Ⅱ
Christ is both the Head corporately of the Body, the church, and individually of all the believers; He is the Head directly of every one of us, and we all are under His authority—Col. 1:18; 1 Cor. 11:3:
A
For Christ to be the Head is for Him to have all the authority in the Body—Rom. 9:21, 23; Matt. 28:18:
１
The Body cannot move freely; it can move only at the direction of the Head.
２
The authority to direct the Body and all its members rests with the Head.
B
Whether we are under the authority of the Head determines whether we know the life of the Body—1 Cor. 11:3; Eph. 4:15-16; Col. 1:18; 3:4:
１
The Body can have only one Head and can submit only to one Head—1:18.
２
Only Christ is the unique Head, and we must submit to Him, honoring and testifying to the unique headship of the God-exalted Christ—Eph. 1:22-23; Matt. 23:8-12.
C
In order to live in the Body, we need to recognize the authority in the Body—Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18; 2:19:
１
Concerning the authority in the Body, first and foremost is the need for the authority of the Head flowing throughout the whole Body—Eph. 5:23-24:
ａ
When we submit directly to the Head, we also care for the Body; it is impossible for us to say that we are submitting to the authority of the Head without caring for the Body.
ｂ
Only the Lord is our Head, and only He has the authority to direct the moves of the members of His Body.
２
In the Body the elders and the apostles are deputy authorities, carrying out the authority of the Head—Acts 14:23; 1 Tim. 5:17a; 1 Cor. 12:28:
ａ
On the one hand, all the members of the Body submit directly to the Head—Eph. 5:24a.
ｂ
On the other hand, the members submit to the deputies of the Head—Heb. 13:17.
Morning Nourishment
Col. 1:18 …He is the Head of the Body, the church; He is the beginning, the Firstborn from the dead, that He Himself might have the first place in all things.Eph. 4:15 But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ.
According to the human concept, our bodies are arranged in such a way that the shoulder is the head of the arm, the arm is the head of the hand, and the hand is the head of the fingers. Thus, our concept is that a body has many heads. However, according to medical science, there is only one head, and it gives orders directly to every member of the body…. The shoulder, the arm, the hand, and the fingers are all equal in receiving orders directly from the head…. Paul, the greatest apostle, received orders directly from Christ the Head, and we, the smallest members, also receive orders directly from Christ the Head. This honors the Head. The headship of Christ does not allow for there to be any other heads or subheads. Any other head is an insult to Christ. Therefore, in the church there is no head other than Christ. (CWWL, 1978, vol. 2, “Crucial Principles for the Christian Life and the Church Life,” p. 605)
Today’s Reading
If one brother is a shoulder in the Body of Christ and another brother is a little finger, the first brother should say to the second, “Do not exalt me. I have the same standing as you. You are not the head, and neither am I. You receive orders directly from the Head, and I do too.” In Christianity today and even among some of the local churches this truth has been almost completely lost. We know how to receive orders from higher brothers, but we do not know how to receive orders directly from our Head. This is wrong.The church is constituted absolutely not according to the human mentality or worldly organizational methods but with Christ as life and with Christ as the unique Head. In the church, the Body of Christ, there is no other head. Regardless of his or her location or function, every member is related directly to the Head; every member has the same standing. There are no intermediary members, contrary to the teaching of the Catholic Church that the so-called holy mother mediates between the believers and Jesus. We all know that this teaching of the Catholic Church is wrong, but in our actual practice we may consider that certain persons are intermediaries between us and the Lord.
On the one hand, we must never be an intermediary between God’s people and the Lord Himself. We need to allow the Lord’s people to receive orders directly from the Lord. By the Lord’s mercy, in all the times that saints have come to me for fellowship throughout the years, I have never given them a decision, an order, or a commandment. Instead, I always tell them, “You need to go to the Lord. Pray to seek the Lord’s leading directly.” On the other hand, we must never take someone else as an intermediary between us and the Lord. Because most believers are weak, they prefer to depend upon others rather than going directly to the Lord…. This is terrible.
By the Lord’s mercy, since the beginning of the Lord’s recovery among us over fifty years ago, the Lord has shown us the truth that every member is related directly to the Head. Brother Watchman Nee was the first to practice being careful not to come between any member and the Head…. I was with him for many years and saw many cases. He never told anyone what to do or what not to do…. He made it clear that he was not the head or the leader but only a brother with a burden to minister God’s word to His people…. How shameful it is that some among us today claim to be the leader or the future leader! The fact that many saints accepted such claims indicates that we do not know or practice the truth. (CWWL, 1978, vol. 2, “Crucial Principles for the Christian Life and the Church Life,” pp. 605-606)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1978, vol. 3, “Crucial Principles for the Proper Church Life,” ch. 3; Life-study of 2 Corinthians, msgs. 50-51