To which of the angels did He ever say, “You are My Son, today I have begotten You”?
–Hebrews 1:5
During the Civil War, Americans relied on newspapers for information about the conflict. Remember newspapers? In those days, correspondents went to the battlefield, but it took weeks to write, print, and deliver the stories. Because of the lag time, most Americans felt like the war was distant until it landed in their front yard. After July 3, 1863, I bet no resident of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, thought of the Civil War as a distant conflict.
You and I are engaged in a similar war every day, and a battlefield correspondent named Paul described what is happening: “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). This war is very real, yet when we read about “spiritual forces . . . in the heavenly places,” we think of the conflict as distant and disconnected from our everyday lives–until the war lands in our own front yard. The battle between good and evil is being waged all around us and even within us. Fortunately, God has given believers a supernatural resource for attacks from within: the Holy Spirit. But God has also provided a resource for attacks from without: His angels.
As we continue our study of the ten foundational beliefs that uphold historic Christianity, we are going to examine the fifth pillar: the truth about angels. That includes holy angels, who execute God’s will, and fallen angels, who execute Satan’s will. This week, we’ll discover what the Bible says about holy angels, our heavenly allies.
To put angels in the proper context, we need to compare angels to Jesus Christ Himself. The writer of Hebrews explained that Jesus never worshiped angels; instead, the angels worshiped Him (1:6). Though angels are sometimes described as sons of God, no angel is ever referred to as the Son of God (1:5). And as the Son of God, Jesus will enjoy a superior victory to the angels. Hebrews 1:13 says, “To which of the angels has [God] ever said, ‘Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet’?” But God said that to Jesus Christ.
Angels are subjects in Christ’s kingdom and our allies in the battle against evil. We are not to worship angels; we are to worship the one they worship: the Lord Jesus Christ.
Today’s devotion is adapted from “What Every Christian Should Know About Angels and Demons, Part 1” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2022.