Theological Tidbits

The human body is the greatest of God’s material creations because it is the expression of a human person. When God created man, He said, “Let Us make man in Our image” (Gen. 1:26). Among all the earthly beings God created, only man was created in the divine likeness—i.e., only men and women are persons and are reflections of the divine Persons. Thus, among all earthly bodies, only human bodies are the expressions of persons.

From God’s viewpoint—i.e., from the aspect of the eternal present, the angels and human beings were created at the same time. From God’s perspective, all creation happens “at once.” However, from the human viewpoint, it is possible to conceive of our creation as a progressive series of events—i.e., evolution. In other words, it is possible to place the theory of evolution within the context of the divine creative act. Guided by the creative hand of God, the human body with all its physical powers and properties could have evolved through the process of gene mutation and natural selection. Such a gradual unfolding of God’s creative act would in no way diminish His divine power, wisdom, and love demonstrated in and through creation. Certainly, God could and might have created us without an evolutionary process. But if He willed the creation of the human body through an evolutionary process, the act of creation becomes an even greater mystery with an incomprehensible complexity. If the human body did evolve, God would have willed and foreseen every single gene mutation and natural selection process on the path from the very first, most simple animal species to the most complex animal and ultimately to the crowning glory of material creation: the human body.

Since the angels participate in the lives of all men and women, they were present at the beginning of time. Sometimes it is thought that the angels were created before man. It must be remembered that God “sees” everything in an eternal “now.” He knows everything as events of the present that we view as events of the past, present, and future. Therefore, He creates man at the same moment—the eternal present—that He “sees” Satan and his followers sin. In fact, God created the angels and man simultaneously.

The angelic participation in worldly affairs is primarily directed towards people. The word “angel” signifies a messenger or a delegate. The angels, spiritual creatures, have a function of mediation and of ministry in the relationships between God and man. Two of the archangels mentioned by name in Scripture, Raphael and Gabriel, clearly acted as messengers, and made God’s will known to the people to whom they were sent (Tob 12:15; Lk 1:26-38). The third, Michael, protected the Jewish people (Dan 12:1). The guardian angels assigned to each one of us not only guard and protect us from spiritual and, sometimes, bodily harm, but they also bring our prayers before almighty God. The participation of the angels in worldly affairs extends to the incarnation and the work of salvation. They are found at the beginning of Christ’s life, indeed at His birth. They assist Him after His fast of forty days. They are at the tomb after His resurrection. They speak to the Apostles after the ascension and they will be present at the second coming.

The sin of Satan and his devils was different from most of the sins human persons commit. Since the angels do not have bodies, their sin was a choice in their wills, uninfluenced by any bodily desires, to accept a false understanding of their own position as creatures vis-à-vis God. While we are capable of such sins of pure pride, most often our sins begin with the selfish seeking of bodily pleasure or the avoidance of pain. The desire for bodily self-gratification makes it difficult for us to express in and through our bodies the values we choose. Our bodily desires influence our minds and wills. This kind of sin does not occur in angels because they do not have bodily desires. But sins of pure pride do occur because the angels do have intellects and wills. Satan and his followers were guilty of a sin of pure pride. Satan and his followers seek to entice others—i.e., human beings to follow them in their rejection of God. Satan tempted Adam and Eve in the garden of Paradise. He and his followers continue to tempt human beings to reject God. Thus, human persons are enticed not only by their bodily desires, but also by Satan and his followers.

The fallen angels did not accept that God knew what was good for them. They wanted to define what was in their own best interests. In other words, they themselves wanted to define truth—i.e., they claimed to “know good and evil” like God. In making this claim to define truth, they rejected God, Who is Truth, and tried to make themselves gods. Satan and his followers wanted to be more perfect than they actually were—i.e., they wanted to be truth as God is Truth. All this is summed up concisely in the words: “I will not serve.” With this rejection of Truth, Satan and his followers became liars. A liar is one who rejects truth. Satan himself became the cosmic liar and the father of lies. In addition, he consigned himself to hell, that place of loveless, everlasting separation from God. Totally separated from God and deprived of grace, Satan will never be as he was before he sinned. Further, he will never be fulfilled. Milton aptly expresses Satan’s rejection of God and its results when he has Satan say, “Better to reign in hell than serve in heav’n” (Paradise Lost).

Men and women can “change their minds” because we often make our choices based on incomplete knowledge or understanding. When we gain further knowledge or understanding, we “change our minds.” But it is not possible for an angel to change his mind because angels are created with all the knowledge they will ever have. Thus, an angel does not acquire greater knowledge or a greater understanding as we do. Therefore, angels always make an informed choice. Consequently, once an angel has chosen, the choice cannot be changed.

Some might suggest that we “change our minds” because of new and unforeseen circumstances. This is true. However, this also betrays an incomplete knowledge or understanding—i.e., we did not know what possible circumstances could occur. The angels know all the possible circumstances regarding any decision they make.