Representative Headship

…in Christ…
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
(Ephesians 1:3, 9, 12, etc.; 1 Corinthians 15:22)

As indicated earlier, in reading Ephesians we find the phrases “in Christ” and “in Him” 25-30 times. We are said to be: given every spiritual blessing, chosen, forgiven, adopted, redeemed, made heirs, sealed with the Holy Spirit, made alive, empowered, and even ascended into heaven—all in Christ.

This phrase is theologically and devotionally rich, for it reveals the representative headship of Christ in behalf of the Church. We are in Him. That means that He represents us before the Father in all that He is, and has, and has done. When He died He died representing us, so our sins were punished in Him. When He rose we rose in Him. When He ascended, we ascended with and in Him. Since he is the Heir of God, we are heirs of God, because we are in Him (Romans 8:17).

Gayline and I have had the joy of speaking at a Bible camp every summer for the past 15-20 years. It happens to be the camp where Gayline and I met (we’re paying off a debt of gratitude to the folks there for helping us find each other!). Each week I’m there I speak ten times, and Gayline and I engage with campers and counselors in whatever way we can to leave a mark of grace on their lives. I mention that just to make a point.

In addition to the joy of camp work, this ministry also has provided something for my kids: a free week of camp, even when they were too young to be campers. Well, free to them anyway. Here’s how it’s worked. You could say that the children were in us. Gayline and I would work and serve and teach while the kids would play and eat and sleep—all for free. Since they were with us, they got all the benefits that we enjoyed, at our expense. We earned it; they enjoyed it. They were represented by us and received their food and fun because they stood in our shadow and bore our name. What we did was done for them. We paid the price; they got the perks.

That is similar to the biblical concept of representative headship, a concept that goes all the way back to Adam. The first man represented the whole human race so that when he sinned all sinned, and all died as a result (Romans 5:12-14; 1 Corinthians 15:22).

The representation idea continued throughout the Old Testament in every family. Time and again husbands and fathers stood up as representatives of their families at national events and celebrations. In this role they would speak, or make decisions, or renew covenants in their families’ behalf. When Joshua issued his famous words: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 23:15), he was functioning as the representative of his home.

The representative headship of men is woven into the fabric of Biblical revelation. Again, going back to Adam we see this concept in God’s choice to name male and female, man (the word He uses in Genesis 5:1, 2 is Adam, which translates the Hebrew word for man). What this means is that the practice of calling the human race man or mankind is rooted in God’s mind, not a chauvinist’s. Adam represented Eve and all humans to follow. We could say that humanity is Adamkind.

All these examples of representation reveal why the metaphor of the head is chosen by God to refer to the husband/father role. My body’s head is what people see. It’s what gives the first impression (not a happy thought as I look in the mirror). In other words, my head is what represents my body.

So what does this representative headship mean in real time and space? As head of my wife and home, I represent both before God and others. Practically this means that if I’m a Christian, my family members receive blessings because they are in me, which accounts for all the Bible’s promises of grace to believers and to their children (more on that in a later reading).

It also means that as my family’s head, my behavior and reputation affect how people look at them. This is a fact not to be denied. As lives the husband/dad so lives the reputation of the family. It’s a stark, in your face reality that our wives and kids good name is wrapped up in whether or not we have one.

Further, it means that my deliberations, decisions, and commitments will, for better or worse, represent and affect them. No decision we ever make is made in isolation. Every choice—good or bad—will become a family choice by virtue of our representative role in their lives.

Most of all, this truth means that when we gather on That Day, I will stand at the head of my family to give an account of all it will have become. And so will every man who has ever said “I do”. This truth introduces an accountability quotient into our lives that has fearful implications. I will have to give an account for my family’s condition that my wife will not have to give, because I have a role she does not have.

Thinking on such things can generate fear and dread in sensitive souls. That’s why we’d do well to end today’s reading where everything begins for the Christian: we are in Christ. Let’s remember that in all our doings and strivings and tryings and failings in life we have One Who got the Representative Role down perfect—and we stand in Him.

I am accepted by God, loved by God, and considered perfect by God because there is One before God who represents me, and in Whom I stand complete and accepted. And so are you if you trust in Jesus as your Savior and Lord (Ephesians 1:3-6).

Application and Reflection Exercises

1. Try to express the message of this meditation in your own words.
2. What are five facts about you that the ones you represent (your wife and children) would be honored by?
3. Try to communicate the idea of being “in Christ” in your own words.
4. There are examples in the Bible of husbands and dads bringing sorrow on their families by their sins and failures. Look up the following and note your thoughts (Adam: 1 Cor. 15:27; Achan: Josh. 7:1-26; Ananias: Acts 5:1-11).
5. There are also examples in the Bible of men doing good, and thereby blessing those they represent. Look up these references to see what blessings do others receive when men are faithful: Christ (Rom. 5:17-21); David (2 Chron. 6:14-17); “Those who fear God” (Psa. 103:17-18).