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Bible Q

Is or was Jesus an angel?

No, Jesus is not — and never was — an angel. Hebrews 1 makes this clear, especially Hebrews 1:3-5 & 13:

{3} …After making purification for sins, he [God’s son — v2 — i.e. Jesus] sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, {4} having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

{5} For to which of the angels did God ever say,

“You are my Son,
today I have begotten you”?

Or again,

“I will be to him a father,
and he shall be to me a son”?

[…]

{13} And to which of the angels has he ever said,

“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?

The author of Hebrews is saying that God didn’t say to any of the angels that they were his son (v5); and God didn’t say to any of the angels ‘sit at my right hand’ (v13); but God did say this to Jesus.* So, Jesus was not, and is not, an angel.

Far better than being an angel, Jesus is a human who was miraculously born because God’s power overshadowed Mary (Luke 1:35), and is therefore God’s actual, human son (Luke 1:35; Heb. 2:11). Because of this, Jesus was able to destroy the devil and free us from slavery to sin (Heb. 2:14-15), he is a merciful and faithful high priest (Heb. 2:17), and he can help us in our temptations (Heb. 2:18).

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Notes

* For other references where God says these things to Jesus, see (a) Mat. 3:17; Luke 3:22; Acts 13:33; Heb. 5:5; (b) Mat. 22:44; Mark 12:36; Luke 20:42; Acts 2:34-36.

4 Replies to “Is or was Jesus an angel?”

  1. I’m not sure what Hebrews 1:11 has to do with Jesus being God’s actual human son. While the passage as a whole seems to be applying to the Son, I can’t see that it demonstrates he is God’s actual human son. Could you please clarify this?

  2. Oops. Sorry: typo. It should’ve been Heb. 2:11. Thanks for pointing that out; I’ve changed it now.