ARE WE LOWER THAN ANGELS?

 Are we lower than angels?

THE STUDY OF ANGELS has always been a delightful and fascinating exercise in Christian literature. The Holy Bible mentions angels 273 times! This proves that they are real and demonstrates their importance and all popularity in the spiritual sphere. I have written two earlier essays about angels under 'Thinking Aloud'. This essay will discuss a specific question about these divine creatures–Are angels superior to humans? What does the Bible have to say about this?

The need to debate this question at all arises from an arguably mistranslated KJV verse about angels in Psalms 3:5 that goes like this:   For you have made him (referring to humans) a little lower than angels and you have crowned him with glory and honor. But ASV reads ‘a little lower than God’, and most of the modern translations do likewise, with some of them replacing God with You (which is one and the same). Among the Indian language versions I have checked, only Tamil has it ‘lower than angels’  while Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi versions mean lower than God. 

(1) When Jesus claimed that He was the Son of God, the Jews challenged Him and were about to stone Him. Then He asked them “...have you not read in the scriptures that God said ‘ye are gods and sons of Most High’”?. See John 10:33, 34; Psalms 82:6.

(2) God created the angels by His spoken Word altogether, like an ‘assembly line’ product (Genesis 2:1), whereas He lovingly created man with His own hands (Genesis 2:7).

(3) The Bible says God made man in His own image and likeness (Genesis 1:27); The angels are formless, spiritual.

(4) Adam was called the son of God (Luke 3:38); according to Psalms 2:7 God says to the Son

 “You are my Son; today I have become your Father”. He never addressed any angel this way. Hebrews 1:4 says   He became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

(5) We were created to have dominion, but they were created to serve us. Hebrews 1:14 makes this clear: “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” (that is, we humans).

(6) God chose men to do His work, but out of his (man’s) free will (Isaiah 49:1 and many other places) but angels were just commanded to do and they had no options in the matter.

(7) God calls His servants–human beings–by name.  (Isaiah 43:1). There is no record that He honored any angel this way–however senior he might be! 

(8) God did not share His glory with the angels, but He did this with men (Psalms 8:5, John 17:22).

(9) During the Old Testament days Yahweh is known to have made covenants with His people (Genesis 6:18, Jeremiah 31:31); Jesus is called the Mediator of the new covenant because of the work He did on the cross. (Luke 22:20, 2 Corinthians 3:6). This had never happened with God’s dealing with angels.

(10) The Bible says we will judge the angels – 

(1 Corinthians 6:3). No angel has ever enjoyed the privilege of judging humans. It goes without saying who is superior to whom!

(11) God’s forgiveness and salvation are available only to humans (1 John 1:9). The angels who sinned suffered prompt punishment. See 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 1:6.

(12) The privilege of preaching the Gospel is bestowed only on humans, not angels (Mark 16:15).

(13) It is only we humans that are promised Crowns, Thrones, Sceptres and Dominion, whereas the angels are not. 

Angels’ duties: 

To serve, deliver, protect, guard, warn, take our prayers to God, bring news and answers from God and to fight for us, etc.

Some truths about angels:

They have celestial body and no human body parts.

They cannot procreate.

They are genderless, but always mentioned in the masculine gender in Bible.

They don’t have actual wings to fly, like birds.

It is not true that when human children die, they become angels.

They have supernatural power and strength.

They behold God, day and night and keep worshiping Him.

They are also called the Cherubims and Seraphim. 

The spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls "angels" is a truth of faith. The witness of Scripture is as clear as the unanimity of Tradition in this matter. 

The whole life of the church benefits from the mysterious and powerful help of the angels. From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession. Christ is the center of the angelic world. They are His angels. They belong to Him because they were created through and for Him.

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