What does it mean that believers will judge angels?

Explanation:

When Paul states that the Corinthians will judge the angels (1 Corinthians 6:3), it is important for us to understand his comment in context. It has come to Paul’s attention that the Corinthians are disputing matters in the secular court system, adjudicated by unbelievers (1 Corinthians 6:1). Paul is surprised at the Corinthians because as Christians, they are acquainted with the kingdom of God. How can those who are acquainted with the kingdom of God seek justice from the unjust?⁷

Paul wants to motivate the Corinthians to walk according to their confession as followers of Christ, which entails judging matters rightly. The church is meant to be a light to the world, and to be a light, it must be united in love. How can the Corinthians display the unity of the Spirit to unbelievers when they are unable to resolve everyday matters, and instead take each other to court? Paul says that for the sake of unity, it is even better to suffer wrong at the hands of a brother (1 Corinthians 6:7).

Keeping these points in mind helps us see that when Paul says that the Corinthians will judge the angels (1 Corinthians 6:3), his purpose is not to explicate a thorough doctrine of judgment.⁸ Rather, his purpose is to elevate the minds of the Corinthians to perceive the eschatological significance of their existence. This is achieved by a rhetorical refrain that begins in 1 Corinthians 6:2, where Paul asks, Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? By judging the world, the Corinthians will contribute to a judgment of cosmic proportions. He follows this up by suggesting that if the saints will judge the world, they should also be able to judge trivial matters. Next, Paul adds force to his argument by asking another rhetorical question, that is, Do you not know that we are to judge angels? Paul likely has in mind an apocalyptic theme that the fallen angels will be judged. We find this theme stated in 2 Peter 2:4 where it says that God did not spare the fallen angels but kept them in chains until the day of judgment (see also Jude 1:6). And he follows up the question by suggesting that if the Corinthians will partake in the cosmic affair of judging the angels, how much more should they not be able to judge the everyday things of this life.⁹

Counterargument:

It hardly makes sense to suggest that the Corinthians will judge the angels. We know from Scripture that Jesus will judge the world. For example, in Matthew 25:31–46 Jesus explains that when he comes in glory, all the nations will be gathered before him. He will welcome those who are his children into the kingdom of heaven, and those who have forsaken him will suffer eternal punishment. Romans 2:16 also notes that God will judge the secrets of men through Jesus Christ, and Romans 14:10 states that we all, believer and unbeliever alike, will stand before the judgment of God. If the believers will stand before the judgment, it is hard to see how they could also be judges.

Response to counterargument:

While it is true that Jesus Christ is the ultimate judge of the world, including angels, there is also a sense from Scripture that people judge or rule along with Christ.¹⁰ For example, in Luke 22:28–30 Jesus explains to the disciples that those who stood alongside him at his trials will stand alongside him in his kingdom, judging the twelve tribes. 2 Timothy 2:12 notes that those who endure with Christ will reign with him. Of course, we know that Jesus is the ultimate judge, so maybe we should take it that Christians, characterized as being in Christ, will judge with Christ in a derivative sense.¹¹ In either case, Paul’s point is not to explicate a strong doctrine of judgment, but to motivate the Corinthians in light of their eschatological future to act rightly in the present.

Explanation:

Paul wants the Corinthians to demonstrate genuine love and fellowship for one another by acting rightly toward each other in everyday affairs. He wants the Corinthians to act this way because Paul knows that this life is temporary. Christians are to act in the present, always having in mind their future home with Jesus Christ. When the Corinthians get caught up in everyday affairs, they show a lack of understanding for the future to which they have been called. The notion that the Corinthians should not get caught up in everyday affairs but should set their hope on the future glory of Christ, is evident in several places in Paul’s letter.¹² For example, in 1 Corinthians 7:29, Paul writes that the appointed time is near, and that Christians should not hold tightly to the affairs of this world. In 1 Corinthians 7:31, he notes that the form of this world is passing away. Further, he writes in 1 Corinthians 15:24 that at the resurrection of the dead Christ will destroy every rule, authority, and power. Likewise, in 1 Corinthians 6:3, he reminds the Corinthians that their lofty calling is such that they should have cosmic matters in mind (i.e., the judgment of angels) and should therefore not get caught up in the triviality of everyday affairs.¹³

Counterargument:

This argument makes it seem as though Paul’s only contention is that the matters of this life are petty compared to the life of the world to come. While it is true that Paul wants the Corinthians to see that this life is temporary, and therefore they should stop taking each other court, he seems to have more in mind. He seems to be encouraging the Corinthians to learn to see the world through renewed Christian minds. The Corinthians have salvation through faith in Christ, and now they need to live a new life that reflects participation in the Spirit. This means learning to judge matters wisely (1 Corinthians 6:5), and to suffer wrong rather than accuse a fellow believer in court (1 Corinthians 6:7). Paul goes on to remind the Corinthians that the immoral, idolaters, thieves and the like will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9–10). The Corinthians were washed in the blood of Christ, and they need to learn to act like it.

Response to counterargument:

This argument is not opposed to the counterargument; in fact, it supports and extends it. Paul certainly wants the Corinthians to learn to act rightly in the present. Still, we should not divorce acting rightly in the present from our future glory with Christ. Paul wants the Corinthians to act rightly, not in spite of but in light of their future. There is a modern sense that we are to act authentically, and so the Christian, if he is a Christian, should act Christian-like. Such a sentiment is not counter to Christianity, but Paul motivates the Corinthians to act like authentic Christians in the present because of their future status as those who will judge the angels. Our future eternal glory with Christ should motivate us to live authentic Christian lives in the present. As Christians we do not live merely for the here and now; we live in the here and now for the sake of our future reality with Christ.

Possible weakness: It is hard to say what the weakness of this view might be. One point against it might be that it is general. It does not push Paul for depth of meaning when he says that the Corinthians will judge the angels, but instead holds that Paul is being generic to make a point. This is likely true, as the above arguments try to show, but still, it is possible that Paul has a specific doctrine of judgment in mind. Maybe as readers outside of Paul’s context we assume Paul is being general, while the Corinthians and Paul shared a specified doctrine of judgment that lent more nuance to Paul’s statement. Still, such notions are speculative without further evidence for a specific doctrine of judgment on the angels and should be left to the side in this context.

Explanation:

Paul is surprised to learn that the Corinthians are disputing over trivial matters and settling these matters in a secular court. Paul encourages the Corinthians to deal with each other as brothers and sisters by reminding them that the saints will judge the world. If the saints will judge the world, why should they bring their daily living concerns to the secular authorities? To make his point even more clear, Paul reminds the Corinthians that they will even judge the angels. The statement that the Corinthians will judge the angels seems to be out of place, unless we understand that Paul believed that the angels were the powers behind the structures of the nations. In other words, each earthly power has an angel standing behind it, including the courts. Paul reminds the Corinthians that they should not bring each other under the judgment of the secular court, because they will eventually judge the angels who stand behind that court.¹⁴

Counterargument:

This view is flawed for at least two reasons. First, the contention is that the only way to make sense of Paul’s statement that the Corinthians will judge the angels is if there is a direct connection between the angels and the secular courts. This is clearly false. For Paul’s argument to work, he needs to establish the idea that it is odd for the Corinthians to allow someone to judge them on lesser matters when they will eventually judge greater matters. Paul is making an argument from the greater to the lesser.¹⁵ This is demonstrably so because Paul uses two examples to make his case. In 1 Corinthians 6:2 he asks, Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? Judging the world is a broad statement that shows that the Corinthians will judge grand matters. To make his point clear, he follows this up by asking, Do you not know that you will judge the angels? The point is, do the Corinthians not know that they will judge great matters? How much more should they be able to judge lesser matters!

Second, if Paul wanted the Corinthians to connect the notion of judging the angels with judging the power structures behind the secular courts, he likely would have clarified this.^16,17 Instead, he simply notes that they will judge the angels.

Possible weakness:

The weakness of this view is that it reads meaning into the text by putting intention on the author that is not required. We do not know that there are angels behind the structures of reality, and we should not press Paul for such an understanding unless he nods in this direction.