Colossians 1:18 AMPC
“He also is the Head of [His] body, the church; seeing He is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead, so that He alone in everything and in every respect might occupy the chief place [stand first and be preeminent].”
The One Person who perfectly obeyed God the Father and glorified Him to the fullest is Jesus Christ. Though He faced all sorts of temptations and issues in this world, the Lord Jesus “…committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth” (1 Pet 2:22 NIV). He spoke the truth at all times, truths that have lived to liberate men to date. Jesus was also passionate about doing what pleased the Father, regardless of everything that physically and spiritually worked against that. Through the words of David in Psalm 40, the Lord was heard saying, “…Behold, here I am, coming to do Your will, O God—[to fulfill] what is written of Me in the volume of the Book” (Heb 10:7 AMPC).
Notice, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, David heard what best applied to the Lord Jesus, well before the Messiah was born as a Man (Psa 40:6-8). It was always Christ’s delight to come do the Father’s will on earth, and that He did so perfectly. Chief among other things within the Father’s will was our salvation from eternal destruction. Aware of the extent to which the Old Testament sacrifices could go in that regard, Jesus spoke to the Father and said, “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me” (Heb 10:5 NKJV). Hallelujah! It is that “body” that He eventually laid down on the rugged cross of Calvary. That degree of obedience to the Father for our sake compares to nothing!
Jesus laid down His physical body in death; besides the resurrection of His Son in power, God raised a spiritual body—called the Church. Thus, Christ is “…the Head of [His] body, the church; seeing He is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead, so that He alone in everything and in every respect might occupy the chief place [stand first and be preeminent]”, as in our reference text. To be part of Christ’s spiritual body is an honour beyond measure, indeed. For the Word says, “…it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He [Christ] is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 Joh 3:2 NKJV). Oh, hallelujah!
Pst. Emmanuel