Do We Each Have A Guardian Angel (Part 3 & Conclusion)
Today we finish the 3 part series examining if the Bible teaches we have a guardian angel. In this post, I continue looking at passages of Scripture that have been said to support the view that we do each have personally assigned guardian angels.
Click here to read Part 1 and Part 2 of this series.
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Some defense for guardian angels also arises from Daniel 10:13 where it is said that Michael was appointed to an individual country (Israel) to guard it.
Indeed, the demonic spirit who opposed the angel from reaching Daniel with his message also seems to have been appointed over Persia. Thus Satan’s use of hierarchy in his kingdom seems to mimic in some fashion the orderliness of the Lord of Hosts. It is extrapolated from this arrangement that God also appoints angels to guard individual people, not just nations.
However, that is an assumption based on the orderliness of God. It is not actual proof. We do not even know if other countries have assigned angels much less people. There is too much being read into the passage to be firm about any conclusions.
Yes, God is a God of order, but He is by no means restricted in using His angels in only one manner or with one arrangement. We could easily imagine that in the course of spiritual combat, the Lord changes arrangements to suit the needs of the moment and fool the enemy. Temporary tasks and assignments might be in play as well.
Revelation 2:1, 8, 12, 18 etc … enter the discussion at this point too because they seem to indicate that one angel is appointed the messenger of each local church. As John records the Revelation he is commanded to send the prophecy to the 7 churches of the province of Asia. Each address to each church begins with the formula “To the angel of the church in _________, write …” The term for angel is the normal word for angel, angelos, and means messenger. The problem with using these verses to support guardian angels is that interpreters are not united on whether the term used here refers to actual angels or are a way of indicating the pastors or lead pastor of the church.
In other words, does it reference a spirit being or a human? The human would fit the context better since only they would need the writing. God does not write earthly documents to angels but to men. If it does refer to an actual angel, it would show that at least at that point an angel was needed to communicate the Word of God through a human instrument to each of the 7 congregations.
Conclusion
None of these verses prove the doctrine of guardian angels. When we consider also that there are no other verses that teach it or even hint the reality of guardian angels, belief in this doctrine is harder to sustain. Though it is an argument from silence, those of us who believe Scripture is not only true but sufficient for the spiritual guidance and needs of our Christian walk, it is stunning that such an important relationship as our own personal guardian angel is never mentioned by God.
We are never taught to seek the angel, talk with him, pray to him, consult him, rely on him or anything else.
Even in the passages which teach us to battle spiritually, there is no encouragement or exhortation to look to the angels, i.e. Ephesians 6:10ff. Angels do what they do, Hebrews 1:14. We do what we do. Both groups look to the Lord for guidance, protection, and encouragement, 2 Timothy 2:1. It is God’s grace that sustains the believer in Christ and protects him physically and spiritually.
Thus, it is not even necessary to believe in guardian angels to affirm the truth of Scripture that God protects us - even our wee little ones.
It is sufficient for us to affirm Hebrews 13:5, 6 “… for He Himself has said, ‘I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,’ so that we confidently say, ‘THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?’”
It is sufficient for us to affirm the truth of Isaiah 51:12-13 “I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you are afraid of man who dies and of the son of man who is made like grass, that you have forgotten the LORD your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, that you fear continually all day long because of the fury of the oppressor.”
If God wanted us to believe in guardian angels, He would have made this doctrine explicit in some text. What He did make explicit is that He Himself guards us and that He uses angels to protect believers all the time. Let us not focus our efforts on discerning the invisible workings of spirit beings in another dimension, but on what God has told us to do. Proverbs 3:5-6. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Dr. David Jeremiah concludes in his book “… there’s no other obvious scriptural evidence for individual guardian angels, so the case for them isn’t a strong one. But if this is disappointing news to you, and you’re dismayed to think there may not be a specific angel responsible for your protection, you need not jump up in fear to check the locks on your doors and windows. There’s plenty of evidence that God himself is looking out for you, in addition to all the angels he chooses to use in carrying out the job. I love John Calvin’s thoughts on this: ‘Whether or not each believer has a single angel assigned to him for his defense, I dare not positively affirm. This, indeed, I hold for certain, that each of us is cared for not by one angel merely, but that all with one consent watch for our safety.’” (What the Bible Says About Angles, 188).
God both knows us intimately and defends us personally.
Matthew 10:29-31 “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.”
In this blessed truth we can rest!