The Exaltation of Christ
III. SESSION
The climactic stage in the exaltation of Christ is His session.43 He who humbled Himself to the depths has now been exalted to the heights. Christ who
42Words of the chorus “Turn Your Eyes upon Jes~us,” by Helen H. Lemmel, come to mind:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace.
43The word “session” is used here in the sense of “sitting” or “being seated.” See section B. I, footnote 52, for further comment.
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I<t:Nli\YAl. ‘I‘t ltiOt.OGY
has ascended into heaven is now seated in glory.44
The Session is the present tense of the exalted Lord. To use the language of the Apostles’ Creed: “He sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Al- mighty.” The preceding statement in the creed, “he ascended into heaven,”
is past tense: it has happened; the following statement, “from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead” is future: it has yet to occur.
Now, during the interim, between His ascension and His final coming, Christ is seated in heaven.
Hence the session of Christ is highly important in our consideration, for it concerns the present locus and sphere of the exalted Lord. Although this is h i d d e n f r o m o u r eyes,45 w e m a y through the guidance of Scripture and the apprehension of faith find much that is significant for the understanding of our world and age.
A. Actuality
When Christ ascended into heaven, He immediately entered upon His ses- sion. According to Peter (who saw Him go), Christ “has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God” (1 Peter 3:22). One follows immediately upon the other without some period in be- tween. The climax of the Ascension is the Session of the exalted Lord.
The session of Christ is frequently spoken of in immediate conjunction with His death and resurrection. On the day of Pentecost Peter, after speaking of the death and burial of Jesus, pro- claimed, “This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of
God . . . ” (Acts 2:32-33).46 Paul him- self declares, “ C h r i s t J e s u s , w h o died-more than that, who was raised to life-is at the right hand of God”
(Rom. 8:34 NIV). Elsewhere Paul says that God has “raised him from the dead and made him sit at his [God’s] right hand in the heavenly places” (Eph.
1:20). The Book of Hebrews, with its pronounced focus on the high priestly sacrifice of Christ, moves directly from this act to the Session: “When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3); again, “when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God” (10: 12). While no direct mention of the Ascension is made in these Scriptures47 -even the Resurrection being omitted in the Hebrews pas- sages-this does not imply the unim- portance of various stages. It only sig- nifies that everything from Christ’s self- humbling death on the cross points forward to the height of His exaltation:
the session of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The actuality of the session of Christ is primarily a datum of biblical revela- tion. We accept it first of all on the basis of the testimony of Scripture. Further- more, unlike the Resurrection and As- cension, there were no eyewitnesses to whom we may turn, for even those who beheld Jesus in His resurrection and ascension saw Him no further. For, as we have noted, “a cloud took him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9). Thus the climax of Jesus’ exaltation was hidden from their eyes. It could not have been otherwise, because Jesus had left earth for heaven-the realm presently inac- cessible to human reach. Hence, the 44From the human point of view, Karl Barth writes, “It is as if we had made the ascent of a mountain and had now reached the summit” (Dogmatics in Oufline, 124).
4sThe summit (preceding footnote) is, so to speak, hidden by a cloud. We cannot behold it-or break through to it.
46Cf. Peter’s words in Acts S:30-31.
47 Hebrews 4: 14 speaks indirectly of the Ascension: “We have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens.”
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arrival of Jesus and the entrance upon His session basically is a fact to be recognized from the above quoted Scriptures.
Quite significantly two further scrip- tural accounts portray a beholding through the Holy Spirit, not of the commencement of Jesus’ session, but of its continuation. The first is found in the extraordinary climax to the testi- mony of Stephen just before his martyr- dom: “But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God’ ” (Acts 755-56). Second, there is the account of John who entered heaven “in the Spirit” (Rev. 4: l-2) and beheld the throne of God surrounded by four living creatures and the thrones of elders (Rev. 4:4-11). Thereafter, John
“saw between the throne [with the four living creatures] and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain” (Rev. 5:6 NASB) . While neither is a physical (or natural) eyewitness account - S t e p h e n w a s
“full of the Holy Spirit” and John was
“in the Spirit” - t h e y do bear vivid testimony to the continuing session of Christ at the right hand of God.
Now that we have noted the biblical witness to Christ’s session, is there anything further that can be said in terms of Christian experience? The an- swer to this question is yes. For Paul writes these extraordinary words:
“[God] made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with him and made us
THE EXALTATION OF Cl ~KISI’
sit48 with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” ( E p h . 2:6). H e n c e , through the grace of salvation not only have we been made alive and raised up but we have also been made to s i t together with Christ. God, says Paul earlier, “has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places”49 (Eph. 1:3). Surely this is a glorious blessing that we are now spiri- tually seated in heaven with Christ.
This, of course, is a further advance- ment of the truth, earlier discussed,so that our lives are “hid with Christ in God” -for not only are we ascended in Him to this high place but we also sit with Him!
Whether or not we have such a vision through the Spirit of the exalted Christ as Stephen or John did (a possibility that is by no means to be ruled out), the true believer is even now spiritually seated with Christ in the “heavenly places.” Although we do not perceive Christ in His exaltation, we know in faith that He is there, for in some profound senses * we share this high place with Him.
B. Form
We come next to a brief statement concerning the form or manner of the session of Christ.
1. It Is by Definition a “Sitting”52 This sitting is both Christ’s own action and also that accomplished by God the Father. I have quoted biblical statements that refer to the former: “He sat down”; and to the latter: “[God]
made him to sit” (or “seated him”). In 4XThe Greek word is synekathisen, “seated us” NASB, NIV.
4yThe Greek word is epouruniois, “the heavenlies,” translated by NIV and NEB “ t h e heavenly realms.”
“‘In section II, page 394.
“The meaning of this will become more apparent in section C below.
“The word “session” in the sense of “sitting” is used frequently to refer to the sitting together of persons composing a judicial, a deliberative, or an administrative body for the transaction of business. In the Presbyterian church the Session is the Board of Elders who
“sit” regularly to discuss and direct the affairs of the church.
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either event, it is a divine action and clearly represents an installation or, more particularly, an enthronement.
In the Book of Revelation John heard the Lord Christ say, “He who con- quers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne”
(3:21). Thus this “sitting down” was an enthronement, hence a royal investi- ture. He who humbled Himself to be- come a lowly bondservant has now been exalted to the place of royalty.
Peter, on the Day of Pentecost, before speaking of Christ’s resurrection and exaltation (Acts 2:31-33) gave as the background God’s oath that He “would set one of his [David’s] descendants upon his throne” (v. 30). Hence when Jesus was exalted on high and was seated, this was the fulfillment of the oath to David: it is the enthronement of the Messiah. When Peter and the other apostles were later brought before the council, they declared about Jesus that
“God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince53 and Savior” (Acts 5:31 NIV), thus as One invested with royal prerog- atives.
In two instances-as previous quota- tions have shown-Jesus is depicted not as “sitting” but as “standing.“54 Reference is not being made, however, to His original enthronement, but to an action or stance since this occurred. In the case of Stephen who was about to
be martyred, Christ may have arisen
from His throne to show His love and concern, perhaps even to receive Ste- phen’s spirit when he died.55 One scene in the Book of Revelation depicts Christ the Lamb as standing to go and receive a scroll: “He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne” (5:7).
The “sitting” of Christ accordingly is a continuing reality. It refers not only to His original enthronement but ‘also to his present activity.56 A number of the Scriptures speak of Christ as being “at the right hand of God” with no direct reference to sitting.57 So whether He stands, or no reference is made to His activity, Christ continues to “sit” in the heavens.
2. The Session Is “at the Right Hand”
This is the prevailing picture through- out the New Testament. For whether Christ is described as “sitting,” “stand- ing,” or no reference is made to either, His location or sphere is ordinarily depicted as “the right hand of God”58
“the right hand of the throne of
;od.“59
Thus in returning to heaven Christ in some sense was positioned alongside God. His glorified humanity was not merged into the Godhead, but Jesus as the exalted One in both His divinity and humanity was placed at God’s right
53Similarly, KJV, N A S B. The RSV and NEB have “Leader” (or “leader”). The Greek word in this context means “leader, ruler, prince” (BAGD). In light of Peter’s words about the throne of David, the translation of arch@gon as “prince” would seem best.
S4Acts 7:55-56; Revelation 5:6.
55Some recent popular teaching suggests that Christ was giving Stephen a standing ovation for his daring witness. While the suggestion may have some appeal today, the thought is certainly alien to the cultural milieu of Stephen’s time!
56“Whatever prosperity or defeat may occur in our space, whatever may become and pass away, there is one constant, one thing that remains and continues, this sitting of His at the right hand of the Father” (Barth, Dogmarics in Ourline, 126).
57 Recall Romans 834; 1 Peter 3:22.
5*To recall Hebrews 1:3, the language is “the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
Obviously “the Majesty on high” is God.
J;9As in Hebrews 12:2. Hebrews 8: 1 speaks of Christ the high priest as “seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven.”
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hand. This is an amazing fact to con- template and demonstrates that the In- carnation was not simply an earthly matter. It continues on a yet higher level in the session of Jesus Christ. He was raised in our humanity, ascended in our humanity, and His enthronement is likewise in our humanity! When Jesus returned to the Father, as God and man He was at the Father’s right hand.
Hence, once more Christ is “with God” (John 1:l). This was the case before His incarnation, and now in His session He has resumed His former position. He as the Son is somehow alongside the Father: He did not lose His identity or distinct personal reality when He returned to heaven. But the new feature -in all its extraordinari- n e s s - is that His humanity is also there. Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of man is at the right hand of God the Father Almighty!
3. The Session of Christ Is at the Right Hand “of God”
Here we must examine more closely this mystery: since the Son of God is also God, the right hand of God cannot ultimately mean separation from God.
To seek some understanding of this matter, let us observe the relationship between the session of Christ and the throne of God. Scripture has already been quoted that Christ is not only “at the right hand of God” but also “at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hence “the throne of God” is seem- ingly distinct from where Christ “sits.”
Yet-and here is the mystery-the throne of God can also be applied to Christ Himself! Hebrews 19 reads:
“But of the Son he says, ‘Thy throne, 0
THE EXALTATION OF CHRIST
God, is for ever and ever.’ ” Unmistak-
ably, the throne of God is here depicted as the throne of “the Son”-or is this perhaps a separate throne? Are there two thrones: one for the Father and another for the Son? No, the Scripture never so represents it. In the Book of Revelation where both the throne of Christ and the throne of the Father are mentioned, it is significant that they are actually identified as the same throne.
For example, Christ Himself said, “He who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne” (3:21).60 There is a throne of Christ-“my throne”-but Christ does not sit on it, but on “his throne” - t h e throne of the Father!
Revelation 4:2-l 1 contains the mag- nificent portrayal of the throne of “the Lord God Almighty” (v. 8) without any direct reference to Christ. However, in Revelation 5:6, which refers to the Lamb (Christ), the text may be read as
“in the midst of the throne61 . . . stood
a Lamb” (KJV). Again, in Revelation 7 where “the throne of God” is men- tioned (v. 15), the Lamb is said to be
“in the midst of the throne” (v. 17).
Still farther on, in the glorious portrayal of “the new heaven and the new earth”
(Rev. 21-22) the throne of God is unmistakably also the throne of Christ:
it is “the throne of God and of the Lamb” (22: 1, 3). From all such descrip- tions it is apparent that Christ not only stands “at the right hand of God”- hence has separate identity from the Father-but also occupies the same throne as the Father or the same throne as God.
This further signifies, to use the lan-
hOThese words have earlier been quoted in another context.
61Previously, following the RSV, I quoted this phrase to read “between the throne.” Such is also possible, and when it is so translated, a differentiation is made between the throne of God and that of the Lamb (in line with Christ being at the right hand of God). However, the Greek word mesas can also be-and indeed in most cases in the New Testament is- translated “midst.” The NEB here reads “in the very middle of ‘; NIV “in the center of ‘;
NASB margin “in the middle of.”
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