CHRIST AS HEAD
[p. 336] CHRIST AS HEAD
Colossians 1: 12 - 22; Colossians 2: 18, 19
PRM It is not in our subject, but I do not think that in Colossians there is a single quotation from the Old Testament.
JT There are allusions to the Old Testament.
PRM But no direct quotation. Paul does not go to the Old Testament to bring forward the truth which is here. It shows what a new character of things it is altogether.
WJ Do you think the kingdom of the Son of His love links on to what we had this morning?
JT I think so, but the heart is more directly engaged with the Person who is introduced. The thought makes room in the heart for all that is to follow.
DLH It is the greatness and glory of the One who is the Head.
FHB It sets forth the greatness and glory of the Person, and that One is the Head of the body.
JT It is the peculiar relation in which He is, Son to the Father, the Son of the Father’s love, which makes room in the heart for the great things which are to follow. No one appreciates the greatness of the position which is filled by Christ until he loves Christ. It is one whom you love who is seen in this great position.
WT I suppose this is the highest thought we have of the kingdom?
JT I think so; there is the thought of affection in it. From that point the apostle starts off with the great things which he introduces.
Ques Is your thought as to the kingdom of the Son of His love, that it is the place He has in the affections of the Father?
JT It is the kingdom of such a Person as that.
[p. 337] Ques Would Romans 8 carry us as far as the Jordan, and this epistle to the other side?
JT I think Romans 8 is Deuteronomy ground. The believer is there viewed as having formally come to the recognition of the Spirit, and now there is room for Christ in the heart. Whilst we must not lay too much stress on the Old Testament in this connection, I think Deuteronomy suggests the thought of headship, because headship implies, that the one who is head has an interest in you and that he has wisdom, so that whilst in the end of Numbers you have the statement, “these are the commandments of the Lord”, and “the Lord commanded Moses”, in the book of Deuteronomy it is what Moses himself says to the people.
WJ In that way you would say the Head is prefigured?
JT I think the suggestion is there.
DLH Is your thought that, in type, He is Head in Deuteronomy rather than Mediator?
JT Yes. The mediatorial system is not prominent in Deuteronomy, and so the priesthood is not much in view, but the people are viewed as in direct relationship with God. In fact in one chapter they are called the sons of God. We are reminded in chapter 1 that there are only eleven days’ journey from mount Sinai to Kadesh, whereas it really took forty years, meaning that from the divine side the distance is very short. The people are reminded that it was so; but although the distance was so short they did not avail themselves of it. I think there is great slothfulness in us, as in them, to lay hold of what is so near to us. You get the house of God in Genesis 28, it was quite near to heaven, it was “the gate of heaven”, and yet Jacob did not take advantage of it, though there was a testimony that the distance was very short. I think it is developed here that it is Christ who draws us in. There is [p. 338] nothing about the ark of the covenant at Kadesh, there was no river to cross then. So the fact is we are drawn in after Christ, and I think the wonderful things stated here are in order to set our souls in motion.
WJ I suppose the Jordan is in chapter 2?
JT I think so, the wilderness things are passed over.
Ques What are the wonderful things you refer to?
JT What is said of Christ; He is “the image of the invisible God;” “the firstborn of every creature;” “all things created by him and for him”.
These things are set before the soul to establish there the sense of the greatness of Christ.
JSG I suppose in chapter 1 we have that which exists, and in chapter 2 the way by which we enter into it?
JT I think we pass over with Christ. Colossians is not possession, but preparation for possession.
FHB Colossians takes us as far as Gilgal, not in possession of the land, but preparation to possess.
JT It is the motion of going over; the exercise of soul preparatory to possession.
WJ In chapter 1 you are attracted by the Head.
JT Quite so. Another point in regard to Numbers is that you have there the boundaries of Canaan, a most important point to bear in mind. There are definite boundaries given us of the inheritance, and the fact that the boundaries are given suggests the thought that Canaan is not a type of what heaven will be literally hereafter, but more what the light of it is now, and we are called upon to learn, to trace, the boundaries. Colossians gives the state which enables us to determine the boundaries.
W.J. In what way?
JT “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth”. “Not” is like a boundary.
WJ I suppose in Romans you “change your man”, but in Colossians you change your position, or the order of man is changed from Adam to Christ?
JT Yes; the Man becomes attractive to you. “If it be thou bid me come”.
FHB I thought, that in the other types you have various aspects of the death of Christ which meet the need of the soul, but in Jordan it is not what meets the need of the soul, but you are drawn over by affection.
JT With regard to quotations from the Old Testament, the thought of these “thrones and dominions” are found in the Old Testament, such as the position of head in Adam, Moses, David. There were certain official positions, but whatever they were, they were created by Christ and for Him; so they waited the Man who could take them up. There was one position which was not there; that is, the assembly was not there, but in Colossians the assembly is in view, and He is Head of the body, the assembly “that in all things he might have the pre-eminence”.
WJ Do we not get two headships here, as well as two ministries?
JT The body is viewed in its entirety. It is “the body”, assuming that the thing is understood. It had become known as a definite family, and Christ is presented as Head of it, as well as of all things.
WJ I suppose the glory of His Person shines here more than in Ephesians?
JT His position is greater in Ephesians. One can understand the personal greatness of Christ coming in here in order to give Him the first place. Whatever there was, He created it. The body is the last thing mentioned here, but it is the greatest, so that in all things He might have the pre-eminence.
FHB I suppose there was a danger of the Colossians getting their minds distracted from Christ as Head, and that is why the apostle [p. 340] brings before them so strikingly the greatness and glory of the Head?
JT I think there are two great dangers that beset the saints after they come to recognise the Spirit, the first is Moabitish; that is, the influences of natural relationships; the second is man’s mental ability and culture.
FHB What do you connect with that in type?
JT The last part of the book of Numbers. The book of Numbers after chapter 21 treats of the believer as having the Spirit and recognising the Spirit; “Sing ye unto it”. The danger after that is the recognition of family relationships as making them of more importance than the circle of the Spirit. They have their place, but if we make more of them than of the circle of the Spirit, we simply live in Moab instead of in Canaan. I think the Corinthians suffered from that, but the Colossians suffered from mental ability.
FHB Do you not think that is our greatest danger?
JT I think it is.
Ques The Spirit is only referred to in chapter 1: 8.
JT In Colossians it is Christ as Head, the greatness of Christ. That shows the importance of taking Scripture in its own setting. If the Spirit has His place, He will make everything of Christ.
The Spirit goes out of sight to bring Christ into evidence. Unless you give Christ His place, the Spirit will not be satisfied.
WJ Did you ever link this in your mind with Laodicea, and think that the neglect of Colossian truth would produce the Laodicean condition?
JT Yes. It was apparently neglected there.
The church at Laodicea evidently recognised man’[p. 341] s mind.
DLH Do we get any type of the recognition of man’s mind in the Old Testament?
EJMcB What place would you give Jericho?
JT Jericho is in the land.
EJMcB Is it not the first thing you meet when you make a movement? The moment you do make a move you find the opposition is man’s mind.
JT Perhaps that is so: The book of Numbers associates the two ideas, but I do not think Jericho is a type of man’s mind. Jericho is spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies. The sort of thing that the apostle combated refers to the believer’s history after he recognises the Spirit. The suggestion is, I think, that learning and culture are of importance to the natural mind.
HD'AC If there is not a type of the thing, yet Moses was to take a man who had the Spirit.
Ques Is Joshua a type of Christ or of the Spirit?
JT He is a type of Christ. Christ acquires a place in your heart as the source of refreshment. Directly Christ acquires that place Satan will attack you; so it is said that Satan attacked the people just where the people had drunk the water, Exodus 17. It is a conflict that goes on in our souls that no one knows about. Moses is supported by Aaron and Hur, and as his hands are upheld the victory is with the people. I think, therefore, that Joshua is Christ known in a spiritual way, not as representing the authority of God in our souls; that is Moses, but as sustaining us inwardly. That develops so as not only to meet the power of evil in your flesh, but to put you in possession of all that is heavenly. We need Christ to put us in possession of what is spiritually hidden; that is Joshua.
Ques In the early part of Joshua we get him magnified in the sight of all Israel; does that answer to this?
[p. 342] JT Somewhat.
DLH There is an expression in Colossians “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another”.
Does that answer at all to the idea of Joshua?
JT I understand Joshua to be Christ aiding us, not exactly as Priest, nor in the way of authority, but entirely in what is spiritual. Moses is the one raised up by God to represent the authority of God, but there is another service the Lord performs for us, He delivers us from the inroads of the flesh.
Ques Does it not say that Joshua never left the tabernacle?
JT That helps. He has to do with what is heavenly, what is entirely spiritual.
HD'AC It is a very great safeguard against the working of the human mind to hear His word, and to get divine intelligence in Him, and only in Him.
You have to be actually in touch with a living Christ to get a living thought.
ASL What would “holding the head” mean?
JT That you regard Christ as the One from whom all direction flows. It is not exactly getting commands from Him.
ASL I suppose the statement refers directly to the danger to which the apostle refers.
JT If anything is presented to you, you test it by Christ.
FHB Would holding the Head be the recognition of Christ in that position?
ASL And the exclusion of man’s mind as such.
FHB You know Him as the One who would supply everything that the assembly needs.
JSG Does it not help that in chapter 2 Christ is spoken of as Head of every principality and power, and not simply of the body?
JT I think holding the Head arises from the way you come to know the Lord. It does not come to you in a formal way, it comes to you gradually.
[p. 343] The Lord endears Himself to your heart, so that gradually you come to give Him His place; in time it dawns upon you that it is wise to do so. You find things go right that way. Wisdom is a great thought in headship.
ASL What is the difference between subjection to the Lord and holding the Head?
JT The first has reference to authority, so that the Spirit is said to be given to all those that obey Christ; He is given on that principle; but holding the Head is more through the affections, I think.
WJ More moral; the power of affection.
JT It is not a question of formal communications, it flows from being near to the Person, so that you get His thoughts. I think one great point in headship is wisdom.
FK Do you connect that with Joshua as the spiritual leader?
JT I think the Lord becomes endeared to the soul, and you gradually come to give Him His place, and then you find the advantage of it. I think Philadelphia had come back to the principle of Colossians, whereas Laodicea had departed from it.
You have the Son of the Father’s love; that appeals to the heart. Then every great thing instituted was created for Christ and He fills it. He could not be Head to us unless He was a Man. He could not have corresponding sensibilities if He were not a Man, but then it is as clear as possible in this chapter that He is a divine Person.
JRK Is not what is brought in here to magnify that Man?
JT You never lose sight of the fact that He is a divine Person, but there must be a point of correspondence.
JD But what a very different kind of Man!
HD'AC We read that Joshua commanded the priests, but they were to follow the ark. You have [p. 344] Him as Man, but you have the ark of the covenant before you.
JD Verse 15 is so important, “who is the image of the invisible God”.
DLH But then He must have become man for that.
JT There must be corresponding sensibilities you could not have headship in God as God. The thought of headship involves that there must be a point of correspondence between the Head and those of whom He is Head.
EJMcB Do you not think that is the force of the change in the word from “obey” to “holding”?
JT Yes, that is right. The body is composed of those who have God’s Spirit, who have sensibilities produced by the Spirit of Christ. It says, “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ”. The body is composed of such, and now you can understand what a wonderful organism it is. Christ is Head of that.
ASL If you are in the truth of Romans 8 you pass naturally over to the Head.
JT And then if Christ gets His place, the Spirit, in a way, passes out of sight, though the greatest possible evidence that the Spirit is there is that Christ is everything. The first chapter creates in the soul a sense of the place that belongs to Christ properly, and through this presentation He gains the place that He ought to occupy in our hearts. It is presented as light, but the apostle laboured that every man should be presented perfect in Christ; that is, that all the sensibilities are to be brought into accord with Him. The Colossians belonged to the body, but the question was, were they perfect?
JD The apostle laboured to that end. And also it sets before us, as servants, what the divine aim should be with each of us. God would make known Christ and the apostle laboured to that [p. 345] end.
JT I doubt if any servant is ready until he knows the Head.
HD'AC The greatest conceivable Person has died for us and is Head, but you cannot separate what He is personally from His headship any more than you can from His death.
DLH I would like to know what is the difference in Colossians between the thought of Head of all principality and power, and “Head of the body.”.
JT I think there must be a great difference. In the body you have persons who have already been formed by the Spirit in sensibilities which are after Christ. Thus His headship in regard to the body must be very different in the working out of it, since it is already seen in effect. It could not be that in regard to the principalities.
DLH But the element of wisdom is there?
JT But when you come to the body how different. Take the disciples, how they gathered up things from Christ! The members of the body are moved by an unseen intelligence, the working out of wonderful things as set in relation one to the other, wise things which could not be added to by any contrivance of the human intellect.
DLH Human intellect would spoil it.
JT Quite so. Look at the Lord in John 13 and introduce a great philosopher there, what could he add? The thing would be absurd. What would the apostle John think of it?
ASL Yet that is entirely forgotten with the majority of Christians.
JT Where there are a few who recognise that, there is the working out of what is wisdom. The idea in headship is that wisdom is there. The idea of wisdom is that you cannot improve on it. The book of Proverbs insists on that, therefore it says; “wisdom is the principal thing”. Therefore in Ephesians the working out of the truth of the assembly manifests “the all various wisdom of God”.
Ques Would you say that the mind of God is there, as to all that over which Christ is Head?
JT Yes, it is the mind of God brought into relation to our sensibilities. You have not the sensibilities of Christ in principalities and powers, but there is a point of correspondence between the body and Christ. He is a Man, so that you can be formed after Christ. The Jew will not understand that in the future as you do and will.
EJMcB Is it not an important point that you cannot really serve unless you know the truth of the Head?
JT That is what I was meaning this morning when I said there was more sin against the Spirit than against Christ. Really in principle the door is closed upon the Spirit, and if the door is closed upon the Spirit you may be sure there, will be very little room for Christ. I think Christianity is a system of wisdom; it is not established by precept. I would not like to say that precept is not there, but it is more precedent. It is first what Christ did, and then what the apostles did.
FHB If every member moves under the impulse of the Head the effect will be that Christ will be seen in His body.
WJ His body is the continuation of Christ here.
DLH In what sense will Christ give impulse to principalities and powers?
FHB Would not that apply more particularly to the assembly?
DLH In the future Christ will give impulse to all principalities, for the same expression is used.
JT Take a republic. The president of the United States is head of the nation. He is not king, he is head, but he does not rule through affection. It is through political manipulations; there really is no correspondence. But with Christ and His body [p. 347] how different it is! There are no manipulations. It is that the members of the body have the same Spirit, we have the Spirit of Christ, so that He produces His thoughts in us. It goes on silently, not exactly by command, but in a spiritual way.
B Is that why the Colossians are spoken of as having believed in Christ Jesus?
JT They had “received Christ Jesus the Lord”; in that way they were in a full Christian position, and we may say in a Christian state, but there was a danger, hence they were to walk according to what they had received. They had received Christ and were now to walk in Him.
GW Is not that thought as to sensibilities just the difference between the two headships?
JT There is no Spirit of Christ in a principality.
DLH In regard to principalities, I suppose Christ will give character to everything that God has set up.
JT Surely. When you come to a mediatorial state of things the whole aspect of things is changed; if Christ rules there is the greatest change; but Christianity is not that. There is not a thing between you and Christ, and I do not think that can be said of any other family.
DLH But in Ephesians it is said He is Head over all things to the assembly, you get a careful distinction between His being “head over” and “head to”, but here in Colossians He is spoken of as “head of” in both cases.
JT Take Exodus 18, Moses is spoken of as king in Jeshurun; he ruled, but he ruled through others; that is not headship. That is very much like the world to come, the rule will not be direct, but when you come to the assembly it is direct, Christ influences us directly.
HD'AC Surely what is of Christ will fill the whole world at that time, though not so directly;
[p. 348] it will then be through the assembly; but there is nothing between us and Christ.
WJ We have to keep in mind what it says, “Ye are complete in him”.
JSG I thought the point was that in holding the Head a principality or power must be excluded for they are all under Him, but in connection with the body it is the most intimate idea that could be conceived.
FHB I think that is very beautiful, the thought of the direct connection of the Head and the members.
JSG But the Colossians were in great danger, and hence the Spirit of God speaks of Christ in this way to show the wonderful place that He has, so as to save them from the danger that lay before them.
DLH So that headship of principalities and powers is introduced more in chapter 2 on the line of shutting them out rather than bringing them in.
JSG I think so. They are introduced to show the place Christ has.
DLH The point is evidently that we must look only to Christ.
PRM Does it not follow in that connection that He has spoiled principalities and powers?
JT So that there shall be nothing between our souls and Christ. I think amongst the people of God there is a great preference for a mediatorial order of things; people like to get things second-hand instead of direct from Christ. There are a great many people who are a public charge. I have been impressed with the fact that people are content to receive things second-hand.
ASL When Paul speaks of presenting every man perfect in Christ, is it that every saint should be led to receive everything from Christ?
JT In Ephesians 4 the gift that is common to all is first stated, so that you may retain the sense [p. 349] of your own importance to the body, that is, you are necessary to it. If you have that thought in your soul, you will not be entirely overwhelmed by the specific gifts. “To every one of us is given grace”. Each saint ought to cultivate what he has; if he has only a little, it is a great thing to be thrifty. I do not think a person is any good until he arrives at independency, I mean till he has some means of his own; he has got the Spirit, he is a member of Christ, and he is in direct communication with the Head.
HD'AC How would the specific gifts come in?
JT The Lord never intended to make much of a man by giving him a gift.
HD'AC Is that gift to take the place of every thing to the saints, and is he to ignore what is given to others?
JT I think that is the bane of the saints. Little companies of Christians are not entirely dependent on gifts. That is how the wisdom of the Head comes out; where there is exercise the Lord gives light. You find that in many places saints do not come together because there is no distinct gift available.
But if the gift is not available, the Head is available, and every member in that locality has a little.
JSG In that connection is it not important to remember that growth is in connection with holding the Head; a gift is given in view of building up, but growth is through receiving nourishment from Christ.
JT The gifts in a certain sense are excess. In the working out of things, if the saints accept that each saint has grace, then a gift coming to them is excess; the gifted one is not all, he is excess.
WJ I do not believe saints get anything from the gift unless they are living spiritually on their own incomes. The gifts are not mentioned in this epistle.
FHB [p. 350] A gift is of no value unless exercised under the direction of the Lord, and it is of greater value if in touch with the Head.
JT I do not think the Lord ever intended to distinguish a man by giving him a gift, because a gift is not as great as you are in God’s counsels.
The man is greater than the gift, so the gift is given for others. What we are as members of Christ and in God’s counsels is for ever. The grace that is given to all does not come to an end, nor does the body of Christ come to an end. Who could conceive what is of Christ coming to an end? But a gift does come to an end.
JSG Do you look upon Colossians as taking us over Jordan and reaching as far as Gilgal?
JT Yes.
JSG Is it not of the greatest importance to remember that the body is over Jordan so that the body consists of the formative work of the Spirit?
EJMcB Do you get the thought of Christ as Head in Corinthians?
JSG No. In Corinthians the human body is used as a figure.
JT But it is formally spoken of as “body of Christ”, and also as “The Christ”.
JSG But the saints form the head in Corinthians, whereas in Colossians it is Christ as the Head and the saints form the body.
JT The fact of the matter is, that headship works out in Colossians, as the mind of the body.
PRM It can never get its lines of communication cut.
JT If you have a mediatorial system you might introduce the thought of communications being cut, but you cannot cut the communications between Christ and the saints.
DLH It is an organism, not an [p. 351] organisation.
JT Quite so, nothing can get out of order. Now another thing comes in at the beginning of chapter 2, and that is the apostle’s great combat that the saints might enter into the truth of the mystery and know that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are in it. You do not need to go outside, so what one would seek to press is, that if there are a few believers in the recognition of this they would get light. I think it would be a great thing that saints should recognise this, because then they would get light. I think if we had more shame about being devoid of any little spiritual means it would bring about exercise. The law ordered that the males in Israel were to appear three times a year before the Lord and no one was to appear empty.
It is a great thing that we should be in the power of these things. The Lord is at our right hand, but it is of the utmost importance that we should make use of the Spirit.