Jesus

First of all, the Bible absolutely establishes that all things are under Christ, including his church. He is the head of that church, and he has never relinquished that position to anyone whether it relates to the entire Body or to any local assembly of believers. No one can fill that position. No preeminent person can step into and fill the role of Jesus. He is the fullness and filleth all. When a glass is totally full, that’s it. Anyone trying to add to a full glass will make a mess of things just like all those who try to usurp the preeminence of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the only preeminent shepherd over his flock. Jesus was prophesied to be in the kingly line of David and as such was to be that one and only shepherd of his flock.

And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. Ephesians 1:22-23

And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it. Ezekiel 34:23-24

Here are some other references to Jesus, our one and only shepherd.

Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Hebrews 13:20

For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. I Peter 2:25

And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. I Peter 5:4

We must be careful with the above verse not to stray from the overwhelming verses that tell us that Jesus is the one and only Shepherd, otherwise we will fall into the trap of those who try to support their usurping position by saying they are under-shepherds. Or in other words that God uses them as a channel to do his work with his flock. It is a sneaky way of semantically usurping the preeminence of Jesus. Here is a definition for “chief” that matches Jesus, the only one who is preeminent.

Chief (as an adjective from Webster 1828)

Principal or most eminent, in any quality or action; most distinguished; having most influence; commanding most respect; taking the lead; most valuable; most important; a word of extensive use as a country chief in arms.

As we get a clearer and clearer picture and the evidence mounts that only Jesus is to be preeminent, we should be astounded over the condition of our churches today; and even more astounded that usurpers have had their way and successfully taken over for the past 1600 years.

We can’t change the past, nor stand in self-righteous judgment for their individual struggles with this issue. That is because we are responsible for our generation, for our actions. Which bring us to this: what will each of us do after being confronted with the issue of preeminence? What is it that keeps any Christian from totally relying upon Jesus to lead his church? The answer comes down to faith.

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Hebrews 11:6

This is where it comes down for each of us, as individuals in our relation to Jesus Christ. Do we really have an unwavering faith that Jesus can directly lead his church, and in particular the local churches? Can we break away from the comfort zones provided by the preeminent elites; where there are few surprises, and we find a certain degree of satisfaction in knowing how each church is orchestrated? Most of us like to be in control or have others in control. Do we really have the faith, trust, and confidence for Christ to be in complete control

Jesus questioned whether there would be faith on the earth at his return (Luke 18:8). That is a personal question we all must grapple with and can only be displayed by our actions. If we put our faith and trust in man, then nothing will change, and we have given our answer to God. If we really trust God, then we will begin committing ourselves to the task of reforming the church from man’s preeminence to God’s preeminence.

Here’s a short list to highlight some of the issues involved in usurping the preeminence of Jesus Christ:

  • Only Jesus is preeminent, whereas every believer is equal with one another.
  • Any religious leader that puts himself in the place of the Shepherd is clearly a usurper of Christ’s preeminence.
  • Religious leaders like to think of themselves as the shepherd of their flock. Jesus makes it very clear that they are usurpers, as there is only one shepherd. All others are thieves and robbers and will never give their lives for the sheep as does Christ. If instead, they properly go through the sheepfold door, they would be just as all the other sheep; equal in their relationship with Christ and one another.
  • Man-ordained ecclesiastical personages, who claim they are shepherds are usurpers of the one and only true shepherd – Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ earthly ministry, he talked into the future about bringing the Gentiles into his fold. He never mentions other shepherds, only himself. Jesus is the one and only shepherd of one combined fold: Jews and Gentiles.
  • All things are under Christ, including his church. He is the head of that church, and he has never relinquished that position to anyone whether the entire Body or any local assembly of believers. No one can fill that position. He is the fullness and filleth all.
  • Jesus makes it clear that believers are not to have authority over others as the Gentiles, but as servants to serve or facilitate one another.
  • Jesus clearly and aggressively condemns religious preeminence.
    • Condemns their preeminent hypocrisy (saying one thing and doing another or nothing at all).
    • Condemns their preeminent vanity.
    • Condemns their lack of servanthood.
    • Condemns their preeminent credentials.
  • Preeminence should be soundly resisted among all Christians according to the example of the King of kings.

Ralph Wendt