Without exception, the right hand and arm of God are referred to in the Old Testament as instruments of salvation toward those who put their trust in God. To be on the right hand of God is to be safe, secure, and full of joy —being a partaker of God’s life. It is the place of righteousness, or right standing with God. Here is the absence of sin and sin consciousness and the presence of confidence in His salvation —not in one’s own ability. (Psalms 16:11 (KJV) Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Psalms 17:7 (KJV) Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them. Psalms 44:3 (KJV) For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them. Psalms 89:13 (KJV) Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand. Psalms 98:1 (KJV) O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory. Psalms 48:10 (KJV) According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness. Isaiah 41:10 (KJV) Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.)
The same concept continues into the New Testament. Almost every reference is to the risen Christ being seated at God’s right hand (except when Stephen sees Him standing there — Acts 7:56). (Mark 16:19 (KJV) So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. Mark 12:36 (KJV) For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. Matthew 26:64 (KJV) Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.)
Then we come to Matthew’s account of the sheep and goats; the King
places the goats on His left, and only the sheep on His right. This Scripture has struck fear into many of us, since traditional theology has taken this to refer to the people God is letting into heaven (those on the right) and sending to hell (those on the left) —for not DOING the right thing (feeding and clothing the poor and visiting those in prison, etc.). For doing (or not doing) it to them is doing (or not doing) it to God Himself. (Matthew 25:33-34 (KJV) And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: Matthew 25:41 (KJV) Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.
But Paul tells both Timothy and Titus that we are saved
not by works of righteousness that we have done (2Timothy 1:9 (KJV) Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. Titus 3:5 (KJV) Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost), but rather by the grace given us before the world began.
And even in Jesus’ statement about the sheep and goats, He also says that the kingdom was prepared for us from the foundation of the world
(Matthew 25:34).
On another occasion, Jesus tells us not to fear, because it is the Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom (Luke 12:32 (KJV) Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.). But how can I not fear, when I might be among the goats
?
In Ephesians Paul relieves our fears when he tells us that we too are in that place of security, salvation, and power which the Scriptures refer to as the right hand of God.
And we got there the same way Jesus did —by what God did, not by feeding the hungry and visiting people in prison. (1Corinthians 15:22 (KJV) For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall ALL be made alive. Romans 11:32 (KJV) For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon ALL. Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 1:19-20 (KJV) And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places Ephesians 2:6 (KJV) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus)
We were both buried and raised with Christ (Romans 6).
So to what might the parable of the sheep and goats refer? This parable is recorded in Matthew 25, along with the parable of the wise and foolish virgins and that of the talents —making this one of the scariest chapters in the Bible, if read and interpreted according to traditional theology. No matter how many times I read in the Bible that I am not to fear, I cannot help fearing when I see my eternal destiny resting on my poor ability to perform.
As Jesus said to the lawyer inquiring about what was necessary for him to inherit eternal life, How are we going to read this?
(Luke 10:25-26 (KJV) And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?)
Jesus follows with the story of the good Samaritan (vv 30-36). We can read this to mean that if we don’t love our neighbor we can’t inherit eternal life. That is precisely what we have done, once again filling ourselves with a works mentality that has kept us from experiencing God’s love and complete salvation available to everyone without exception, no matter what he has or hasn’t done.
Can we not read these accounts as descriptions of what our lives look like when we wake up to righteousness, or right standing with God (symbolized by the right hand and arm of God)? Can we not see the sheep
as those who have been awakened to their identity in God and are enjoying the bliss of that knowledge, while the goats
are those still living in the torment of thinking that they must do something to close the gap between themselves and God, the ones who are paralyzed by fear that God is angry and just waiting to punish when we don’t measure up —as was the man with the one talent:
Matthew 25:24-25 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
The parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15) shows us the true heart of God —anxiously awaiting our turning to Him in complete trust because we know that no matter how bad our performance, nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8).
David knew how to read these parables. Like the man with the one talent, like the goats
and like all of us, David also made his bed in hell. The difference between David and us is that he knew for a certainty that not even in hell would he be able to escape the loving compassion of God.
Psalms 139:7-10 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
David KNEW he would always be in (or on) God’s right hand, no matter what hell he made for himself. Would that we knew it too!