All Subjected Under Him

"for he must reign until when placed all enemies under that his feet, the last enemy to be destroyed, that death, for all subjected under his feet..." (1 Corinthians 15:25-27).

When Christ rose from the dead, in the power of God, he was placed, seated at the right hand in the heavenlies, far above all leaders, authority, power, and dominion and every name, and God placed all under Christ's feet... (Ephesians 1:20-23). "Now, when this [priest] offered a single sacrifice for sins to the extent that continuous, he was seated in the right hand of God, waiting that furthermore, his enemies are placed a footstool of his feet..." (Hebrews 10:12-13). He must reign until all enemies are placed under his feet, which implies the destruction of his enemies which includes ours, the last enemy to be destroyed being death.

"For all subjected under his feet. Now, when saying that 'all subjected' it is clear that does not include the one arranging all under him" (1 Corinthians 15:27).

The word subjected ὑποτάσσω (hypotássō from hypó, "under" and tássō, "arrange") means "under arranged," placed under, put in order, set in place; to subject. He will reign until the end comes, when all are resurrected, made alive each in his own order, then he hands the kingdom to God the Father, the one who arranged for him to reign until he has destroyed every enemy (1 Corinthians 15:27). 

To be subjected to Christ is good news for those in Christ, bad news for his enemies. It is good that he reigns on our behalf, considering death which is our enemy to be his enemy. To be placed under Christ is to have the enemy of death destroyed, to be free from the one who held the power of death, and to be arranged under eternal life. To be arranged under Christ is to be under his reign, to be subjected to him, thus his enemies are ours subjected under him.

"And he placed all things under Christ's feet and placed him head over all the church, which exists his body, the fullness of the one filling all in all" (Ephesians 1:22-23).

He was made head. "Have you not read this scripture; 'the stone which the builders rejected has become the head stone' (Mark 12:10). The word head κεφαλή (kephalē) means the head, top, chief, superior; he one that is subjected to. Jesus is head of the church, that filling all in all. Paul writes he preached the gospel, as the immeasurable riches of Christ, hidden before so that now through the church the manifold wisdom of God is made known to leaders, authorities in the heavenly realms according to the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ. (Ephesians 3:8-11). 

The manifold wisdom of God is being made known through the church. I do not fully understand it and pray for enlightenment, but this would seem to imply that both the subjection of all and the fullness of all is being accomplished through the church. If the church is that which Christ is filling all in all, and Christ ascended to fill all by giving gifts to men to bring the body to grow into fullness then the manifold wisdom of God that is being made known has to do with fullness in Christ through church growth. Growth, a fullness, a ripeness, a bearing of fruit, a church being conformed to the image of Christ. 

"The one descending exists himself also ascending far above all the heavens so that filling all things and it was he who gave the apostles, the prophets, the teachers, the evangelists, the pastors, and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ... to mature adulthood to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ..." (Ephesians 4:10-16). 

Paul writes that Jesus ascended far above and gives gifts to men to "fill" or bring the church into a "fullness" so that it is elevated to a certain measure or stature. This is what the definition of stature means, a quality gained by growth, development, or achievement which has synonyms of elevation, height, altitude. The measure of that stature or that elevated quality is the fullness of Christ. Which we can relate to that which God purposed in Christ, which he is working out for our good so that we are being conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:28-30). 

my cup you will drink but to sit at my right or my left is not mine to give rather to those prepared by my Father. (Matthew 20:20-26).

The mother of James and John had asked Jesus for her sons to sit at the right hand of Jesus in his kingdom. That she asked showed she believed in Jesus, but Jesus said to her "you do not know what you ask, are you able to drink the cup I am about to drink?" The cost of Christ to be seated at the right hand was great, he had to offer himself as a single sacrifice for sins, to die on a cross to establish a new covenant in his blood, so to consecrate a people of his own (Hebrews 10:12, Hebrews 10:9-10). Jesus then goes on to explain the type of greatness in the kingdom of God is quite different from that of the world, it is not one where leaders lord and exercise authority over the people, but where the great are servants of all (Matthew 20:25-26). Jesus came to serve not to be served and he calls men great in the kingdom servants of all. The price for being great in the kingdom of God is great, you too must drink from his cup, for the growth of his body. 

And God has placed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing... (1 Corinthians 12:28).

Paul writes Jesus ascended on high and reigns until all things are subjected. He ascended and gives gifts to men so that the church is lifted up, built up, elevated through growth, so to fill all, to bring all into the fullness of God (Ephesians 4:10-16). Everything is being subjected to Christ, even his enemies. God purposed growth or fullness in Christ to be accomplished in the church thus subjecting to authority, to those submissive to Christ, will bring about growth, even if there is injustice. Christ is the head, and he is the judge of all, where vengeance, repayment for wrong is his. We are warned there will be wolves in sheep clothing so we are told to judge by their fruit those who claim to be mature (Matthew 7:15-20). 

But at this moment, God arranged the members in the body, every one of them, just as he wills (1 Corinthians 12:18). 

Jesus tells of what greatness looks like in his kingdom, it is being a servant of all. Peter gives us a good example of maturity being by example through their submission to Christ and how important is for younger men to be in submission. (1 Peter 5:2-5) So it is both important to find a church where Christ is the head, where growth is a focus, where there is maturity bearing fruit, where the word of God is handled correctly, and there is sincere brotherly love toward one another, as if in submission to Christ the chief Shepherd the one guarding over our souls. It is important to be subjected under such a church to be brought into fullness in Him, this is what God purposed in the Church.

"and when all is subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to the one subjecting all to him so that God exists all in all" (1 Corinthians 15:27).  

It is an amazing thing that in Christ God is subjecting all in all. Think about it, he is subjecting all so that God exists all in all. He is through Christ subjecting all, in whom he will subject to himself so that God exists all in all. "To what can we liken the kingdom of God or what parable to place in it? Like as a mustard seed that when sown into the ground exists smaller than all seeds on earth and when sown grows and becomes larger than all garden plants..." (Mark 4:30-33) To what can we liken that he ascended and sits at the right hand where all is being subjected to him? can we liken it to the parable of the mustard seed? Where Christ is through the church making known the manifold wisdom of God, filling all in all, growing into fullness in God? And that one day all will be subjected to him so that God exists all in all?