Jesus Christ: Central in the Church

He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead.

–Colossians 1:18

How do you know that Jesus Christ is sufficient for you? For one thing, He is central in creation. Paul said, “All things have been created through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16). And He is the one who sustains His creation, including your life. But if you need further proof that Jesus Christ is sufficient for you, look at verse 18: “He is also head of the body, the church.”

The word “head” sometimes means “authority,” and it’s true that Christ has authority over His church. But “head” can also mean “source” or “center of power.” That’s how Paul was using the word here. He was saying that Jesus Christ is the source of all the energy in the body of believers.

All the power that belongs to Jesus is available to us if we are connected to Him by faith. And verse 18 mentions one of the greatest manifestations of that power: Jesus is “the firstborn from the dead.” Does that mean Jesus was the first person ever raised from the dead? No, there were people in the Bible who were raised from the dead before Jesus. But here’s the difference: those people came back to life in their old, sin-infected bodies, and eventually they died again. But Jesus was the first person to be raised in a new body that was free from sin and sickness. Everyone who is connected to Jesus by faith is going to receive a brand-new body as well. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:22, “As in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.”

People ask me all the time what our heavenly bodies are going to be like. Will we keep our distinctive features? Will we be able to eat? When I’m asked questions like these, I always say, “Look at Jesus.” In 1 John 3:2, the apostle wrote, “We know that when He appears, we will be like Him.” Our resurrected bodies will be like Jesus’s resurrected body. In many ways, Jesus’s new body resembled His earthly body. His disciples recognized Him. He was able to eat. He even retained the nail prints in His hands. But Jesus’s new body also had supernatural aspects–He could travel through walls and suddenly disappear. The Bible says if you’re a believer in Christ, one day you’re going to receive a body like His.

Consider this: If Jesus Christ can deliver you out of the grave, don’t you think He is powerful enough to deliver you through whatever storm you’re facing today? Jesus Christ is sufficient.

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Today’s devotion is adapted from “Jesus Christ: Creator, Originator, and Reconciler” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2011.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.