The
“right hand of God,” or the “right hand of the Majesty,” are
Hebrew idioms which mean to be understood as indicating a position of power and
glory. A literal right hand position is not in view [in Heb 1:3]. The biblical
understanding of the “right hand of God” idiom is expressed in Ephesians
1:19-23 . . .When the Scripture says that Jesus has been placed at the Father’s
“right hand” it means that Christ, in His fullness, is positioned in the
heavens as God’s power and might. Paul describes it in this way [in 1 Tim
6:15-16]. (Jerry Hayes, Godhead Theology: Modalism, The Original Orthodoxy [Texas
City, Tex.: Seventh Millennium Publications, 2015], 223)
An
Inconvenient Truth
A
biblical truth that is inconvenient for all Pluralists (Trinitarians and
Subordinationists alike) is that the “right hand of God” expression is a
biblical idiom that is always symbolic in its meaning and application. The laws
of Scriptural interpretation demands that we apply, especially the Law of
Context and the law of First Mention to the “right hand of God”
sayings. The Law of Content (when related to Scripture) has two
categories: local and universal. In our case it is the universal context that
is most important. In the universal context we are concerned with how the ”right
hand of God” sayings are employed by the Old Testament writers. As we list
these, we first come to the first mention of the right hand of God.
The Law of First Mention demands that whatever the meaning of a thing,
when that thing is first mentioned in Scripture, it is to be considered the
meaning throughout Scripture, unless there is a clear reason not to, and that
reason is made known by being stated or by strong and necessary inference. So,
then, we are concerned with two “laws” of interpretation here: Law of
Context and Law of First Mention.
Exodus
15:6 “Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O
Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.
~
This is the first mention of the Right Hand of God in holy Scripture.
According to the Law of First Mention the meaning of the phrase, here,
is to be the standard meaning for the same phrase throughout Scripture. The
meaning of the Right Hand of God, here, is symbolic, and emphasizes the power
and favor of Yahweh.
.
. . .
If,
for the sake of argument, God has a literal right hand, it would follow, then,
that He has a literal right knee. The problem is that this presents is an
insurmountable one. For, you see, the Scripture states emphatically that every
knee in Heaven and earth will bow to Jesus Christ (Phil 2:10). So, then,
according to the Trinitarian’s understanding of “Right Hand of God,” the
first person of their godhead un-deifies himself to worship the second person
of their godhead. However, the Subordinationists do not fare any better; for
their only God (the Father) is dethroned and worships the created Son of God.
Am I being silly? No more silly that the Pluralists’ position demands. (Ibid.
439-40, 442)
