Angels

Angels are created beings, spirits who carry out Yahweh’s purposes and minister to those he saves. Scripture never presents them as objects of worship or as equal to God in any sense; their entire role is defined by service to him and to his people.

What do angels actually do?

Jacob’s dream at Bethel shows angels in this ministering role, “ascending and descending” on a ladder set up between earth and heaven (Genesis 28:12), a picture of the access between God’s presence and the world that he himself sustains. The writer of Hebrews states their function directly: “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14).

Are angels equal to Christ?

Hebrews opens by placing angels beneath Christ rather than beside him, asking, “to which of the angels did He ever say, ‘YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU’?” (Hebrews 1:5), and stating that when God brings his firstborn into the world, “LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM” (Hebrews 1:6). Angels serve; the Son is served, even by them, and this comparison establishes from the opening chapter of Hebrews that no created being, however exalted, stands anywhere near Christ’s position. The articles below trace this theme through several key passages.