Frequently Asked Questions
Guardian Angels?
Question: “Are there ‘guardian’ angels? What do the Scriptures teach about the spiritual, unseen, realm?”
Answer: Allow me to answer the second part of your question first. While the Bible does teach that there exists a spiritual realm, it does not describe it in any detail. Here are some passages that reveal certain aspects of the spiritual realm:
- There are spiritual beings who serve the Lord and are keenly interested in His work on this earth. “to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of god might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places,” Ephesians 3:10. “To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven – things which angels desire to look into,” I Peter 1:12.
- There are also spiritual beings aligned with Satan that war against the saints. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places,” Ephesians 6:12.
- Scripture vaguely describes the spiritual forces of good and evil being in conflict. “At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation,” Daniel 12:1. “Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, ‘the Lord rebuke you!’,” Jude 9. “And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,” Revelation 12:7.
- While there does appear to be spiritual conflict going on between the forces of our Lord and the forces of Satan, we need not fear if we are serving the Lord. “Then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,” II Peter 2:9.
Now, for you question about “guardian” angels. The Bible certainly proclaims the existence of angels. The word “angel” actually means “messenger”, so we often see these spiritual beings conveying messages from God to man, cf. Luke 1:26f. They are active in carrying out the Lord’s will on earth as is conveyed in the vision Jacob had in Genesis 28:12, “Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.”
The Bible does not teach that every person has their own “guardian” angel, as is popularized in the religious world, but it does teach that angels do minister to the saints: “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” Hebrews 1:14. Here are a few ways that angels minister to the people of God:
- They may frustrate the plans of Satan, Jude 9.
- They may aid in bringing the needs of the saints before God, Matthew 18:10.
- They may convey our spirits to Paradise, Luke 16:22.
- They may help in caring for us providentially, Acts 5:19.
I cannot tell you the exact role of angels in God’s plan, but Scriptures do confirm that angels do minister to the saints, although Scripture does not teach that each saint has a separate angel.
