‘Who is he who will condemn? It is Christ Jesus who died, yes rather, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.'

Nor can anyone condemn God's ‘chosen and beloved ones' (His elect). For the only One Who has the right to condemn is the One appointed by the Father as Judge (Juan 5:22; Juan 5:27; Hechos 17:31). And He, rather than condemning them, died for them, and having been raised from the dead, now makes intercession for them as the One Who is at God's right hand, as a result of which He is able to save them to the uttermost (Hebreos 7:25).

Many would prefer to translate as, ‘it is God Who justifies, Who is he who condemns?' taking the two phrases together. This puts in apposition two words which are the opposite of each other, ‘justify' and ‘condemn, and links more closely with Isaías 50:8 (see below). But the overall significance is the same. Although less directly, the following reference to the activity of Christ is still applicable to the fact that we will not be condemned, but is then also more closely linked with the words, ‘who will lay anything to the charge of God's beloved and chosen ones'. They are an assurance that for God's chosen ones Christ Jesus will be neither judge nor prosecutor.

We can compare with these questions the question regarding the Servant in Isaías 50:8, which may well be one of the sources of Paul's thoughts, ‘He is near Who justifies Me, who will contend with Me -- behold the Lord God is near who will condemn Me'. The purport there is the same. The one who is accounted as righteous by God, has nothing to fear from the accusations of man, or even of angels.

With regard to Christ Jesus being at God's right hand compare Salmo 110:1 where the future Davidic king was told by YHWH to ‘sit at My right hand'. And here we must make a differentiation. Because Christ Jesus is God He sits on His Father's throne (Apocalipsis 3:21), enjoying the glory which He had with Him before the world was (Juan 17:5), but because He has been raised as man and Messiah He sits in His manhood on a throne at God's right hand as God's Christ (Messiah). See Apocalipsis 3:21. We need not question the logic of this because both descriptions are metaphorical, illustrating different theological ideas (that Christ rules as both God and glorified man), for there are no physical thrones in Heaven. Thrones are an earthly concept. They represent authority. And God cannot be limited to permanently sitting on a throne, any more than He could be limited to dwelling in a Temple (1 Reyes 8:27).

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