Are angels real? And if they are, what role should they play in our lives as Christians? Pastor Nic Kyalangalilwa digs into the biblical evidence for spiritual beings and helps us to understand that while these creatures do exist and are supernatural – they should not therefore be worshipped.
Angels Appear in the Bible
“The Bible does mention special beings, which are called angels. We see that in the Old Testament Abraham has a visit of angels. We also see in Genesis two angels, cherubim, stopping Adam and Eve from going back to the Garden. Also, we see that again and again in the Old Testament, with Daniel and in many other places.
And then we see that in the New Testament as well. I mean the person who talks about the birth of Jesus is an angel. The person who talks about Jesus’ resurrection to the women is an angel. We see also the same thing in Revelation with John the Baptist, saying that he saw an angel.
the first thing to say about angels is that they are mentioned in the Bible and therefore they are real.
Don’t Worship Creatures of God
So there is very clear teaching in the Bible that there are such heavenly beings called angels. Who are not humans, but they are not gods. They are creatures of God, who in some cases are messengers or they are used by God to do his bidding. Maybe send messages or whatever that we find in that particular passage.
Paul is very clear that we are not to worship angels, because Jesus is over and above them.
So, the first thing to say about angels is that they are mentioned in the Bible and therefore they are real. The second thing to say, is just because they are heavenly beings does not mean they should be the object of our worship. I think we find that again in the book of Colossians where Paul is very clear that we are not to worship angels, because Jesus is over and above them. (Colossians 2: 18-19)
Mysticism in Africa
So, in a mystical culture like ours people were used to these two worlds: the physical world and supernatural world. And the spiritual world had ancestors and angels. It’s easy for Christians today to replace what they had in their pre-Christian time with a new version of the same. That means there’s a material world and the supernatural world. And in the supernatural world angels are some form of, you know, heavenly being which we need to worship or to refer to.
In a mystical culture like ours… It’s easy for Christians today to replace what they had in their pre-Christian time with a new version of the same.
Prayer & Protection?
So angels are real. They are not to be worshipped. What is their role in the life of a Christian? Well, we see Peter say they are ministering beings to the Christians. So God will use these spiritual beings in specific ways that result from his sovereign will to work in the life of believers. Can you pray to angels? I don’t see that anywhere in the Bible. Should we call on angels to protect us? I know, in the tradition of the church some groups have done that. But you cannot substantiate that from the Bible.
