Where Christ Sits, We Are Seated

Christ being seated at the Father’s right hand is inseparable from His ascension and His finished work. Hebrews tells us that the eternal Son, the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of His nature, upholds all things by the word of His power, and that when He had made purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Hebrews 1:3). His sitting down proclaims that the work is complete. Sin has been dealt with. The throne is occupied by the crucified and risen Son.

Paul tells us what that means in Ephesians. God raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, not only in this age but also in the age to come (Ephesians 1:20–21). The One who sat down after purifying sins now reigns in glory as the victorious Mediator.

Then comes the astonishing word of grace. What God did for His Son, He has done for us in Him. Though we were dead in our trespasses, God, being rich in mercy, made us alive together with Christ, raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:4–6). The place Christ occupies by right, we occupy by grace. Where He sits, we are seated in Him.

And why would God do this? Paul gives the answer. God did this so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:7). For all eternity, God will point to sinners who have been made alive, raised up, and seated with His Son as living proof of His immeasurable kindness. This is who we are in Christ: made alive, raised up, seated with Him, and forever displayed as trophies of grace.