西一18　　祂也是召会身体的头；祂是元始，是从死人中复活的首生者，使祂可以在万有中居首位。

　　二19　　…持定元首；本于祂，全身借着节和筋，得了丰富的供应，并结合一起，就以神的增长而长大。

　　在神圣的经纶里，基督是在万有中居首位者。歌罗西书启示，基督是居首位的，祂在凡事上居首位。（西一18。）…在头一个创造以及新造里，基督都居首位。…我们需要看见，在神圣的经纶中，基督在旧造和新造中都居首位。在宇宙和召会中，基督都是居首位者。我们若看见这是异象，不仅是道理，我们的生活和我们的召会生活就会有革命性的改变。我们会领悟，基督在万有中必须是首先的。在我们的婚姻生活、家庭生活、职业生活、和学校生活中，祂必须是首先的。在宇宙中、在召会中、并在我们日常生活的每一面，祂都必须居首位。（新约总论第二册，四三至四四页。）

　　Col. 1:18 And 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.

　　2:19 And…holding the Head, out from whom all the Body, being richly supplied and knit together by means of the joints and sinews, grows with the growth of God.

　　In the divine economy Christ is the One having the preeminence in all things. The book of Colossians reveals that Christ is preeminent, that He has the first place in everything [Col. 1:18]…. Both in the first creation and in the new creation Christ occupies the first place….We need to see that in the divine economy Christ occupies the first place, the place of preeminence, in both the old creation and the new creation. Both in the universe and in the church Christ is the preeminent One. If we see this as a vision, not as a mere doctrine, our living and our church life will be revolutionized. We shall realize that in all things Christ must be the first. He must be the first in our married life, family life, business life, and school life. He must have the preeminence in the universe, in the church, and in every aspect of our daily living. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 260)

　　神永远的目的，是要将万有在基督里归一于一个元首之下，这基督已被设立作宇宙的头。…神将祂的百姓，一个一个从宇宙性崩溃的乱堆中拯救出来。…神…把我们放在独一的头—基督—之下。由于天使的背叛和人类的背叛，没有一个受造之物服在元首之下。宇宙中简直没有头。但以弗所一章十节说，万有都要在基督里归一于一个元首之下。…神…正在作工，将宇宙性崩溃中的每一项带回，服在基督作头的身份之下。

　　神第一步是将祂所拣选的人，祂的众子，从崩溃中带出来，将他们摆在基督的元首身份之下。…因此，召会生活必须是归一于一个元首之下的生活。在召会生活中，归一于一个元首之下的，乃是神所拣选的人，并非世上的首领、不信的人或是动物。神将祂所拣选的人归一于一个元首之下，成为基督的身体，以基督作头。最终，这以基督作头的身体，将在万有之上作宇宙的头。今天我们在召会中，领先在基督里归一于一个元首之下。倘若我们不愿在召会生活中归一于一个元首之下，我们就会耽误这事。事实上，如果我们蒙拣选的人不愿归一于一个元首之下，神就无法将万有在基督里归一于一个元首之下。…在召会中归一于一个元首之下，乃是在生命里的事，这个看见是重要的。…在召会中将一切归一于一个元首之下，而没有在生命里长大，就只不过是一个组织。正确地归一于一个元首之下，乃是生命的长大。你越在生命里长大，就越有生命，也就越归一于一个元首之下，你也越从崩溃的混乱中得着拯救。（以弗所书生命读经，九一至九二、九四至九五页。）

　　基督是元首，我们是肢体。歌罗西二章十九节提醒我们必须持定元首：“本于祂，全身借着节和筋，得了丰富的供应，并结合一起，就以神的增长而长大。”持定元首的意思，就是我们和祂之间有直接的交通。祂和众肢体之间没有隔离。元首无论如何尽职事，众肢体都配合上来。这个配合的结果就是在生命里长大。因着持定元首，就有里面的长大，而不是外面的行动。在元首与众肢体之间这种亲密的交通里，祂所有的丰富就都供应到众肢体里面，所有消极的事物也都被从元首来的生命供应所吞灭。（李文集一九八○年第二册，一二一页。）

　　参读：新约总论，第二十四、三十一篇；以弗所书生命读经，第八、三十二、三十五、六十九篇；基督天上的职事，第一、五章。

　　God’s eternal intention is to head up all things in Christ, who has been appointed to be the universal Head….One by one, God rescues His people from the heap caused by the universal collapse…and [places] us under the unique Head, Christ. Because of the angelic rebellion and the human rebellion, none of the created beings is under any head. There is simply no headship in the universe. But Ephesians 1:10 says that all things are to be headed up in Christ….God… is working to bring every item in the universal collapse back to the headship of Christ.

　　The first step is for God to bring His chosen ones, His sons, out of the collapse and to place them under the headship of Christ….Thus, the church life must be a life of being headed up. In the church life it is God’s chosen ones, not the world leaders, the unbelievers, or the animals, that are being headed up. God is heading up all His chosen ones to be the Body of Christ with Christ as the Head. Eventually, this Body with Christ as the Head will be the universal Head over all things. Today we in the church are taking the lead to be headed up in Christ. If we are not willing to be headed up in the church life, we shall delay the heading up of all things. In fact, God will not have a way to accomplish the heading up of all things in Christ if we, the chosen ones, are not willing to be headed up. It is important to see that the heading up in the church is a matter in life….To head up all things in the church without the growth in life is simply to have an organization. The proper heading up is the growing of life. The more you grow in life, the more life you will have, the more heading up there will be, and the more you will be rescued from the heap of collapse. (Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 76-77, 79)

　　Christ is the Head, and we are the members. Colossians 2:19 reminds us that we must hold the Head, “out from whom all the Body, being richly supplied and knit together by means of the joints and sinews, grows with the growth of God.” To hold the Head means that there is direct communication between us and Him. There is no separation between Him and all the members. The members correspond to whatever the Head ministers. The result of this correspondence is the growth in life. By holding the Head, there is an inward growth, not an outward move. In this close communication between the Head and the members, all His riches are ministered into the members, and all the negative things are swallowed up by the supply of life from the Head. (CWWL, 1980, vol. 2, “The Heavenly Ministry of Christ,” p. 97)

　　Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msgs. 24, 31; Life-study of Ephesians, msgs. 8, 32, 35, 69; CWWL, 1980, vol. 2, “The Heavenly Ministry of Christ,” chs. 1, 5