What does ‘seated at the right hand of God’ actually mean?
Question 7107
This phrase appears throughout the New Testament and is confessed in the great creeds of the Church. But what does it actually mean? Is it describing a physical location? A position of authority? Something else entirely? Let’s look at what Scripture tells us about this glorious truth concerning our Lord Jesus.
The Biblical Testimony
The phrase “seated at the right hand of God” appears in numerous places in the New Testament. After His resurrection and ascension, we read that Jesus “sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3). Stephen, as he was being stoned, “gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55). Paul tells us that Christ “is at the right hand of God” and “intercedes for us” (Romans 8:34). Peter writes that Jesus “has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him” (1 Peter 3:22).
This is not some incidental detail. It is a central affirmation of the Christian faith that Jesus, having accomplished His work on earth, has been exalted to the highest place of honour and authority in the universe.
The Significance of the Right Hand
In ancient Near Eastern culture, and particularly in Jewish tradition, the right hand was the place of honour and power. When a king wished to honour someone, he seated them at his right hand. We see this in Psalm 110:1, quoted more often in the New Testament than any other Old Testament verse: “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.'” Jesus Himself quoted this psalm to the Pharisees (Matthew 22:44), and Peter quoted it at Pentecost (Acts 2:34-35).
The Hebrew word for “right hand” is יָמִין (yamin), and it carries connotations of strength, favour, and authority. When Jacob blessed Ephraim and Manasseh, he crossed his hands to place his right hand on Ephraim, the younger son, signifying the greater blessing (Genesis 48:14). The right hand is consistently associated with power and salvation: “Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power, your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy” (Exodus 15:6).
What This Position Means
Completed Work
First and foremost, Jesus being seated indicates that His redemptive work is finished. The priests in the Old Testament tabernacle and temple never sat down. There were no chairs in the Holy Place because their work was never done. They offered sacrifice after sacrifice, day after day, year after year. But Jesus, “when he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3). The writer to the Hebrews makes this point explicitly: “But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12).
The sitting is not because He is tired. It is because He is finished. “It is finished” (John 19:30), He cried from the cross, and His sitting down is the demonstration of that finished work. There is nothing more to be done for our salvation. It is accomplished. It is complete. It is done.
Supreme Authority
Second, this position indicates supreme authority. Paul writes that God “raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:20-21). There is no higher position. There is no greater authority. Jesus has been given “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18).
This has profound implications for us. Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11). The powers of darkness are defeated. Satan’s doom is sealed. Whatever troubles we face in this world, we serve a risen, exalted, reigning Lord.
Present Intercession
Third, from this position Jesus intercedes for us. “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died, more than that, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Romans 8:34). The writer to the Hebrews tells us that “he always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).
This is tremendously comforting. Right now, at this very moment, Jesus is at the Father’s right hand speaking on your behalf. When you sin, He does not abandon you. “If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). The Greek word for “advocate” is παράκλητος (parakletos), the same word used for the Holy Spirit in John 14-16. It means one called alongside to help, a legal defender, a counsellor. And notice who the judge is in this court: Jesus Himself (John 5:22). So our advocate is also our judge, and He has already paid the penalty for every charge that could be brought against us.
Awaiting the Final Victory
Fourth, Jesus sits at the right hand “until I make your enemies your footstool” (Psalm 110:1). This is a position of waiting as well as reigning. The final defeat of all His enemies is certain, but it has not yet been fully manifested. As Hebrews 10:13 says, “waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.”
This is where we are in redemptive history. Christ has won the victory at the cross. He has been exalted to the highest place. But we await His return when every enemy will be finally and visibly subdued. “Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power” (1 Corinthians 15:24).
Stephen’s Vision: Standing, Not Sitting
One intriguing detail is that when Stephen saw Jesus, He was standing rather than sitting (Acts 7:55-56). Why the difference? Some have suggested that Jesus stood to welcome His faithful martyr home. Others suggest He stood as a witness on Stephen’s behalf. Either way, the fundamental truth remains: Jesus is at the right hand of the Father, whether sitting in completed triumph or standing in active welcome.
What This Means for Us
The practical implications are immense. Because Jesus is at the right hand of God, we have complete assurance of salvation. Our Saviour reigns. Our Intercessor pleads. Our future is secure. We can approach the throne of grace with confidence (Hebrews 4:16) because we know who sits there. And amazingly, we are told that we have been “raised up with him and seated with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). Our position is in Him, at the right hand of God.
“But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.” Hebrews 10:12-13
