Angels in Scripture: Believers Will Judge the Angels

Angels in Scripture: Believers Will Judge the Angels.

“Do you not realize that we will judge the angels? So you should surely be able to resolve ordinary disputes in this life.” (1 Corinthians 6:3).

“Krino” = the Greek word used in this verse for “judge,” which means to separate or distinguish by making a judgment; or also may mean to govern, to rule, to exercise authority over someone, to be in the position in which judgments are possible; to pronounce an opinion between right and wrong.

This unexplained idea put out there for us by St. Paul has caused a lot of discussion and disagreement. He seems to be saying that somehow believers will be qualified to sit with God on the judgment throne when the new Kingdom arrives. Judgment Day is a bit fuzzy for us to even think about, since the New Testament has already gone on record as claiming the angels will participate in judgment (Matt. 13:39,50), the Apostles of Christ will have a hand in judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28), the followers of Jesus will participate in judging the world at large (1 Cor. 6:2), and here we have believers judging the heavenly host as well. Different thoughts to consider about judging the angels:

1. Jesus Christ has already been given the sole authority by God the Father to judge the world and everything else that needs judging. Without question, Jesus is the Judge (John 5:22, 27). As the ultimate and final Judge, Jesus will depend on the Father’s direction and what He advises (John 5:30).
2. Fallen angels, those demonic spirits on the side of Satan, will be judged by Jesus. (Isaiah 24:21-22; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude:6). So it seems doubtful that Christians will be holding trials for angels to determine their punishment, their final fate (Matt. 25:41).
3. Perhaps believers will be on the throne in terms of offering their eyewitness testimony regarding the demon spirits, the Christians speaking to how they were assaulted by demonic forces and so they deserve to be judged by the Judge.
4. A possible meaning of “krino” is that believers will have authority over the holy angelic beings, that Christians will be in a position to govern over them, since the fallen angels have already been judged, and the sinless angels, those who have not rebelled and have been serving God since before creation, have no sin for which to be judged.
5. It’s clear that Jesus intends to share the judgment throne in some way, that He will allow His followers to participate in His judgments. During His reign when all things will be new, Christians will somehow rule alongside Christ, including having the authority to oversee matters related to the “holy ones,” the heavenly angels.
6. In the afterlife, believers will be granted a higher position than the angels in the heavenly realm. It could be that angels are pure spirits, do not have physical bodies, were not made in God’s image like humanity, and therefore were not redeemed in Christ’s blood. Those privileges are reserved for human beings, which must carry a lot of weight in God’s eyes. Can it be true that each person on earth possesses more dignity and honor than the angels in heaven?
7. It’s clear in scripture that the divine essence of Jesus places Him above the angels in every way; that He humbled Himself to become “for a little while lower than angels” (Hebrews 2:7-9) by accepting humanity into His being; that upon His glorification as He ascended into His heavenly home, Jesus was fully placed above angels once again for ever and ever.
8. Each person, being created in God’s image, enjoys a unique position in creation… we were given the status of being slightly inferior to angels and slightly lower than God, and yet we are “crowned with glory and honor.” (Psalm 8:5).
9. Scripture makes it clear that each Christian believer is “hidden in Christ,” that we are “in Christ,” even “within Christ, who is inside God” (Colossians 3:3). Therefore, it stands to reason that only those who are “in Christ” can be placed in the position that is higher than the angels, in which we govern the angels like Christ does. We have authority over the heavenly beings only because Christ does. If we weren’t in Christ, who is eternally higher than the angels, then we would not enjoy the same position of authority that He enjoys.