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Christ the Head

By R. J. Rushdoony
January 15, 2007

CA Farmer 259:6 (Oct. 15, 1983), p. 17.

Paul, in Colossians 2:10, says of Christians in relation to Jesus Christ, “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.” This sentence has an intensely personal application, although it cannot be limited to that. But, to consider that personal emphasis first, Paul says that none of us can have true fulfillment apart from Jesus Christ. He is the true and last Adam, and in Him we are a new humanity. Our potentialities are only realizable in Him.

Paul, however, adds that Christ is also the head of all principality and power, that is, He is the only rightful ruler and authority over all things. This means that Jesus Christ is not only Lord over the church but also all things else. His rule must be recognized by individuals, families, schools, civil governments, all institutions, indeed in every area of life and thought. Because “[a]ll things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3).

There is no neutral area of life and thought where Christ need not be served. When I leave the church, I do not walk out of Christ’s jurisdiction.

There is thus no completeness in our lives, or in the life of the church, state, schools, and all things else, apart from the headship of Jesus Christ. He must reign over us, and only in His government is our peace.


Topics: Government

R. J. Rushdoony

Rev. R.J. Rushdoony (1916–2001), was a leading theologian, church/state expert, and author of numerous works on the application of Biblical law to society. He started the Chalcedon Foundation in 1965. His Institutes of Biblical Law (1973) began the contemporary theonomy movement which posits the validity of Biblical law as God’s standard of obedience for all. He therefore saw God’s law as the basis of the modern Christian response to the cultural decline, one he attributed to the church’s false view of God’s law being opposed to His grace. This broad Christian response he described as “Christian Reconstruction.” He is credited with igniting the modern Christian school and homeschooling movements in the mid to late 20th century. He also traveled extensively lecturing and serving as an expert witness in numerous court cases regarding religious liberty. Many ministry and educational efforts that continue today, took their philosophical and Biblical roots from his lectures and books.

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