A messenger of God, read soberly
Christ Above the Angels
This is the capstone of the whole cluster. For all their glory, every angel bows to One greater; the Son is far above them, worshipped by them, and the maker of them all. The angels themselves would have us look here.
“And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.”Hebrews 1:6
What Scripture says
What Scripture says. Hebrews opens by lifting the Son immeasurably above the angels. God has spoken by His Son, "whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds," the One who is "the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person," "being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they" (Heb 1:2-4). Then comes the challenge: "For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee?" (Heb 1:5). And the command: "And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him" (Heb 1:6). Of the angels He says they are made "spirits" and "a flame of fire," servants; but to the Son He says, "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever" (Heb 1:7-8). Paul adds that by Christ "were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him" (Col 1:16). And Revelation shows the angels crying, "Worthy is the Lamb" (Rev 5:12).
What it means, and where we stay silent
What it means, and where we stay silent. This is the point every entry in this cluster has been moving toward. Angels are glorious, but they are servants; the Son is worshipped, and He is God. Hebrews will not let us blur the line: no angel is ever called God's Son in the way Christ is, no angel is ever commanded to be worshipped, no angel sits on the eternal throne. They are ministering spirits; He is the Lord they serve. This settles the temptation, ancient and modern, to become fascinated with angels, to seek them, or to give them the honor due to Christ alone. Scripture, having told us this much, does not gratify our curiosity about angelic ranks, numbers, or mechanics; it fixes our gaze instead on the Son who is above them all. The right use of everything we have learned about Gabriel and Michael, cherubim and seraphim, the host and the fallen, is to be led by them to worship Christ. Where they cannot take us, we do not go; where they point, we follow.
How it points to Christ
How it points to Christ. Here there is nothing but Christ. He is the heir of all things and the maker of the worlds, the One by whom the angels themselves were created and for whom they exist (Col 1:16). He is worshipped by all the angels of God at the Father's command (Heb 1:6), and in heaven the countless host and the four living creatures fall before Him, crying, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain." The Son does not stand among the angels as their greatest; He stands above them as their God, on a throne that is forever. So the whole company of heaven, in all its unimaginable glory, exists to magnify Him, and the study of angels ends not in the angels but in the Christ they adore. To know them rightly is to worship Him, and to worship Him is to join the song they never cease to sing.
Questions people ask
How does the Bible say Christ is above the angels?
Hebrews 1 says the Son is "so much better than the angels," is called God's Son as no angel ever is, sits on an eternal throne, and is worshipped by all the angels at the Father's command. Colossians 1:16 adds that the angels were created by Him and for Him. He is their God, not merely their greatest.
Should Christians worship or venerate angels?
No. Hebrews 1:6 commands that angels worship the Son, and in Revelation an angel refuses John's worship, saying, "See thou do it not... worship God" (Rev 22:9). Worship belongs to Christ alone. The angels themselves direct all honor to Him and would refuse it for themselves.
Why study angels at all if Christ is above them?
Because Scripture speaks of them, and rightly understood they lead us to Christ. The angels announce Him, worship Him, and serve His people. Studying them soberly, staying where Scripture stays silent, deepens our worship of the Son they adore.