“Oh, my brethren, when you are in heaven and when sin shall be forgotten,—you love Christ now because He saveth you, justifieth you, and cleanseth you, and you will love Him at the latter day because He pronounceth you blessed, forgiveth you all sins, and suffereth you not to enter into condemnation.
But when all these shall be over, what will be the sweetness forever? That He is your head. ‘Above all He gave Him to be a head to His church.’ (Eph. 1:22-23)
And do you but consider what a head you have? There is I know not how many alls in Him.
In His person there dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. (Col. 2:9)
In His relation to you He is all, and He is in all. (Col. 3:11)
In His power for you He is above all; so saith the text. (Eph. 1:21)
In His communicating His goodness, ‘He filleth all in all;’ so saith the text too. (Eph. 1:23)
He is one that hath all the Godhead; that is all in all, that is above all, that filleth all in all.
What would you have more? Here are alls enough for you. Value this gift: that Jesus Christ is your head.
Last of all; take that other sense, that of all relations else He is above all a head, performeth that part the best, and nothing is more comfortable to His church.
He is not only above all other heads, above husband, above the natural head of the body, puts them all down, they are but shadows to Him; but above all offices belonging to Himself He is above all a head to His church.
It is as if a wife should say of her husband, ‘He is the best warrior in the world, he is a king, he hath the power and command of all the world, he is wise, he is rich, he is above all in everything, and he hath all sorts of excellencies in him. But above all he is the best husband in the world. He acts that part the best.’
So it is with Jesus Christ. He is the king of all the world, He is wise, He is rich, He is above all in everything, and He hath all sorts of excellencies in Him.
But above all He is a head, He excelleth in that above all things else.”
–Thomas Goodwin, “Sermon 36: Ephesians 1:22-23,” The Works of Thomas Goodwin, Volume 1 (Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage, 1861/2006), 1: 554-555.
