An amazing truth from God's word is that the believer has been elevated to a position that is far superior to the angels. At the time of salvation we were raised and seated with the Lord Jesus in Heaven. "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus" ( Ephesians 2:6-7 ). This is a past tense event. We are raised and seated with Him in Heaven. Our citizenship is in heaven, this is where we are and where we belong. Many of us look to the time when our physical bodies will be reunited, but the reality is that our spirits our united already and we are seated in heaven with Christ Jesus.
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory" ( Colossians 3:1-4 ). These verses give us wonderful insight to living the Christian life. We live like who we are: co-heirs with Christ raised and seated with Him, focused on heavenly things.
In light of these truths we see that the believer also has a position of authority superior to angels. In fact, today's passage in Hebrews shows one of their purposes. "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" ( Hebrews 1:13-14 ). Angels are sent by God to render service to believers. This does not mean that each one of us has a guardian angel watching over us as popular folklore would say. But it does mean that they are available to us to help us when needed. God uses them in a variety of ways, and seeing how they are sent to serve and help us, shows us our importance in God's eyes.
Tomorrow we look at Part 3: Jesus will Hand over the Kingdom to God in the End.
