What Are Angels? And, Do Guardian Angels Exist?

Introduction

The subject of angels has been a prominent discussion throughout history both within and, outside of, Christianity. It has captivated the minds of humans, leading man's imagination to construct depictions of the spiritual beings in various cultures across the world. In doing so, however, the portrayals have blurred the lines between folklore, spiritualism, and authentic biblical doctrine. One of the most debated concepts, pertaining to the topic of angels, is the belief that there are "guardian angels," or personal angels who are assigned to protect specific men and women throughout their lives. More specifically, the Catholic church teaches that all individuals have a guardian angel who is commanded to provide guidance, wisdom, and protection for the entirety of their lives. In contrast, Protestants, particularly Reformed theologians, affirm the notion that angels are used as God's ministering agents to man; however, they argue that the concept of a "guardian angel" is not explicitly stated within Scripture, which could result in believers engaging in dangerous practices like idolatry or false worship.

While the Bible supports the existence of angels and discusses their role in God's plan of ministry to believers, this paper will argue that it does not explicitly confirm the notion of guardian angels who are specifically assigned to men and women throughout their lives. In defending this thesis, the paper will discuss angelology, spiritual warfare, and various theological positions - particularly the Reformed theology perspective - establishing a profound analysis, which is rooted in orthodox Christian doctrine and in Scripture. Moreover, the discussion will attempt to distinguish between popular misconceptions of angels and scriptural assertions with the objective of emphasizing Scripture's sufficiency in theological formation. Ultimately, the goal is to properly contextualize the purpose and presence of angels within God's sovereign framework while not diminishing the magnificence of these spiritual entities.

Overview of Angels

By definition, angelology is the division of systematic theology, which studies angels, specifically their roles, nature, and relationship to God and humanity. The word "angel" is derived from the Greek term ἄγγελος (angelos), and it conveys either a heavenly or human messenger. Therefore, it is generally believed that angels are special messengers used by the Lord to further His will. The Bible establishes that angels are created spiritual beings who are distinct from mankind. For instance, Colossians 1:16 states, "For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things were created through him and for him." (Colossians 1:16, English Standard Version). Nehemiah 9:6 also reads, "You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them, and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you." (Nehemiah 9:6, English Standard Version). Theologically speaking, these two verses assert that God created angels to be part of His heavenly realm. The passages in Colossians and Nehemiah are two examples of these spiritual beings being cited in Scripture, but, overall, they are referenced 103 times in the Old Testament and 93 times in the New Testament, making their citations a total of 196 times in the entire Bible.

While Scripture is clear that God created angels, it is not as resolute in how He did so. More specifically, "...there is no narrative in Scripture about the creation of the angels nor about the event that precipitated the moral fall of the demons, demon being the word in Christian theology that is used to refer to angels whose moral character has been corrupted by sin. That the angels were created by God is clear (i.e., Psalm 128), but the event of their creation is not something that Moses included in his account in Genesis." This is significant for establishing sound doctrine, especially regarding a concept like angels, and even guardian angels. Although Scripture mentions these spiritual beings, it does not explicitly discuss all aspects of them. Therefore, believers must utilize discernment and remember that the Bible is about the redemptive plan of God for mankind, not created beings like angels.

Specific Types of Angels

Although the Bible does not detail the exact process of how God created angels, it does provide vivid descriptions of these angelic beings. It has been the historic belief of both Judaism and Christianity that angels are spiritual or immaterial beings; however, both religions also acknowledge that there may be times that angels have presented themselves in the form of humans with material bodies. With that said, there is limited biblical evidence to confirm this belief in its entirety, so most believers simply understand angels to be spiritual messengers directed by God. In the medieval era, Christianity saw an increase in debates and discussions about angels. According to Erickson, "The major impetus was provided by the work of a pseudonymous fifth- and sixth-century writer claiming to be Dionysius the Areopagite, who had been converted by Paul in Athens." Dionysius categorizes angels into three classifications, and they are as follows: (1) thrones, cherubim, seraphim, (2) mights, dominions, powers, and (3) principalities, archangels, and angels. The first group of angels are the closest to God, and they have influence over the dominions and powers who, in turn, enlighten the third group.

In Scripture, the only angel ever named is the archangel, Michael. In Jude, it reads, "Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you.' But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively." (Jude 1:8-10, English Standard Version). Interestingly, this passage not only reveals information related to one kind of angelic being, but it also speaks about another: the devil. The historic belief of Christianity is that Satan (i.e., the devil) is a created angelic being who wanted to be like God. As a result of his rebellion, God exiled him from heaven. When Satan was exiled, one-third of the angelic realm followed him in his rebellion. Today, Christianity understands these rebellious angels to be demons who roam the Earth, seeking to destroy both believers and unbelievers. The topic of spiritual warfare will be discussed later on in this paper.

Besides archangels, there are mentions of cherubim and seraphim in the Bible. The most prominent passage related to seraphim is found in Isaiah 6, and it states, "In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.'" (Isaiah 6:1-3, English Standard Version). Interestingly, this passage in the Bible is the only explicit mention of seraphim; however, there are many passages which also refer to these spiritual beings as cherubim (i.e., Psalm 80:1; Ezekiel 10:3; Isaiah 37:16). In Isaiah, the seraphim are depicted as having six wings, and they are involved in spiritual cleansing and temple imagery. Moreover, they engage in perpetual worship and purification for the sake of proclaiming God's holiness.

The third, and final, type of angelic being is a cherubim. In Scripture, these spiritual entities are often depicted as protecting sacred spaces, such as the entrance to Eden and the Ark of the Covenant. In Genesis 3, following the fall of Adam and Eve, God exiles man from the garden, "...therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life." (Genesis 3:23-24, English Standard Version). Based on the information presented in this passage, theologians have asserted that cherubim seem closely associated with God's glory, and they are typically used to guard sacred items or places. While the Bible provides vivid descriptions of angels, it mostly remains silent on whether specific ones are assigned to individuals (i.e., guardian angels); however, it does speak to the various functions of angelic entities.

Spiritual Warfare

While the notion of guardian angels is not explicitly stated in Scripture, the idea of spiritual warfare is. In Ephesians 6:12, it declares, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rules, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12, English Standard Version). Ultimately, this verse reveals to believers there is an unseen realm, which includes angels but also demons. This paper would be remise if it did not discuss another type of spiritual being that was also once part of the heavenly realm: fallen angels (i.e., demons). According to Grudem, demons can be defined as, “Demons are evil angels who sinned against God and who now continually work evil in the world.” Furthermore, when God created the world, he made everything, and he declared it to be good. Thus, the angelic realm was part of the created order, so no evil angels or demons could have existed at the time. By the time of Genesis 3, however, we are introduced to the serpent (i.e., Satan) tempting Eve in the garden, so it is logical to conclude that between Genesis 1:31 and Genesis 3:1, there was a revolt, which led to many angels rebelling against the Lord.

Theologically speaking, there are many titles that demons can assume, but the name of the head demon is Satan. The word “Satan” is Hebrew for a word that means “adversary,” and Scripture reveals that Satan is not only the primary adversary, but he is also a tempter, accuser, and deceiver. The Bible also tells believers that Satan is not the only demon who rebelled against God, but rather one-third of the angelic realm revolted with him. Therefore, believers must be aware of who demons are and what they seek to accomplish. While Satan is the ultimate adversary, the primary mission of demons is to destroy the one piece of creation which reflects God’s image, and that is man. The fall of Adam and Eve was the result of the serpent tempting Eve in the garden; however, Satan was just as bold in his attempt to make Jesus sin when the two faced off in the wilderness. In his encounter with Jesus, Satan tried to make Scripture say what it did not truly say, which is the same tactic he uses on man. Moreover, Satan and his demons use deception, lies, and murder to prevent people from accepting God, but they also utilize slander, envy, pride, guilt, fear, doubt, confusion, sickness, temptation, and lust to weaken the witness of a Christian.

Contemporary Views on Demons

Within contemporary evangelicalism, there is a myriad of beliefs pertaining to Satan, demons, and spiritual warfare. At one end of the spectrum, there are those Christians who deny the very existence of Satan and claim that demons are irrelevant in modern times. On the other end, there are those believers who assume that every misstep, temptation, or difficulty in one’s life is the result of a demon. Typically, the Pentecostal denomination is the one closely associated with the idea of deliverance and spiritual warfare. Pentecostalism places a heavy emphasis on the reality and activity of the demonic realm, oftentimes blaming demons for evil and suffering even if it is the slightest disruption in a believer’s life. As a result, charismatic believers tend to participate in deliverance ministry, which is seen as an avenue for Christians to be liberated from physical, mental, and spiritual ailments that are assumed to be demonic in origin. Essentially, Pentecostals base their belief on events in the New Testament, especially those involving Jesus casting out demons, healing the sick, and raising the dead. They claim that Jesus modeled deliverance for believers, and contemporary Christians are called to emanate His actions to free both believers and non-believers from demons. With that said, it is important to note that not all Pentecostal churches align with mainstream Pentecostalism belief on deliverance. There are certain practices associated with demonology, such as those using ritualistic objects, which cause some churches to fall outside of orthodox Pentecostalism, but also orthodox Christianity.

As mentioned above, there are those within Christianity who deny the existence of Satan and his demons. Oftentimes, these believers are influenced by a naturalistic worldview, which posits that only what can be seen, touched, and heard is part of reality; therefore, demons cannot exist. For instance, Rudolf Bultmann, a German New Testament scholar stated that demons were, “...ancient myths and that the New Testament message had to be ‘demythologized’ by removing such mythological elements so that the gospel could be received by modern, scientific people.” This perspective is dangerous, however, because the Bible cannot be de-spiritualized even in the slightest. The reason is that this could lead to more compromises on deeper spiritual matters, such as the incarnation and resurrection of Christ. Similar to the views of Bultmann, there are individuals who deny the existence of demons and associate evil with the influence of organizations and systems in contemporary society. Liberal theologians are typically the ones purporting this belief, suggesting that there are corrupt governments, which are “demonic” for asserting control over vulnerable people. Arguably, this ideology has increased in recent years due to the infiltration of critical theory in the church, which asserts that there is always an “oppressor” and “oppressed” person.

The discussion of demons is significant to modern Christianity because believers need to establish a proper theological understanding to avoid falling into error. C.S. Lewis, a prominent 20th-century British writer and apologist, once said, “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or magician with the same delight.” Lewis is arguing that to give the devil too much credit is to minimize the defeat he suffered at the hands of Christ, but to not acknowledge him at all is to fail to recognize the very real spiritual war going on around us.

Furthermore, Christians must be cognizant of the increasing threat of New Age spiritualism, which deceives people into worshipping demons. According to Johnson, “New Age is, after all, mainly an approach to spirituality—a way of viewing and interacting with the spiritual realm.” A common subset of the New Age is pantheism, which essentially believes that the universe is God and God is the universe (i.e., creation). Typically, an ideology of this magnitude leads people into worshipping the creation rather than the Creator, and it is not uncommon for individuals to begin idolizing nature-related deities. Moreover, as Christians, any “deity” other than the one true God is a demon, and Scripture is abundantly clear that, to worship one, is to violate the Ten Commandments. All in all, it is paramount for believers to establish a biblical understanding of their theology regarding both angelic beings and demonic entities.

Conclusion

The theology of angels remains a prominent discussion within the realm of Christian doctrine, and the Bible firmly establishes the existence of these spiritual entities. Furthermore, Scripture details their purposeful roles and the ways in which God uses them, specifically in protection, judgment, ministry, and worship. With that said, the Bible never explicitly asserts the existence of personal guardian angels who are ordered to provide protection or guidance to individual men and women throughout their lives. Most of the theological and scriptural evidence refutes the concept of permanent angelic assignments; therefore, it is essential that believers utilize discernment when it comes to doctrinal concepts not explicitly stated in Scripture. Ultimately, the Bible provides a broader understanding of how God sovereignly uses angels to accomplish His redemptive plan for humanity. While there are biblical accounts of angels ministering to believers, they never do so outside of divine direction, and their interactions are situational and dynamic. The theological perspective of the Reformed tradition adheres to this nuanced view, and it does so by emphasizing theological restraint and biblical fidelity. Essentially, this paper argues that believers must avoid speculative constructs and remain grounded in Scripture when devising doctrines related to angelology, so Christians can fully appreciate angels without compromising on the sufficiency of God and His Word. In a society that has romanticized the idea of guardian angels through movies, television shows, books, and more, the Church must be diligent in maintaining a sound biblical framework. It is paramount that believers, in particular, do not become beholden to mysticism and spiritualism, which seeks to decontextualize Scripture and its doctrines like angelology. In conclusion, the hope of a Christian rests not in angelic protectors but in the unshakable sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, and the unfailing sovereignty of the Lord, which is articulated in His Word.