The One God has exalted to His right hand is not only the Leader but also the Savior. Leader is related to His authority, and Savior to His salvation. Jesus’ incarnation made Him a man, His human living on earth qualified Him to be man’s Savior, His crucifixion accomplished full redemption for man, His resurrection vindicated His redemptive work, and His exaltation inaugurated Him to be the ruling Leader so that He might be the Savior.
According to Peter’s word in Acts 5:31, the Lord is the Savior “to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.” To give repentance and forgiveness of sins to God’s chosen people requires Christ to be exalted as a ruling Leader and Savior. His sovereign ruling causes and leads God’s chosen people to repent, and His salvation based upon His redemption affords them forgiveness of sins.
Repentance is for forgiveness of sins (Mark 1:4). On God’s side, forgiveness of sins is based upon His redemption (Eph. 1:7). On man’s side, forgiveness of sins is through repentance. Repentance and forgiveness are major gifts, and only the Lord Jesus as the Leader and Savior is qualified to give them. We need to realize that in this universe He is the only One qualified to give repentance and forgiveness of sins. It is the Lord who has caught us and compelled us to repent. Otherwise, we would not have repented. Repentance is not of us; it is a gift given by the exalted Leader and Savior. Following repentance, we received the gift of forgiveness. We should praise the Lord that He is qualified to give repentance and forgiveness to God’s chosen people.
When Christ was on earth, He saved Peter, John, and many others. However, although the title “Savior” is applied to Christ in His earthly ministry (John 4:42), He was not officially the Savior until His ascension. We were saved officially by the Christ on the throne, by the One in glory. When we were saved, we were seated with Him in the heavenlies (Eph. 2:6). Christ has saved us from the throne and to the throne. This is the ascended Christ as our Savior.
Christ exalted by God to be the Leader and Savior was witnessed by the disciples and the Holy Spirit. In Acts 5:32 Peter goes on to say, “We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.” The Greek word translated “things” here is rhema, referring to instant words. Both the apostles and the Holy Spirit were witnesses of these things. This indicates that the Holy Spirit was one with the apostles. In this verse Peter says that God gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey Him. Obedience is the way and the condition to receive and enjoy the Spirit of God.
Acts 7:55 speaks of Stephen seeing Jesus standing at the right hand of God: “But being full of the Holy Spirit, he looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” This verse unveils that Christ is the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God to be the comfort, encouragement, and strength to the one martyred for Him.
Stephen saw the ascended Christ as the Son of Man. This means that the Christ who is in the heavens still has His humanity; He still possesses a human nature. Some do not believe that Christ today is still the Son of Man. They claim that Christ became a man by incarnation but that in His resurrection He put off His humanity. They think that Christ today is merely the Son of God, that He is no longer the Son of Man. However, it is erroneous to teach that Christ in ascension is no longer the Son of Man. In ascension Christ is still both the Son of God with divinity and the Son of Man with humanity.
According to Acts 7:55, Stephen saw the glory of God. This was a great vindication and encouragement to the persecuted one. Verse 55 says that Stephen also saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. The Lord in ascension is usually referred to as sitting at the right hand of God (Matt. 26:64; Heb. 1:3, 13). But Stephen saw Him standing there. Sitting is for resting, whereas standing is for working. Because a member of His Body was suffering on earth, the Son of Man was seen standing at the right hand of God. This indicates that the Lord was greatly concerned for His persecuted one.
Stephen did not care for the environment. Rather, being full of the Spirit, he looked intently into heaven. In Acts 7:2 Stephen said that the God of glory appeared to Abraham. Now we are told that Stephen saw the glory of God and Jesus as the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. In the entire New Testament this occurred only once. Furthermore, in 7:56 Stephen said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” The earth rejected Stephen and was closed to him, but the heavens opened up to him, indicating that the heavens were with him and for him.