And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

According to our verses for today, there are two things that God the Father has done for the benefit of the church. He has appointed Jesus Christ to be the head over everything, and He has placed all things under His feet.

What does it mean that Jesus Christ has been appointed to be the head over everything? By virtue of His victory on the cross, Jesus sat down at the right hand of “the Majesty in heaven,” (Hebrews 1:3) and from there, rules over all things in both the spiritual realm and the material realm. Most notably in this context, within the material realm, Jesus has been placed as the head of the church, which is His body.

What does it mean that all things have been placed under the feet of Jesus Christ? By virtue of His victory on the cross, God has placed all the enemies of Christ and His church under Christ’s feet. In ancient times, conquerors would place their feet on the necks of those they conquered as a symbol of the conquest. That’s why Joshua had his chief men place their feet on the necks of the kings they conquered (Joshua 10:24). The Apostle Paul is alluding to that practice as well as to Psalm 110:1 which says, “The LORD says to my lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.'” Although Paul knew there were battles still to be fought, he also knew that Christ’s victory gave him essential control over Satan, demons, and the people they influence.

God did all this for the benefit of the church. How does this benefit the church? Since Jesus is in control, nothing in creation, especially the enemies, will be able to thwart the mission of the church.

That’s why your part in Christ’s prophecy—that we will be His witnesses to the ends of the earth—is being fulfilled day by day (Acts 1:8).

By John Huisman, friend of Bible League International