‘And not holding fast the Head, from whom all the body, being supplied and knit together through the joints and bands, increases with the increase of God.'
Because these people concentrate on intermediaries and visions they fail to hold fast to the One Who is Head over all. They fail to hold fast to Christ. Thus they do not receive that which is needed for an increase in their spiritual lives. Only He Who is the Head over all things can satisfactorily supply them with what is required for this purpose.
‘From Whom all the body.' The remainder of the verse parallels 1 Corinthians 12 where the body is Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12) as conjoined with His people. Thus the head/body contrast is not to be stressed for in 1 Corinthians 12 the head is specifically stated to be part of the whole body. They receive what they need from Him Who is Head over all things and Who is also Himself the body with which they are united, He is the foundation member and controlling influence within the Body (see Appendix). The ancients did not see the head as the controlling influence over the body as we do, they considered that lay more in the ‘heart' and the ‘bowels' and other similar parts of the body (Mark 2:6; Mark 2:8; Mark 3:5; Luke 24:32; Philippians 2:1; Colossians 3:12; 1 John 3:17). The idea of Headship is of authority.
The ‘knitting together of the body' probably has mainly in mind the importance of loving one another, the love that unites, and the love supplied through Christ's indwelling and the Spirit's power (Ephesians 3:16-19). But may also include the fact that as each member contributes with their specific gifts they cement the unity of the body.
It is because they are members of His body, of which He is the foundation and controlling member, that they are supplied and united in Him through His indwelling (Colossians 1:27), with the ties that bind and the gifts ministered to them (1 Corinthians 12; Romans 12), and thus increase continually as God gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:7). Thus the ‘increase' results from looking directly to the Head.