---
title: Ephesians 1:22
url: https://jw-apologetics.app/verses/ephesians-1-22/
markdown: https://jw-apologetics.app/verses/ephesians-1-22.md
type: verse
perspective: Protestant (historic Nicene) response to Jehovah's Witness teaching
reference: Ephesians 1:22
testament: NT
section: Letters
index: https://jw-apologetics.app/llms.txt
---

# Ephesians 1:22

## Text (Berean Standard Bible)

> And God put everything under His feet and made Him head over everything for the church,

## JW Usage

JWs accept "he subjected all things under his feet" as Christ's exaltation but lean heavily on the distinction between *subjection in authority* and *actual establishment of the Kingdom* — the latter reserved for 1914 in heaven and for post-Armageddon on earth. The "all things" is understood as positional, not operationally complete.

## Protestant Usage

Paul leaves no loophole. "He subjected all things under his feet" is total scope — Ephesians 1:22's echo of Psalm 8's dominion language is applied absolutely to the risen Christ. And "made him head over all things *to the church*" grounds the present-day significance: the one whose authority is absolute is the head of the church now. 1 Corinthians 15:25 completes the picture: "He must reign as king until God has put all enemies under his feet." The reign is continuous; the subjection of enemies is the ongoing campaign. Christ was crowned at the ascension, he reigns now, and the last enemy to be destroyed is death (15:26). Pair Ephesians 1:22 with Matthew 28:18 — "all authority has been given me in heaven and on earth" — and the question the Watchtower cannot answer is: if Christ has all authority now (Matthew 28:18) and all things are already under his feet (Ephesians 1:22), what authority remains for a future enthronement to establish?

## Arguments Using This Verse

- [Christ Is Already Reigning](https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/christ-reigning-now.md) — Acts 2:30-36 / Ephesians 1:20-22 / 1 Corinthians 15:25 [Eschatology]