Chapter 43 - Covenantal Headship

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The New Testament church was created by God in the form of head and body. By eternal design, the heavenly Father appointed the Son, Jesus Christ, to fulfill the role of headship. The elect human beings of the church comprise the body. It is both a theological truth and a practical reality.

There are many examples of headship in the world. The president of a university is often referred to as its head. It is implied that the students enrolled at the university comprise one body under his headship. Hence, they are called the “student body.” The head and body of the university are related through a mutually agreed-upon purpose and mission.

The United States of America provides another example of an entity that exists in the form of head and body. The federal government serves in the role of headship. It provides representative leadership. The federated states constitute its body. The head and body of the United States agree to abide by a mutually beneficial system of laws and principles known as a constitution. Constitutional law dictates the nature, function, and limits of the federal government.

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Original Covenantal Headship

Within the protective framework of the Renovation Covenant, God designed the human race as one collective entity. He said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:26-27)

Moses used the Hebrew noun for “man” ('adam) in a collective sense. It provided a clear indication that God made mankind as one collective, covenantal entity.

The Renovation Covenant specified that Adam, the first man, would serve in the role of headship. Comprising his covenantal body, the rest of the human race was collectively united with Adam, legally and organically. (Genesis 1:26-27)

Representative and Representational

Adam’s covenantal headship was both representative (legal) and representational (organic). His representative headship referred to a relationship that was law-based. In contrast, Adam’s representational headship was life-based.

   Representative Headship

Covenantal headship in the Bible is representative (legal). Theologically, representative headship is sometimes referred to as “federal” headship. “The word “federal” comes from the Latin word foedus, meaning covenant.”[1] It refers to a relationship that is prescribed and protected by covenantal law. Thus, it is law-based.

As indicated, the human race was created as one legal entity in the form of head and body. Adam, the first man and archetype of humanity, was appointed representative head of the human race. By covenantal law, his posterity was appointed as his body. Covenantal head and covenantal body legally representative of one another, they shared the legal penalty for Adam’s original sin.

The legal penalty for Adam’s sin was directly transmitted to his covenantal body by means of imputation. The New Testament concept of imputation is translated from two related Greek words – ellogeo (el-log-eh'-o) and logizomai (log-id'-zom-ahee).

The less common of the two words is ellogeo. It is only used twice in the New Testament. Ellegeo has the specific meaning of “to charge to an account.” (Romans 5:13; Philemon 1:18)

In contrast, logizomai is used 40 times in the New Testament. It is broader in scope of meaning than ellogeo.

Logizomai fundamentally means to calculate or deliberate.[2] It is variously translated in the New Testament “reason,” “consider,” “count,” “think,” “credit,” and “reckon.” (Luke 22:37; John 11:50; Acts 19:27; Romans 2:3; 26; 3:28; 4:3; 4; 5; 6; 8; 9; 10; 11; 22; 23; 24; 6:11; 8:18; 36; 9:8; 14:14; 1 Corinthians 4:1; 13:5; 11; 2 Corinthians 3:5; 5:19; 10:2; 7; 11; 11:5; 12:6; Galatians 3:6; Philippians 3:13; 4:8; 2 Timothy 4:16; Hebrews 11:19; James 2:23; 1 Peter 5:12) Relative to the context in which it is used in the New Testament, logizomai can also mean “to charge to an account.” (cf. Romans 4)

Through his position of representative headship, the legal consequence of Adam’s original sin was imputed or charged to the account of the entire human race. It was direct, immediate, and binding. As a result, all mankind became burdened by insurmountable legal debt and experienced legal alienation from God.

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Representative Headship

Law-based.

The human race was created as one legal entity in the form of head and body.

Adam, the first man and archetype of humanity, was appointed representative head of the human race.

By stipulation of the Renovation Covenant, Adam’s posterity was appointed as his covenantal body.

By shared covenantal law, Adam and the human race were legally joined in covenantal union.

Joined by covenantal law, Adam and the human race became legally representative of each other.

The legal penalty for Adam’s original sin was directly transmitted to his covenantal body by means of imputation.

The penalty for imputed sin is spiritual death (separation from divine life (zoe)).

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Representational Headship

Headship in the Bible is not only representative (legal) but also representational (organic). Sometimes referred to as “natural” or “realistic” headship, representational headship refers to a relationship that is “physical” or “seminal.” Therefore, it is life-based.

In accord with covenantal stipulation, the entire human race existed in the first man naturally, physically, or seminally. As a result, the human race, the covenantal body of Adam, shares natural life in common with Adam, its covenantal head. Thus, covenantal head and body are organically representational of one another. Consequently, the head and body of the human race share the organic penalty for Adam’s original sin.

The natural or physical penalty for Adam’s sin was separation from divine life (zoe). Positioned under his representational headship, the entire human race also experienced separation from God. Consequently, the human race was demoted to a lower, natural form of life (psuche). It was suitable for existence on the fallen earth apart from God.

The natural or physical penalty for Adam’s sin is indirectly transmitted to his covenantal body by means of natural or seminal inheritance. It is evidenced by the progressive physical degeneration of human life from generation to generation.

Adam was physically or seminally representational of his covenantal body, the human race. Consequently, it naturally shares his fallen life and thus, the pain, suffering, and eventual death associated with its degeneration.

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Representational Headship

Life-based.

The human race was created as one organic entity in the form of head and body.

Adam, the first man and archetype of humanity, was appointed representational head of the human race. Thus, he was organically representational of his posterity.

By stipulation of the Renovation Covenant, Adam’s posterity, preexisting in him naturally or seminally, was appointed as his covenantal body.

By shared covenantal life, Adam and the human race are organically joined in covenantal union.

Joined by covenantal life, Adam and the human race became organically representational of each other.

Associated with Adam naturally or seminally, the penalty of his original sin is indirectly transmitted to the human race from generation to generation by means of natural or seminal inheritance.

The penalty for inherited sin is physical death (degeneration and eventual cessation of physical life).

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Covenantal Consequence

Positioned under the representative and representational headship of Adam, the entire human race became legally unsuitable and organically incompatible with God:

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Category	Position in Adam	Reference
Legally Unsuitable:	Guilty of the transgression of the rule of law. Burdened by the unpayable legal debt of transgression. Unrighteous according to measure of the rule of law.	1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Colossians 2:14; 2 Peter 2:9
Organically Incompatible:	Unfavorable for habitation by divine life (zoe): Spiritually dead. Degenerated. Controlled by a degenerated nature. Independent life. Earthly.	Acts 10:42; Romans 4:17; 11:15; 14:9; Ephesians 2:1, 5; Colossians 2:13; 2 Timothy 4:1

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Relative to legal unsuitability and organic incompatibility, mankind was relegated to a fallen realm of existence apart from God:

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Category	Position in Adam	Reference
Realm of Existence:	The realm of sin and death.	Romans 5:12; 21; 8:2

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The fallen realm of existence is characterized by a distinct familial standing, citizenship, security, and style of governance:

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Category	Position in Adam	Reference
Familial Standing:	Children of men (“according to the flesh”).	John 1:13; Romans 8:4-5; 9:3
Citizenship:	Earthly citizenship.	Genesis 12:3; Psalm 10:18; Jeremiah 25:30; Zephaniah 1:17-18; John 3:31
Security:	Temporally and eternally insecure.	Romans 2:8-9; 2 Thessalonians 2:12
Style of Governance:	Positioned under the headship of Adam. Enslaved to the indwelling sin nature and therefore, disobedient from the heart. Governed externally by the rule of law.	Mark 7:20-23; Romans 1:29-31

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By stipulation of the Renovation Covenant, the headship of Adam was legally representative and organically representational of humanity. Consequently, his transgression of covenantal law transformed the human race legally, from law-abiding to law-breaking, righteous to unrighteous. Further, it altered the human race organically, from heavenly to earthly and from the highest possible quality of life, suitable for fellowship with God, to a significantly lower form of life fit to exist on earth apart from God.

© 2023 James Hiatt

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