Let Us (You and Me) keep Jesus as Our Head of the Body of Christ in an Active way. Let us have Fellowship with the FATHER, AND THE SON (OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST). For then our Joy will be full, and we shall be effective ministers of Our Lord Jesus Christ!

Foot Note: This paper is written without any animosity to anyone. If you think you heard that in my tone you are incorrect. I am thankful for every person who taught me any part of God’s Word. My prayer is that this paper will allow us to have a respectful discourse on how we “keep Jesus as the head of the Church” in our particular lives.

Vince McHugh   vince.mchugh@yahoo.com