Bible Verses About Head of the Church: 12

"For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior."

— Ephesians 5:23 (NIV)

People who search bible verses about head of the church want Scripture on Christ as head of the church — Greek kephalē in Ephesians 5:23 (and the head-of-the-body lines beside it) — not only a general the church inventory, not a broad Christ title list alone, and not bridegroom alone. This page is a numbered list of twelve passages with the NIV text and a short note on each. Related lists: Bible verses about the church, Bible verses about Christ, Bible verses about the bridegroom, Bible verses about Jesus, Bible verses about hope, Bible verses about faith, and Bible verse of the day. Head of the church here means kephalē / Christ as head of his body — distinct from church-alone, christ-alone, or bridegroom-alone surveys.

Word study (lead theme). In Greek, κεφαλή kephalē (Strong's G2776; Bible Hub G2776) — head; used of Christ as head of the church / body (Ephesians 5:23; 1:22; Colossians 1:18) and of headship in the household analogy. This list tracks that head-of-the-church vocabulary, not the whole church or bridegroom inventory.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Ephesians 5 presses that Christ is the head of the church as its Savior and husband — the church his body, under his care and rule (Bible Hub MHC Ephesians 5; Blue Letter Bible, Matthew Henry on Ephesians 5). (The-church, christ, and bridegroom lists live on those pages; this list centers kephalē / head of the church.)

12 Bible verses about head of the church

1. Ephesians 5:23. "For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior." Christ is the head of the church — kephalē. See Bible verses about the church.

2. Ephesians 1:22. "And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church," Head over everything for the church. See Bible verses about God's power.

3. Colossians 1:18. "And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy." Head of the body, the church. See Bible verses about firstborn.

4. Colossians 2:19. "They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow." Lost connection with the head. See Bible verses about faith.

5. 1 Corinthians 11:3. "But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God." The head of every man is Christ. See Bible verses about Christ.

6. Colossians 2:10. "and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority." He is the head over every power and authority. See Bible verses about God's power.

7. Ephesians 5:24. "Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything." As the church submits to Christ. See Bible verses about obedience.

8. Romans 12:5. "so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." In Christ we form one body. See Bible verses about the church.

9. 1 Corinthians 12:12. "Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ." Many parts form one body. See Bible verses about hope.

10. Ephesians 1:23. "which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way." His body, the fullness of him. See Bible verses about hope.

11. Hebrews 3:6. "But Christ is faithful as the Son over God's house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory." The Son over God's house. See Bible verses about hope.

12. John 10:11. "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." The good shepherd — care over his own (headship as care). See Bible verses about the good shepherd.

How to use these verses

Pick one verse when you need Christ as head of the church — not twelve as a grind. If you need Ephesians 5:23 kephalē, start there. If you need head of the body, open Colossians 1:18. If you need head over everything for the church, open Ephesians 1:22. For the church more broadly, open Bible verses about the church. For bridegroom, open Bible verses about the bridegroom. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day.

Questions people ask

What is a good Bible verse about head of the church?

Ephesians 5:23 (Christ is the head of the church), Ephesians 1:22 (head over everything for the church), and Colossians 1:18 (head of the body, the church) are clear starting places.

How do Bible verses about head of the church differ from the church alone?

Church pages often survey gathering, fellowship, and the body. This page centers kephalē — Christ as head of his body — then cross-links the church. See Bible verses about the church.

What does kephalē mean?

Greek kephalē (G2776) means head. In Ephesians 5:23 and Colossians 1:18 it names Christ as head of the church / body.

How is head of the church different from bridegroom alone?

Bridegroom centers the wedding / marriage imagery of Christ and his people. Head of the church centers kephalē rule-and-care language for the body. Related, not identical — and we keep Eph 5:25-27 on the bridegroom / church pages rather than stacking them here. See Bible verses about the bridegroom.

How can I remember these verses?

Read Ephesians 5:23, then Colossians 1:18. Thank God that Christ is head of his church. For Christ beside that confession, open Bible verses about Christ. For Jesus, open Bible verses about Jesus.

Sources

• Blue Letter Bible lexicon: G2776 (links above).
• Bible Hub Greek entries and Matthew Henry Concise on Ephesians 5 (links above).
• Cross-links: the church, Christ, bridegroom, Jesus, hope, faith, God's power, firstborn, obedience, good shepherd.