Jan
26

What Does the Bible Say about Guardian Angels?

Something got me thinking about guardian angels the other day. Don’t know what it was. But, it made me wonder about the source material. How did this (sub)doctrine originate? What Bible verses are invoked? Are there other sources of information? Does everyone have a “guardian angel”? So, I did some digging around…

Just to be clear, the commonly understood concept of a “guardian angel” is a non-divine spirit-being (aka “angel”) that has been assigned to watch over, guide, and protect an individual human being throughout his/her life. The basic idea of “guardian spirits” or “spirit guides” can be found in several ancient religions (e.g., Zoroastrianism), as well as in Islam, Mormonism, and western spiritualism. The idea was popular in the Judaism of Christ’s day, which is likely how it found its way into some strains of Christianity. This belief is strongest among Roman Catholics, though it is not uncommon for people of various Christian traditions/denominations to assume it or at least be favorable to the idea.

It seems that some of the Early Church Fathers (e.g., Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Basil the Great) were partial to the idea. Later notables were more mixed (e.g., Thomas Aquinas believed in it; John Calvin did not). Certain passages in a few apocryphal texts (e.g., The Shepherd of Hermas, I Enoch) are also used in support of it. But, what do we find in the Bible? Certainly, there are many verses that mention, describe, or subsequently quote angels. Here are most of the ones that I’ve seen brought up in discussions of the existence of guardian angels:

Gen. 32:1 — “Jacob went on his way, and God’s angels met him.”
Psalm 34:7 — “The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them.”
Psalm 91:11 — “For He will give His angels orders concerning you, to protect you in all your ways.”
Psalm 103:20-21 — “Praise the Lord, all His angels of great strength, who do His word, obedient to His command. Praise the Lord, all His armies, His servants who do His will.”
Dan. 9:21 — “while I was praying, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the first vision, came to me in my extreme weariness, about the time of the evening offering.”
Dan. 10:13,21; 12:1a — “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for 21 days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me after I had been left there with the kings of Persia…. No one has the courage to support me against them except Michael, your prince. However, I will tell you what is recorded in the book of truth…. At that time Michael the great prince who stands watch over your people will rise up….”
Zech. 5:9 — “Then I looked up and saw two women approaching with the wind in their wings. Their wings were like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and sky.”
Matt. 18:10 — ““See that you don’t look down on one of these little ones, because I tell you that in heaven their angels continually view the face of My Father in heaven.”
Luke 16:22 — “One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.”
Acts 5:19 — “But an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail during the night, brought them out, and said,”
Acts 8:26 — “An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip: “Get up and go south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is the desert road.)”
Acts 12:6-11 — [Peter’s miraculous prison-escape, being led out by an angel.]
Acts 12:15 — ““You’re crazy!” they told her. But she kept insisting that it was true. Then they said, “It’s his angel!””
I Cor. 4:9 — “For I think God has displayed us, the apostles, in last place, like men condemned to die: We have become a spectacle to the world and to angels and to men.”
Col. 2:18 — “Let no one disqualify you, insisting on ascetic practices and the worship of angels, claiming access to a visionary realm and inflated without cause by his unspiritual mind.”
Heb. 1:7,14 — “And about the angels He says: He makes His angels winds, and His servants a fiery flame,… Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve those who are going to inherit salvation?”
Heb. 12:22-23 — “Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels in festive gathering, to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven, to God who is the Judge of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect,…”
Heb. 13:2 — “Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it.”
I John 4:1 — “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
Jude 1:6,9 — “and He has kept, with eternal chains in darkness for the judgment of the great day, the angels who did not keep their own position but deserted their proper dwelling.”
Rev. 2:1,8,12,18; 3:1,7,14 — [References to the seven “angel[s]” of the seven churches being written to. Some take these to be special human messengers or teaching elders.]
Rev. 5:11 — “Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels around the throne, and also of the living creatures and of the elders. Their number was countless thousands, plus thousands of thousands.”

I encourage you to look over these verses in context. While more could be said on each, most of them seem to be irrelevant to the discussion or only supportive by making one or more unwarranted assumptions or extrapolations. What we see is angels (plural) being given assignments (see also II Kings 6:17); individual angels in charge of or representing entire cities and kingdoms; general information about angels; etc. Even when an individual angel speaks to someone or performs some other task (e.g., prison-break or explaining visions), there is no reason to assume that he is specifically assigned to watch over a particular human 24×7.

We know from general teaching about angels that there are different types and that they have different duties. One of those duties is ministering to believers, including protecting believers from harm. As Millard J. Erickson writes,

“In the early church it was an angel who delivered the apostles (Acts 5:19) and later Peter (Acts 12:6-11) from prison. The psalmist experienced the angels’ care (Pss. 34:7; 91:11). The major ministry is to spiritual needs, however. Angels take a great interest in the spiritual welfare of believers, rejoicing at their conversion (Luke 15:10) and serving them in their needs (Heb. 1:14). Angels are spectators of our lives (I Cor. 4:9; I Tim. 5:21), and are present within the church (I Cor. 11:10). At death, the believer is conveyed to the place of blessedness by angels (Luke 16:22). [Note: This last one assumes that that part of the parable can be taken literally.]” — Introducing Christian Doctrine, 2nd ed.

There are perhaps two passages that lend the most support for the guardian angels hypothesis. First is Matt. 18:10 (see above). While teaching about the necessity of childlike humility, Jesus warns against despising children, because “in heaven their angels continually view the face of My Father in heaven.” If these angels are continually in the Father’s presence, how could they be watching over their charges 24×7? Also, even if children have special protective detail, 1) they obviously aren’t protected from all harm, and 2) this doesn’t necessarily mean that adults have similar protection. It might be that a contingent of angels is always available for when special intervention is needed, and this could be a reminder that even children are worthy of such protection by the Father.

Second, we have Acts 12:15, which follows the account of Peter’s escape from prison by angelic action. After leading Peter out into the street, the angel disappeared. Peter made his way over to the house where many disciples had gathered to pray. He knocked at the gate and the servant, Rhoda, answered.

“She recognized Peter’s voice, and because of her joy, she did not open the gate but ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the gateway. “You’re crazy!” they told her. But she kept insisting that it was true. Then they said, “It’s his angel!” Peter, however, kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astounded.” (vv.14-16 (HCSB))

All this demonstrates is that some of the earliest Christians were still mistaken or confused on some issues, including the Jewish tradition that guardian angels (exist and) resemble the persons they are assigned to.

So, what are some basics we can deduce with some certainty from the biblical data? 1) The angels do not minister to everyone but to those who trust and take refuge in the Almighty. 2) In fact, the Body of Christ in general (the church) has multiple thousands of angels watching over it. 3) God does on occasion assign some angels to provide guidance and/or protection (physical or spiritual or both) to certain human individuals. 4) They occasionally appear in physical form and even act within the physical world, but their primary activities are within the spiritual realm. 5) They do nothing on their own but only act at God’s direction.

Beyond these things, clear biblical support for a (sub)doctrine of “guardian angels” as commonly conceived does not exist, and the best verses are few and inconclusive. I’m not saying it is impossible, but I am definitely skeptical.