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I was recently confronted with the question: “Does God love angels as much as men and women?” This question stems from contemplating God's overall view of love. Are we God's main and true love? Does he share it with his celestial beings as well?
We should know that he loves all his creation, but men and women were specifically created in his image (Genesis 1:27), and we have a special place in his heart. Angels were created as God's messengers and helpers of humanity to look over and protect us, as well as to carry out other duties God assigned them. That in itself should tell us we are precious and worthy in his sight. Some people who have had near-death experiences (NDEs) have witnessed angels guiding them to an area of heaven and have experienced the joy and the love of God beyond comprehension. Although that is a controversial subject, we are at the pinnacle of God's love, and there should be no question about it.
The angels and celestial beings were created before humans, existing in God's very presence. We are created on this temporal Earth and typically cannot see the spirit realm. Although the spirit world is all around us, we are mortal and physically die with the hope of being with God for eternity. He knew us before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). Those of us who follow and believe in Jesus receive forgiveness through his sacrifice, death, and resurrection, which brings us back to God the Father. Angels never die and do not have forgiveness: they have freedom of choice just as men and women, but they already live in God's eternity and have sealed their fate, contingent on whether they obeyed or disobeyed God.
We should know our special place in God's heart. John 3:16 is one of the most popular verses in the Bible: “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (NLT). We should not forget who we are and inexhaustibly grasp the truth of Jesus, obey him, and pray for his will during our short time here. Among the chaos and corruption in this life, we war with our flesh and tend to forget who we are. “Oh Lord, what are human beings that you should notice them, mere mortals, that you should think about them? For they are like a breath of air; their days are like a passing shadow” (Psalm 144:3-4).
Psalm 8:5 explains that we were created a little lower than the angels (see also Hebrews 2:7-9). Angels are brilliant and powerful beings; they have many capabilities that we do not possess or even comprehend. But of course, they are inferior to God, like any of his creations. And this is one of the main reasons for Lucifer's fall, in which he took a third of the angels with him (Revelation 12:4). He wanted to be like God and rise above him, while hating the true destiny of man and woman made in his image. Satan did not want to serve us, and because of his choices and defiance of God, iniquity was found in him (Ezekiel 28:15; Isaiah 14:12-15).
We will be similar to angels and have many celestial attributes, as it is written we are to be like the angels when we physically die (Matthew 22:30), but we will not be one of them, nor should we worship them (Colossians 2:18; Revelation 19:10). In fact, Christians are to judge angels, and even more profoundly, judge the world (1 Corinthians 6:2-3). Therefore, God's love for his angels is different from what it is for us.
Angels have their destiny, and so do we. We must remember who we are and be light in the world, planting the seed so that the lost might be found.
“For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10).
— TimDurocher
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Scripture links/references are from BibleGateway.com. Unhighlighted scriptures can be looked up at their website.