Christ’s Intercession At the Right Hand of God
I have surveyed a lot of texts which refer to the New covenant in both Testaments. I could continue into the General Epistles and Revelation, but I believe I have made a good case for my thesis that the New covenant in Christ’s blood (Lk. 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25) is the salvation covenant, and that it forms the basis of hope for Israel and the Church. There are many in the dispensationalist fold who recoil at any assertion that the Church is a party to the New covenant, and we shall examine their objections soon. But there is one more feature of the NT’s witness to Christ that ought to be thought through before turning to those objections. That feature concerns the position of the ascended Christ at the right hand of God.
The book of Acts records several incidents referencing the present session of Jesus at God’s right hand (Acts 5:31; 7:55-56). To be at the right hand of a king was to occupy a place of special privilege. It was a station of great power and influence. This status of Christ pertains to His human nature and accomplishments, as Psalm 110:1 describes.
Acts 2:33 has Peter declaring that the manifestation of languages spoken by the disciples upon their receiving of the Holy Spirit was a work of the risen and ascended Christ who now sits at the right hand of God:
“Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.” – Acts 2:33.
This dispensing of the Spirit originates from God’s right hand. In other words, it is a ministry of Jesus in His present session in heaven. The passage from Joel that Peter quoted (Acts 2:16-21/Joel 2:28-32) is admitted by all to be a New covenant passage. It is then no stretch at all to claim that Acts 2:33 represents Christ in a New covenant role. And if He is acting in a New covenant role we ought to expect some verification of this from the Epistle to the Hebrews.
“But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.” – Hebrews 8:6.
Notice here that Jesus is depicted as mediating the New covenant in the present. Hebrews 4:14; 7:3; and 8:1 confirm this by attaching Christ’s mediation to His High Priestly function now. Just like in Acts 2, Jesus is pictured as sitting at God’s right hand:
“Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens…” – Hebrews 8:1
Moreover, Christ as New covenant High Priest (Heb. 9:15) makes intercession for the saints according to Hebrews 7:25:
“Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
So Christ as High Priest mediates the New covenant from the right hand of God, interceding for the saints. But this being the case, what is one to do with Romans 8:34? It says,
“Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.” (Emphasis mine).
In this text from Romans, Paul refers to Christ’s intercessory role on behalf of the Church “at the right hand of God.”
A Schizophrenic Ministry?
I have a question for all those dispensationalists who will not allow that the New covenant is made with the Church. Given that Christ’s present session includes His High Priestly function, do you really believe that Christ, being sat at the right hand of God, dons the garb, as it were, of New covenant High Priest only when He intercedes for Jews? Does the intercession of Jesus for the Gentiles in the Church differ from His intercession for Jews (presumably also in the Church), even though both are performed from the right hand of God on high?
For those who oppose the teaching that the Church (or the Gentiles) have no relation to the New covenant, the intercession of Jesus at God’s right hand as per Romans 8:34 is not the same as the intercession of Jesus as pictured in Hebrews 7:25 and 8:1. Again, this is because Jesus is mediating the New covenant in Hebrews, but in Romans 8, according to these brethren, He is not. Hence, Christ’s intercession at God’s right hand must be of two varieties depending on whether Jews or Gentiles are coming to Him.
I submit that this is unbelievable. Rather, the correct interpretation of Christ’s intercessory ministry must be the same in Romans 8 as it is in Hebrews 7, and that the logic demands of us that the only way Christ can intercede for Gentile saints in the Church is as Mediator of the New covenant. Ergo, the Church is a full party to the New covenant.
I hope you will take the time to reflect upon this argument.
