“But to which of the angels has He ever said: ‘Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool’? Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:13-14).
The proper functioning of any organization requires the identification and fulfillment of roles. The apostle Paul’s pen powerfully points this out in 1 Corinthians 12:17 when he asks: “If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?”
Just as your body needs parts with specific roles, the church (1 Corinthians 12:12-31), the home (Ephesians 5:21-6:4), and even God’s eternally purposed plan of human salvation do too.
Two of the roles in human salvation are identified in Hebrews 1:13-14. There is the need for someone who has victoriously conquered sin, death, and Hades to sit at God’s right hand as King-Priest and reign until every work of the devil is destroyed (v. 13). There is also the need for angels to be about the assigned role of ministering on behalf of the reigning King-Priest. The point of the inspired writer here is not to give an exhaustive list of angelic duties; rather, it is to make the point that the role and authority of angels is different than Christ’s and is subservient to Him.
A sign of the strangeness of our times is the current rebellion against the value and importance of God-given roles in the home and in the church. It is extremely silly and immensely destructive. In addition, it creates chaos and confusion, not decency and order.
Without each member of the Godhead fulfilling His essential role in the implementation of the eternally purposed plan of human salvation, there would be no gospel.
Fulfilling the role God intended and equipped you to perform is not demeaning. It is a glorious way of imitating the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
