The Bible teaches that angels were created by God as spiritual beings to serve and worship Him (Psalm 148:2,5; Hebrews 1:14). Angels are not little gods or demigods, they were created beings just as humans were. Scripture refers to the angels as “sons of God” (Job 1:6) but this title should not be confused with Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God (John 3:16).
Angels were present when God created the world (Job 38:4-7) and they worship and glorify God (Psalm 148:1-2; Isaiah 6:3). The Bible describes different types of angels, including cherubim, seraphim, and archangels. Some angels have specific roles such as Gabriel who brought messages to people on earth (Luke 1:19, 26). Michael is described as the archangel who leads God’s angels against Satan and his demons (Revelation 12:7-9).
Angels are incredibly powerful spiritual beings (2 Thessalonians 1:7; 2 Peter 2:11) but they are limited in power, knowledge, and activity in contrast to God who is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. Angels are subject to the authority of God and Christ (1 Peter 3:22). The Bible warns against worshiping angels (Colossians 2:18; Revelation 22:8-9) since they are fellow servants created by God.
The Bible affirms that angels are holy (“holy angels” in Mark 8:38) and righteous because they were created to reflect God’s holy character. Before sin entered the world through Satan, all angels were sinless and righteous. However, there was a rebellion when Satan, who was originally a beautiful and powerful cherub angel, sinned against God due to pride and desired to be worshiped like God (Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:12-19).
Satan convinced one third of the angels to follow him in rebelling against God (Revelation 12:3-9). These angels became demons, enemies of God who now work for Satan. They sinned willfully and irreversibly. God cast Satan and the demons out of heaven and they no longer have fellowship with God. They are kept under punishment until their final judgment in the lake of fire (Matthew 25:41; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6).
The rest of the angels remained faithful to God and did not rebel. These are referred to in the Bible as the holy angels or elect angels. They carry out God’s will, serve believers on earth, and worship God. The holy angels are righteous, cannot sin, and do not need salvation or forgiveness from sin. Since they chose to obey God, they are confirmed in their state of holiness (Mark 8:38; 1 Timothy 5:21).
However, there are some instances recorded in Scripture where holy angels have failed or disobeyed God to some degree. The prophet Nathan told King David a story about two men in a city, one rich and the other poor (2 Samuel 12:1-4). The poor man had a beloved lamb that he treated like a pet. The rich man took the poor man’s lamb in order to feed a traveler. David was infuriated and said the rich man deserved death.
Nathan then declared that David was that man, having taken another man’s wife for himself. David realized his great sin against God. Previously, God had punished Israel for David’s disobedience in taking a census of fighting men by allowing Satan to incite David to number the people (1 Chronicles 21:1). Satan is always looking for opportunities to accuse believers (Revelation 12:10).
Why would holy angels fail or disobey God? The Bible indicates a few possibilities. First, angels have a free will and are moral beings capable of choosing right or wrong. When conveying God’s message, they do not make mistakes, but they can choose whether or not to obey what God commands them to do. The fallen angels sinned by choosing to rebel against God.
Second, angels are not omniscient – they do not know all things. On some occasions, angels may have limited knowledge about specific situations and circumstances. They apparently do not fully understand God’s entire plan of redemption through Christ. The prophet Daniel heard an angel ask for help in battling demonic forces, indicating limited knowledge of the spiritual realm (Daniel 10:12-13).
Third, angels are capable of expressing emotions like joy and longing. There are examples in Scripture of angels desiring to look into specific revelations from God (1 Peter 1:12) or wanting to witness events on earth (Luke 15:10). At times, holy angels may be impatient with God’s timing and directing. They may act presumptuously if they do not wait on God’s perfect will.
Fourth, God may test His holy angels by allowing them to be enticed or tempted in some way, either by Satan or by manipulation from humans. But God always provides a way for angels to resist temptation and obey Him (1 Corinthians 10:13). He will not allow believers or angels to be tempted beyond what they can bear.
Fifth, angels are organized into ranks and there is a chain of command. Angels are subject to the authority of archangels like Michael and Gabriel. If holy angels fail or disobey to some degree, it is usually because they took matters into their own hands instead of waiting for direction from a superior angel or God Himself.
Here are some biblical examples where angels failed or disobeyed God to some extent:
– Abraham and Sodom (Genesis 19:1-29) – Two angels were sent to Sodom and Gomorrah prior to God destroying the cities. The angels urged Lot and his family to quickly leave Sodom, yet Lot lingered. The angels took matters into their own hands and physically pulled Lot, his wife, and daughters out of the city before judgment fell.
– Balaam and his donkey (Numbers 22) – The prophet Balaam was summoned to curse Israel by Balak, king of Moab. God expressly told Balaam not to go, yet he went anyway hoping to still carry out God’s will. An angel blocked Balaam’s path and only his donkey could see the angel. After his foot was crushed against the wall, Balaam admitted his sin and offered to turn back.
– Joshua and the commander of the Lord (Joshua 5:13-15) – While Joshua was near Jericho, he had an encounter with the preincarnate Christ described as the commander of the Lord’s army. Joshua fell face down to worship him but was told to remove his sandals because he was standing on holy ground. There are different views on why the commander accepted worship.
– Jacob wrestling the angel (Genesis 32:22-32) – Jacob wrestled all night with an angel (some believe it was the preincarnate Jesus). The angel dislocated Jacob’s hip but still could not overcome him. Jacob demanded a blessing and would not let the angel go until he received one. This indicates possible impatience with Jacob’s persistence.
– Elijah and the angel (1 Kings 19:5-8) – After fleeing from Jezebel, Elijah was tired and despairing under a broom tree. An angel provided food and water, then let Elijah sleep again. The angel could have offered gentle rebuke but may have been too sympathetic toward Elijah’s weariness.
– The Angel of the Lord (Judges 13) – The angel directly accepted worship from Manoah and his wife, Samson’s parents. Some believe this was God in angelic form since the angel accepted worship and knew God’s name.
– Destruction of Jerusalem (2 Samuel 24) – God was rightfully angry when David numbered the fighting men. But the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem might be seen as overkill, since the people’s sin was due to David’s, not their own.
While there are examples where angels failed to some extent, the overall witness of Scripture is that angels are holy in nature and cannot sin. They faithfully obey God’s commands. When angels do “fail,” they do not commit intentional, willful rebellion against God. At most, holy angels may become impatient, act presumptuously, or make assumptions that are not correct. But they would never knowingly defy or disobey God.
God allows angels to be tested but provides a way for them to resist serious temptation. He uses any angelic missteps for His greater purposes and glory. In contrast to Satan and demons who sinned irreversibly against God, holy angels still desire to serve Him and bring honor to His name. They joyfully choose at all times to obey and worship their Creator.
In summary, while there are a few examples where angels displayed imperfection, lack of knowledge, wrong assumptions, haste, and presumption, these “failures” do not indicate sinning or disobedience against God. Holy angels still fulfill God’s will perfectly. At most, angels make unintentional circumstantial errors or decisions that God graciously oversees and redeems. But angels do not have an inherent sin nature, and are incapable of willful defiance or rebellion against God.