Unfinished Faith: Relearning God.

Week 10: Angels- supernaturally super or mystical misconceptions?

The bit where I introduce:  

This weeks’ topic is a bit strange I’ll admit compared to other weeks but there is a point… stay with me.

  I read a quote this week from Lee Strobel (Author of: A case for Christ) that said

“There are a lot of misconception about angels- some harmless, others theologically problematic.”

I had to think… what do I truly believe about angels, what’s their purpose and was it theology correct?

Where have your ideas or beliefs about angels come from? Pop culture? Childhood cartoons or endearing tv series or movies in the 80’s/ 90’s?  (who remembers touched by an Angel?) Casually, flicking through your bible? Sunday school and Christmas plays– I think I did dress as an angel once.  I am going to very briefly attempt to describe what I think, but preface to say these are just my thoughts… I do not wish to debunk or label any prior held beliefs you might have.

The bit where I refer to the bible: and ask a few rhetorical questions:

I can’t possibly in a short devotion bring my thoughts to total conclusion but it’s a start…maybe a start for you too?

My initial thought on this topic was:

 God is all powerful, why would he create beings to serve Him that he could do by Himself, he doesn’t need other beings to “help” essentially. What is their purpose?

I should clarify the definition of Angels I use for the purpose of this devotion as

 (a spiritual being serving as a divine messenger and intermediary and often as a special protector of an individual or nation -Webster dictionary)

  But to cut a long devotion short, I landed on one of their primary purposes (for me that makes sense) is existing in reference to God and carrying out His will.

There are a multiple accounts of angels in the bible when I was researching, you know them, here are a few (read these passages if you can this week to refresh)

• Angels announced things about the birth of Jesus to Mary (Luke 1:26–38), Zechariah and Elizabeth (Luke 1:11–23), Joseph (Matthew 1:20–21), and the shepherds (Luke 2:8–14). A Hebrew term for the word “angel” is mal’ak, which in its origins of the word refers to a messenger.
• They rolled the stone away from Jesus’s (Matthew 28:2).
• They opened prison doors for the apostles ( Acts 5:19-20)

The verse I use for one of “their purposes” comes from the old testament and there are approximately 100-135 references to angels in the OT.

Psalm 103:20-21: Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will!

We aren’t going to delve into their appearance, but the psalmist does attribute a character of being “mighty ones” (not the cute arrow holding cherubs like in those 80’s images)

 He also goes on to refer them as armies. In Hebrew, the word “mighty” translates to a word that means “armies” or “troops” or “military forces.  So, regardless of whether we refer to them as angels or hosts in this text, it refers to them doing the will of God (“who do His word… who do His will”) doing whatever He commands.

 So, it makes sense to me that maybe God created these beings to do His will on multiple levels, throughout the spiritual realm (we don’t see) and maybe on earth? still not decided (we do see).

So, while the bible  I believe does not offer us a consensus on a detailed description of how and when God made the angels, or what exactly they look like, we can nevertheless gather truths and principles from various bible passages that teach us about these beings that are in eternal service of God, one of which their purpose is: doing His will.

 Of course there are other purposes alluded to which include announcement, protection, worship of God and provision, what makes sense to me if He created some other being, it was to carry out His will on a whole other level, in many ways. Makes sense yes.

 I’m still not sure how that plays out, what their function would look like in today’s world and if indeed we see them? (That’s where all the misconceptions and theologically incorrect assumptions tend to lurk about the supernatural) but I am firmer after this in my belief that they exist to respond in line with God’s missional purposes and bring glory to his name regardless of what they look like which is I don’t think is the most important belief God wants us to attempt to understand here. Big wings, white, glowing, multiple heads and eyes, who knows?

If you forget everything I’ve said this week I want, you to remember this:

I don’t think, in the grand scheme of things, that God is overly concerned with our exact opinions about angels. That can be a starting point for you, but it isn’t the heart of the matter. What really matters is that we’re willing to continually examine and challenge what we believe. Are the things we accepted years ago still what we truly believe today? Have our experiences, study, and reflection deepened or reshaped our understanding?

Faith isn’t meant to stay static. It should be something we wrestle with, explore, and grow in. Whether you feel your faith is at a 0 or a 10, it’s important to know why you believe what you believe and to be able to thoughtfully explain it. Do we take our beliefs seriously enough to examine and defend them? that’s when our faith can genuinely influence and make a difference in the world.

The bit where you get to think about stuff: Questions for the week.

If angels model obedience and readiness to carry out God’s will, what might it teach us about our own response and obedience to God? Are we in fact ready?

If God sometimes uses angels as His messengers, how can He use you to encourage someone that might need encouragement or hope this week?

If angels point attention to God, not to themselves, how can we make sure our actions and service point others towards God rather than towards us?